Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method. The communication method comprises the following steps: detecting a power consumption saving signal; and determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource according to the detection result of the power consumption saving signal, wherein the reference signal is a tracking reference signal, or a channel estimation reference signal, or a beam training reference signal. For example, when a network device needs a terminal device to report channel quality, a power consumption saving signal can be sent to the terminal device, and after the terminal device detects the power consumption saving signal, a channel estimation reference signal is received on a transmission resource, and channel estimation is performed according to the channel estimation reference signal. Therefore, the terminal equipment executing the method can receive the reference signal when necessary, and the frequency of receiving the reference signal is reduced, so that the power consumption is reduced.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application has the application number 201910028824.2 and the original application date is January 11, 2019. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] To reduce power consumption, terminal devices typically enter a sleep state when idle. Every so often, the terminal device will detect a wake-up signal. If a wake-up signal is detected, the terminal device will enter a wake-up state from the sleep state and perform related processing, such as synchronization, channel estimation, beam training, etc.

[0004] To reduce resource consumption, one method for waking up terminal devices is through a reference signal, also known as the wake-up signal. Upon waking, the terminal device performs corresponding processing based on this reference signal. However, in some scenarios, the terminal device may not necessarily need to perform processing related to the reference signal. For example, the discontinuous reception (DRX) period is typically shorter than the tracking reference signal (TRS) transmission period. After being woken up, the terminal device may not need to synchronize until the next DRX period; however, if the network device wakes up the terminal device via TRS, the terminal device will need to synchronize within each DRX period, thus increasing the power consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device, in which a network device sends a power-saving signal that is correlated with a reference signal, enabling a terminal device to perform corresponding processing based on the reference signal when necessary, such as synchronization processing, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: detecting a power saving signal; and determining, based on the detection result of the power saving signal, whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource, wherein the reference signal is a tracking reference signal, or a channel estimation reference signal, or a beam training reference signal.

[0007] For example, when a network device needs a terminal device to report channel quality, it can send a power-saving signal to the terminal device. Upon detecting the power-saving signal, the terminal device receives a channel estimation reference signal on the transmission resources and performs channel estimation based on the reference signal. Therefore, the terminal device implementing the above method can receive the reference signal when necessary, reducing the frequency of reference signal reception and thus lowering power consumption.

[0008] Optionally, the time domain length of the power-saving signal is less than the time domain length of the reference signal, and / or, the frequency domain width of the power-saving signal is less than the frequency domain width of the reference signal.

[0009] Compared to existing technologies that use the entire TRS as a wake-up signal to wake up the terminal device, the power-saving signal provided in this application can reduce resource overhead. When the time-frequency region of the power-saving signal partially overlaps with the time-frequency region of the reference signal, the power-saving signal can reuse a portion of the reference signal sequence, which can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting the power-saving signal.

[0010] Optionally, determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on whether a power saving signal is detected includes: determining that a reference signal exists on the transmission resource when a power saving signal is detected; or determining that a reference signal does not exist on the transmission resource when a power saving signal is not detected.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device only needs to determine whether a power saving signal is detected, without needing to determine whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resources based on the content carried by the power saving signal. Therefore, the above scheme is simple and easy to implement.

[0012] Optionally, the communication method further includes: maintaining a sleep state when it is determined that there is no reference signal on the transmission resource.

[0013] In this scheme, the terminal device does not detect a power saving signal, so the terminal device can remain in sleep mode to reduce power consumption.

[0014] Optionally, determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on whether a power saving signal is detected includes: when a power saving signal is detected, determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the attributes of the power saving signal; or, when a power saving signal is not detected, determining that no reference signal exists on the transmission resource.

[0015] The above scheme enables terminal devices to perform more processing based on power saving signals. For example, after determining that there are no reference signals on the transmission resources based on the properties of the power saving signals, they can also monitor other channels (e.g., physical downlink control channels) based on the power saving signals.

[0016] Optionally, determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the properties of the power saving signal includes: determining that a reference signal exists on the transmission resource when the sequence carried by the power saving signal is a first sequence; or determining that a reference signal does not exist on the transmission resource when the sequence carried by the power saving signal is a second sequence.

[0017] Since the power saving signal can reuse the sequence of the reference signal, determining whether the reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the sequence can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting the power saving signal.

[0018] Optionally, detecting a power saving signal includes detecting a power saving signal within a preset time period.

[0019] Network devices can also be configured (e.g., semi-statically configured) to schedule the transmission period of a reference signal. Terminal devices detect power-saving signals within a preset time period based on this schedule, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the terminal devices. This preset time period is the period during which the network device transmits the reference signal.

[0020] Secondly, this application provides another communication method, including: determining whether to transmit a reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a tracking reference signal, or a channel estimation reference signal, or a beam training reference signal;

[0021] When it is determined that a reference signal should be sent, a power saving signal is sent; or, when it is determined that a reference signal should not be sent, a power saving signal is not sent.

[0022] or,

[0023] When it is determined that a reference signal should be sent, a power saving signal of the first attribute is sent; or, when it is determined that a reference signal should not be sent, a power saving signal of the second attribute is sent.

[0024] or,

[0025] When it is determined that a reference signal should be sent, a power saving signal of the first attribute is sent; or, when it is determined that a reference signal should not be sent but a power saving signal needs to be sent, a power saving signal of the second attribute is sent; or, when it is determined that a reference signal should be sent but a power saving signal does not need to be sent, a power saving signal is not sent.

[0026] The network device first determines whether a reference signal needs to be sent. When a reference signal needs to be sent, it sends a power-saving signal to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to receive the reference signal. When a reference signal does not need to be sent, the power-saving signal may not be sent.

[0027] Network devices can also send a power saving signal of the first attribute to the terminal device when a reference signal needs to be sent, and send a power saving signal of the second attribute to the terminal device when a reference signal does not need to be sent.

[0028] The above solution can reduce the information overhead and power consumption of network devices.

[0029] Optionally, the time domain length of the power-saving signal is less than the time domain length of the reference signal, and / or, the frequency domain width of the power-saving signal is less than the frequency domain width of the reference signal.

[0030] Compared to existing technologies that use the entire TRS as a wake-up signal to wake up the terminal device, the power-saving signal provided in this application can reduce resource overhead. When the time-frequency region of the power-saving signal partially overlaps with the time-frequency region of the reference signal, the power-saving signal can reuse a portion of the reference signal sequence, which can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting the power-saving signal.

[0031] Optionally, the power saving signal of the first attribute is a power saving signal carrying a first sequence, and the power saving signal of the second attribute is a power saving signal carrying a second sequence. The first sequence is used to indicate the presence of a reference signal on the transmission resource, and the second sequence is used to indicate the absence of a reference signal on the transmission resource.

[0032] Since the power saving signal can reuse the sequence of the reference signal, determining whether the reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the sequence can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting the power saving signal.

[0033] Optionally, sending a power saving signal includes: sending a power saving signal within a preset time period; or,

[0034] Sending a power saving signal for the first attribute includes: sending a power saving signal for the first attribute within a preset time period, or...

[0035] Sending a power saving signal for the second attribute includes: sending a power saving signal for the second attribute within a preset time period.

[0036] Network devices can be configured (e.g., semi-statically configured) to schedule the transmission period of a reference signal, enabling terminal devices to detect power-saving signals within a preset time period based on the reference signal's transmission period, thereby further reducing the terminal device's power consumption. This preset time period is the period during which the network device transmits the reference signal.

[0037] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a terminal device or a chip within a terminal device. The device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. When the device is a terminal device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver; the terminal device may also include a storage unit, which may be a memory; the storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the terminal device to perform the method described in the first aspect. When the device is a chip within a terminal device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, pin, or circuit, etc.; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the terminal device to perform the method described in the first aspect. The storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip (e.g., a register, cache, etc.), or a storage unit located outside the chip within the terminal device (e.g., a read-only memory, random access memory, etc.).

[0038] Fourthly, this application provides another communication device, which can be a network device or a chip within a network device. The device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. When the device is a network device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver; the network device may also include a storage unit, which may be a memory; the storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the network device to perform the method described in the second aspect. When the device is a chip within a network device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, pin, or circuit, etc.; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the network device to perform the method described in the second aspect. The storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip (e.g., a register, cache, etc.), or a storage unit located outside the chip within the network device (e.g., a read-only memory, random access memory, etc.).

[0039] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0042] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method described in the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to this application;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a DRX cycle applicable to this application;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for saving power consumption and reducing the time-frequency resources occupied by the signal, as provided in this application.

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another method of saving power consumption and reducing the time-frequency resources occupied by the signal, as provided in this application.

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another power-saving signal-occupied time-frequency resource utilization method provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating another example of the communication method provided in this application is shown;

[0050] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in this application;

[0052] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] First, let's introduce the application scenarios of this application. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to this application.

[0055] The communication system 100 includes a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 communicates with the network device 110 via electromagnetic waves.

[0056] In this application, terminal device 120 may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, such as 3G Partners (3G) devices. rd User equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), soft terminal, home gateway, set-top box, etc., as defined by the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0057] Network device 110 can be a base station as defined by 3GPP, such as a base station (gNB) in a 5G communication system. Network device 110 can also be a non-3GPP access network device, such as an access gateway (AGF). Network device 110 can also be a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, and other types of equipment.

[0058] The communication system 100 is merely an example, and the communication system applicable to this application is not limited to it. For example, the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system 100 may be other numbers.

[0059] When in a connected state, the terminal device 120 will continuously attempt to receive the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). To reduce power consumption, the terminal device 120 can start an inactive timer. Once it receives the downlink control information (DCI) carried by the PDCCH to schedule the transmission of new data, the terminal device 120 will reset the inactive timer.

[0060] In the DRX mechanism, if the terminal device is in an active state, it continuously monitors the PDCCH. The terminal device is in an active state when any of the following timers is running: DRX-onDurationTimer, DRX-InactivityTimer, DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL, and DRX-RetransmissionTimerUL. Specifically, DRX-onDurationTimer is started by a terminal device configured with a DRX period when certain conditions are met; the terminal device is in an active state during the DRX-onDurationTimer period. DRX-InactivityTimer is started when the terminal device receives a PDCCH indication for a new downlink or uplink transmission; the terminal device is in an active state during the DRX-InactivityTimer period. During downlink transmission, when the terminal device sends a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message carrying Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback to the network device, it starts the downlink HARQ Round Trip Timer (HARQ-RTT-TimerDL). HARQ-RTT-TimerDL indicates that the network device will not immediately retransmit; therefore, during the HARQ-RTT-TimerDL timeout, the terminal device is allowed to enter an inactive state, meaning it does not need to monitor the PDCCH. When HARQ-RTT-TimerDL times out, if the terminal device has data that failed to be decoded, it starts DRX-Retransmission TimerDL. During the DRX-Retransmission TimerDL timeout, the terminal device is in an active state.

[0061] The following describes the downlink transmission process of a terminal device in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state under the DRX mechanism.

[0062] Step 1: During the DRX-onDurationTimer timing, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH.

[0063] Step 2: If the terminal device detects a new downlink transmission indicated by the PDCCH during the DRX-onDurationTimer timing, then the DRX-InactivityTimer is started. A new data transmission indicates the start of a HARQ process.

[0064] Step 3: The terminal device decodes the downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH and receives the PDSCH based on the DCI.

[0065] Step 4: The terminal device sends HARQ feedback information to the network device in the PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0066] Step 5: After the terminal device has sent all symbols of the PUCCH or PUSCH carrying HARQ feedback information, it starts the HARQ-RTT-TimerDL of the corresponding HARQ process on the first symbol.

[0067] Step 6: When HARQ-RTT-TimerDL times out, if there are transport blocks (TBs) that failed to be decoded in the previous PDSCH, the terminal device will start DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL. During the DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL timeout, proceed to Step 7. If all previous PDSCHs were successfully decoded, the terminal device will not start DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL.

[0068] Step 7: During the DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL timing, the terminal device is in an active state and begins blind detection of the PDCCH. If the terminal device detects a retransmission DCI during the DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL timing, it closes the DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL and receives the PDSCH based on the retransmission DCI. After decoding the PDSCH, steps 4 to 7 are executed.

[0069] Currently, the length of HARQ-RTT-TimerDL is configured by the network device. Specifically, the length of HARQ-RTT-TimerDL is related to the time K3 for the network device to process HARQ feedback information, where K3 represents the time from when the network device receives HARQ feedback information from a certain HARQ process sent by the terminal device, processes the HARQ feedback information, and determines the time to retransmit data.

[0070] The DRX loop is as follows: Figure 2As shown. It should be noted that the terminal device 120 may be woken up for time and frequency synchronization for a period of time (e.g., several time slots) before the DRX-onDurationTimer starts, in order to prevent the terminal device 120 from having time and frequency domain deviations due to long periods of sleep; at the same time, the UE may also try to receive system messages first, in order to prevent the system messages of the other cell from being different from those of the original cell after the terminal device 120 moves from one cell to another.

[0071] Terminal device 120 needs to periodically transition from sleep mode to wake-up mode to monitor signals sent by network device 110, such as monitoring TRS and performing time-frequency synchronization based on the received TRS. However, time-frequency synchronization is not required at every wake-up stage. Therefore, this application provides a communication method 300, which can be applied to… Figure 1 The communication system shown can be executed, for example, by terminal device 120 or by a chip in terminal device 120. For simplicity, the terms "terminal device" and "network device" will not be accompanied by reference numerals in the accompanying drawings below.

[0072] like Figure 3 As shown, method 300 includes:

[0073] S310 detects power saving signals.

[0074] The power saving signal can be a wakeup signal (WUS) or a go-to-sleep signal (GTS).

[0075] S320, determine whether the reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the detection result of the power saving signal, wherein the reference signal is a tracking reference signal, or a channel estimation reference signal, or a beam training reference signal.

[0076] The duration of the DRX cycle is usually fixed or semi-statically configured. Not every wake-up phase requires the terminal device to handle a task. Therefore, if the network device needs to instruct the terminal device to handle a task (e.g., receive information) during the wake-up phase, the network device will send a power saving signal to the terminal device. After receiving the power saving signal, the terminal device will perform the corresponding operation. If the terminal device does not need to handle a task during the wake-up phase, the network device may not send a power saving signal. If the terminal device does not receive a power saving signal, it can enter a sleep state to save power.

[0077] For example, the power saving signal is related to the reference signal. If the terminal device detects the power saving signal, it determines that there is a reference signal on the transmission resource and can receive the reference signal on the transmission resource so as to perform corresponding operations based on the reference signal. If the terminal device does not detect the power saving signal, it determines that there is no reference signal on the transmission resource and can enter a sleep state to save power, or it can perform other operations, such as monitoring the PDCCH.

[0078] The correlation between the aforementioned power-saving signal and the reference signal can be defined by the communication protocol or configured by the network device. Similarly, the aforementioned transmission resources can be defined by the communication protocol or configured by the network device.

[0079] The aforementioned reference signal can be a TRS, a channel estimation reference signal, or a beam training reference signal.

[0080] When a network device determines that a terminal device needs to perform time-frequency synchronization, it can send a power saving signal to the terminal device. After detecting the power saving signal, the terminal device receives the TRS on the transmission resources and performs time-frequency synchronization according to the TRS.

[0081] When a network device needs a terminal device to report channel quality, it can send a power saving signal to the terminal device. After the terminal device detects the power saving signal, it receives a channel estimation reference signal on the transmission resources and performs channel estimation based on the channel estimation reference signal.

[0082] When a network device needs a terminal device to train its beam, it can send a power-saving signal to the terminal device. Upon detecting the power-saving signal, the terminal device receives a beam training reference signal on the transmission resources and performs beam training based on this reference signal. For example, the reference signal can be a beam training signal used by the terminal device to train and obtain the optimal receiving beam. When the terminal device detects the power-saving signal, it determines that the network device will send the beam training reference signal, allowing the terminal device to use it to find the receiving beam for receiving subsequent signals or channels.

[0083] The specific methods for time-frequency synchronization, channel estimation, and beam training can be carried out according to the relevant methods in the prior art, and will not be elaborated here for the sake of brevity.

[0084] It can be seen that the terminal device using method 300 can receive the reference signal when necessary, reducing the frequency of receiving the reference signal and thus reducing power consumption.

[0085] For network devices, the first step is to determine whether a reference signal needs to be sent. When a reference signal needs to be sent, a power-saving signal is sent to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to receive the reference signal. When a reference signal does not need to be sent, the power-saving signal can be left unsent, thereby reducing the information overhead and power consumption of the network device.

[0086] The above provides an example of how a terminal device determines whether a reference signal exists on a transmission resource based on whether a power saving signal is detected. The terminal device can also determine whether a reference signal exists on a transmission resource based on the properties of the power saving signal.

[0087] For example, when a network device determines that a terminal device needs to perform corresponding processing based on a reference signal and decides to send a reference signal, the network device can send a power-saving signal carrying a first sequence; when the network device determines that there are insufficient resources to send a reference signal or that the terminal does not need to use a reference signal at present, the network determines not to send a reference signal, and the network device can send a power-saving signal carrying a second sequence.

[0088] After receiving the power-saving signal, the terminal device determines whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on different sequences. If the sequence carried by the power-saving signal is the first sequence, the terminal device determines that a reference signal exists on the transmission resource and can receive the reference signal on that transmission resource. If the sequence carried by the power-saving signal is the second sequence, the terminal device determines that no reference signal exists on the transmission resource. In this case, the terminal device may not receive the reference signal on the transmission resource for time-frequency synchronization, channel state estimation, or receive beam training. However, the terminal still needs to wake up the monitoring PDCCH, thereby reducing the frequency of receiving the reference signal while avoiding adverse effects on other services.

[0089] It should be noted that, for the above scheme, if the terminal device does not detect the power saving signal carrying the first sequence or the second sequence, the terminal device will also determine that there is no reference signal on the transmission resources. It can enter a sleep state or perform other operations, such as monitoring the PDCCH, so as to reduce the frequency of receiving the reference signal while avoiding adverse effects on other services.

[0090] The power-saving signal can also be represented by bit field values. For the same bit field, different values ​​represent different meanings. For example, a bit field value of "0" indicates that there is no reference signal on the transmission resource; a bit field value of "1" indicates that there is a reference signal on the transmission resource. The bit field values ​​of the power-saving signal can also be other values.

[0091] Network devices can also be configured (e.g., semi-statically configured) to schedule the transmission period of a reference signal. Terminal devices detect power-saving signals within a preset time period based on this schedule, thereby further reducing the power consumption of the terminal devices. This preset time period is the period during which the network device transmits the reference signal.

[0092] As an optional implementation, if the terminal device detects a power-saving signal within a preset time period, it can determine that a reference signal exists on the transmission resource; if the terminal device does not detect a power-saving signal within the preset time period, it can determine that no reference signal exists on the transmission resource. As an example, when the terminal device detects a power-saving signal, it needs to process the reference signal, detect the PDCCH within the corresponding connected mode DRX (C-DRX) cycle, and receive the corresponding PDSCH schedule.

[0093] As another optional implementation, if the terminal device detects a power-saving signal carrying the first sequence within a preset time period, the terminal device can determine that a reference signal exists on the transmission resource; if the terminal device detects a power-saving signal carrying the second sequence within the preset time period, the terminal device can determine that no reference signal exists on the transmission resource; if the terminal device neither detects a power-saving signal carrying the first sequence nor a power-saving signal carrying the second sequence within the preset time period, the terminal device can determine that no reference signal exists on the transmission resource. As an example, when the terminal detects sequence 1, the terminal wakes up and uses the reference signal for time-frequency tracking, channel state measurement, or beam training, while processing the PDCCH within the C-DRX duration; when the terminal detects sequence 2, the terminal determines that the network device will not send the reference signal, but the terminal determines that the network device will schedule data within the corresponding C-DRX cycle, therefore the terminal will detect the PDCCH within the corresponding C-DRX cycle; when the terminal does not detect a power-saving signal, the terminal determines that the network device will not send the reference signal and will not schedule the terminal within the associated C-DRX cycle, and the terminal continues to sleep.

[0094] The preceding text describes in detail an example of how a terminal device receives a reference signal based on a power-saving signal. This application also provides three new power-saving signals.

[0095] Power saving signal 1.

[0096] The time domain length of power-saving signal 1 is shorter than that of the reference signal. The frequency domain length of power-saving signal 1 can be greater than, less than, or equal to that of the reference signal. The time-frequency region occupied by power-saving signal 1 does not overlap with or only partially overlaps with the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. Figure 4 As shown, the shaded area represents the time-frequency region occupied by the power-saving signal 1, and the unshaded rectangle represents the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. The frequency domain of the power-saving signal 1 may partially overlap, completely overlap, or not overlap with the frequency domain of the reference signal. Furthermore, the starting position of the time domain of the power-saving signal 1 is located before the starting position of the time domain of the reference signal, or the two starting time domain positions are the same.

[0097] It should be noted that the shaded area represents the range of the time-frequency region occupied by power-saving signal 1, but power-saving signal 1 does not necessarily occupy the entire time-frequency region. For example, power-saving signal 1 may only occupy a few resource elements (REs) in the time-frequency region. Similarly, the reference signal may also occupy only a few REs.

[0098] The power saving signal 1 can reuse a portion of the reference signal. Therefore, in this case, the power saving signal 1 can also be called a partial reference signal, and the reference signal occupying region 2 can be called a full reference signal. In this application, unless otherwise specified, "reference signal" refers to "full reference signal".

[0099] For example, the time domain range of region 1 is symbols 0 to 6, and the time domain range of region 2 is symbols 0 to 13. On the OFDM symbols 0 to 6, the power-saving signal and the reference signal can be orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or code division multiplexing. If the terminal device detects a partial reference signal on symbols 0 to 6, the terminal device determines that it has received power-saving signal 1. The terminal device can continue to receive the remaining reference signal on symbols 7 to 13, and merge the remaining reference signal with the previously stored partial reference signal for corresponding operations, such as time-frequency offset tracking, channel state estimation, or beam training. If the terminal device does not detect a partial reference signal on symbols 0 to 6, the terminal device determines that there is no reference signal on symbols 0 to 13 (i.e., the transmission resources described in S320). The sequence of power-saving signal 1 on symbols 0 to 6 can reuse a partial sequence of the reference signal.

[0100] For example, region 1's time domain range is from symbol 0 to symbol 6, and region 2's time domain range is from symbol 2 to symbol 13. If the terminal device detects a portion of the reference signal on symbols 0 to 6, it determines that it has received power saving signal 1. The terminal device can then continue to receive the remaining reference signal on symbols 7 to 13, and combine the remaining reference signal with the previously stored portion of the reference signal before performing the corresponding operation. If the terminal device does not detect any reference signal on symbols 0 to 6, it determines that there is no reference signal on symbols 2 to 13. The sequence of power saving signal 1 on symbols 2 to 6 can reuse a portion of the reference signal sequence.

[0101] The above examples all use whether power saving signal 1 is detected as the basis for determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource. The terminal device can also determine whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the sequence of power saving signal 1.

[0102] As can be seen from the above example, compared to the existing technology that uses the entire TRS as a wake-up signal to wake up the terminal device, using power saving signal 1 as a wake-up signal can reduce resource overhead. When the time-frequency region of power saving signal 1 partially overlaps with the time-frequency region of the reference signal, power saving signal 1 can reuse part of the sequence of the reference signal, which can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting power saving signal 1.

[0103] Optionally, the terminal device can also determine whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource without waiting for the power-saving signal 1 to be fully decoded.

[0104] For example, if a terminal device detects and parses a partial sequence on symbols 0 to 2, and if the partial sequence belongs to the sequence of power saving signal 1, the terminal device can determine that it has received power saving signal 1; if the partial sequence does not belong to the sequence of power saving signal 1, the terminal device can determine that it has not received power saving signal 1, and thus can enter a sleep state in advance to reduce power consumption.

[0105] Power saving signal 2.

[0106] The frequency domain width of power-saving signal 2 is smaller than that of the reference signal. The time domain width of power-saving signal 2 can be greater than, less than, or equal to that of the reference signal. The time-frequency region occupied by power-saving signal 2 does not overlap with or only partially overlaps with the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. Figure 5As shown, the shaded area represents the time-frequency region occupied by the power-saving signal 2, and the unshaded rectangle represents the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. The frequency domain of the power-saving signal 2 may or may not overlap with the frequency domain of the reference signal, and the time domain of the power-saving signal 2 may or may not overlap with the time domain of the reference signal. Furthermore, the starting position of the time domain of the power-saving signal 2 is located before the starting position of the time domain of the reference signal.

[0107] It should be noted that the shaded area represents the range of the time-frequency region occupied by the power-saving signal 2, but the power-saving signal 2 does not necessarily completely occupy this time-frequency region. For example, the power-saving signal 2 may only occupy a few REs in this time-frequency region. Similarly, the reference signal may also only occupy a few REs.

[0108] The power saving signal 2 can reuse part of the reference signal. Therefore, in this case, the power saving signal 2 can also be called the partial reference signal, and the reference signal occupying region 2 can be called the complete reference signal.

[0109] For example, the frequency domain size of region 1 is the bandwidth corresponding to 24 resource blocks (RBs), and the frequency domain size of region 2 is the bandwidth corresponding to 72 RBs. If the terminal device detects a portion of the reference signal on the bandwidth corresponding to the 24 RBs, the terminal device determines that it has received the power saving signal 2, and the terminal device can continue to receive the remaining reference signal on the bandwidth corresponding to the 72 RBs. If the terminal device does not detect a portion of the reference signal on the bandwidth corresponding to the 24 RBs, the terminal device determines that there is no reference signal on the bandwidth corresponding to the 72 RBs (i.e., the transmission resource described in S320). Wherein, if the time-frequency region of the power saving signal 2 partially overlaps with the time-frequency region of the reference signal, the sequence of the power saving signal 2 on the bandwidth corresponding to the 24 RBs can reuse a portion of the sequence of the reference signal.

[0110] The above example uses whether power saving signal 2 is detected as the basis for determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource. The terminal device can also determine whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the sequence of power saving signal 2.

[0111] As can be seen from the above examples, compared to the existing technology that uses the entire TRS as a wake-up signal to wake up the terminal device, using power saving signal 2 as a wake-up signal can reduce the power consumption of detecting the power saving signal and reduce resource overhead. When the time-frequency region of power saving signal 2 partially overlaps with the time-frequency region of the reference signal, power saving signal 2 can reuse part of the sequence of the reference signal, which can reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting power saving signal 2.

[0112] Power saving signal 3.

[0113] The time-domain length of power-saving signal 3 is shorter than that of the reference signal, and the frequency-domain width of power-saving signal 3 is also shorter than that of the reference signal. The time-frequency region occupied by power-saving signal 3 does not overlap with or only partially overlaps with the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. Figure 6 As shown, the shaded area represents the time-frequency region occupied by the power-saving signal 3, and the unshaded rectangle represents the time-frequency region occupied by the reference signal. The frequency domain of the power-saving signal 3 may or may not overlap with the frequency domain of the reference signal, and the time domain of the power-saving signal 3 may or may not overlap with the time domain of the reference signal. Furthermore, the starting position of the time domain of the power-saving signal 3 is either before the starting position of the time domain of the reference signal or the two starting positions are the same.

[0114] It should be noted that the shaded area represents the range of the time-frequency region occupied by the power-saving signal 3, but the power-saving signal 3 does not necessarily completely occupy this time-frequency region. For example, the power-saving signal 3 may only occupy a few REs in this time-frequency region. Similarly, the reference signal may also only occupy a few REs.

[0115] The power saving signal 3 can reuse part of the reference signal. Therefore, in this case, the power saving signal 3 can also be called the partial reference signal, and the reference signal occupying region 2 can be called the complete reference signal.

[0116] For example, region 1 has a time domain range of symbols 0 to 6, and region 2 has a time domain range of symbols 2 to 13. Region 1 has a frequency domain bandwidth corresponding to 24 RBs, and region 2 has a frequency domain bandwidth corresponding to 72 RBs. If the terminal device detects and parses a partial sequence on symbols 0 to 1, and this partial sequence belongs to the power saving signal 3, then the terminal device can determine that it has received the power saving signal 3, and can continue to receive the reference signal on symbols 2 to 13 and on the bandwidth corresponding to the 72 RBs. If the terminal device detects and parses a partial sequence on symbols 0 to 1, and this partial sequence does not belong to the power saving signal 3, or if the terminal device does not detect a partial reference signal on symbols 0 to 6, then the terminal device determines that there is no reference signal on symbols 2 to 13. The sequence of the power saving signal 3 on symbols 2 to 6 can reuse a partial sequence of the reference signal.

[0117] The above example uses whether the power saving signal 3 is detected as the basis for determining whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource. The terminal device can also determine whether a reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the sequence of the power saving signal 3.

[0118] As can be seen from the above examples, compared to the existing technology that uses TRS as a wake-up signal to wake up the terminal device, using power-saving signal 3 as a wake-up signal can reduce resource overhead. When power-saving signal 3 multiplexes a portion of the reference signal sequence, it can also reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting power-saving signal 3.

[0119] Based on method 300, Figure 7 Another example of the communication method provided in this application is shown.

[0120] Figure 7 Four connected mode DRX (C-DRX) cycles are shown. The network device pre-configures the lengths of DRX-onDurationTimer and DRX-InactivityTimer for each C-DRX cycle. Figure 7 In the diagram, a large dashed box represents the time-frequency region occupied by a reference signal, and the network device does not transmit a reference signal in that time-frequency region; a small dashed box represents the time-frequency region occupied by a wake-up signal, and the network device does not transmit a wake-up signal in that time-frequency region; a shaded area represents the time-frequency region occupied by a wake-up signal, and the network device transmits a wake-up signal in that time-frequency region; a solid box containing a shaded area represents the time-frequency region occupied by a reference signal, and the network device transmits a reference signal in that time-frequency region.

[0121] The network device is configured with four wake-up signal transmission opportunities and one reference signal transmission opportunity. The terminal device needs to detect the wake-up signal according to the pattern of a portion of the reference signal at each wake-up signal transmission opportunity.

[0122] For example, if the terminal device detects a wake-up signal during the wake-up signal transmission timing before C-DRX cycle 1, and the sequence carried by the wake-up signal is the second sequence, then the terminal device determines that there is no reference signal during the reference signal transmission timing before C-DRX cycle 1. The terminal device can monitor the PDCCH and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) during the wake-up phase of C-DRX cycle 1 based on the aforementioned wake-up signal.

[0123] If the terminal device does not detect a wake-up signal during the sleep phase of C-DRX cycle 2, the terminal device will determine to remain in sleep mode, without detecting the reference signal or monitoring the PDCCH and PDSCH.

[0124] During the sleep phase before C-DRX cycle 4, there is an opportunity to send a reference signal. The terminal device can detect the wake-up signal according to the pattern of the complete reference signal, and perform operations such as time-frequency synchronization, channel estimation, or beam training based on the reference signal after detecting the wake-up signal.

[0125] Figure 7 The wake-up signals shown are power-saving signals 3. Alternatively, power-saving signals 1 and 2 can also be used as wake-up signals.

[0126] In addition, multiple terminal devices can reuse the same sequence through methods such as code division or frequency shifting.

[0127] The preceding text primarily describes the communication method provided in this application from the perspective of the terminal device. The processing procedures of the network device correspond to those of the terminal device. For example, when a terminal device receives information from a network device, it means that the network device sent that information; when a terminal device sends information to a network device, it means that the network device received that information from the terminal device. Therefore, even if the processing procedures of the network device are not explicitly described in certain places above, those skilled in the art can clearly understand the processing procedures of the network device based on the processing procedures of the terminal device.

[0128] The foregoing has detailed examples of the communication methods provided in this application. It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art 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 application.

[0129] This application can divide the communication device into functional units based on the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. It should be noted that the unit division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0130] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in this application is shown. The communication device 800 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The communication device 800 can be a chip, a network device, or a terminal device.

[0131] The communication device 800 includes one or more processors 801, which can support the implementation of the communication device 800. Figure 3The method described in the corresponding method embodiment. Processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, processor 801 can be a central processing unit (CPU) or a baseband processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication data (e.g., the power-saving signal mentioned above), and the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., network device, terminal device, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. The communication device 800 may also include a transceiver unit 805 for implementing signal input (reception) and output (transmission).

[0132] For example, the communication device 800 may be a chip, the transceiver unit 805 may be the input and / or output circuit of the chip, or the transceiver unit 805 may be the communication interface of the chip, and the chip may be a component of a terminal device, network device or other wireless communication device.

[0133] The communication device 800 may include one or more memories 802, which store a program 804. The program 804 can be executed by a processor 801 to generate instructions 803, causing the processor 801 to execute the method described in the above method embodiments according to the instructions 803. Optionally, the memory 802 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 801 may also read data stored in the memory 802, which may be stored at the same memory address as the program 804, or it may be stored at a different memory address than the program 804.

[0134] The processor 801 and memory 802 can be configured separately or integrated together, for example, integrated on a single board or system on chip (SOC).

[0135] The communication device 800 may also include a transceiver unit 805 and an antenna 806. The transceiver unit 805 may be called a transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device through the antenna 806.

[0136] In one possible design, the processor 801 is used to send a power-saving signal to the terminal device via the transceiver unit 805 and the antenna 806.

[0137] In another possible design, processor 801 is used to receive power-saving signals from network devices via transceiver unit 805 and antenna 806.

[0138] For details on how to receive or send power-saving signals, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0139] It should be understood that the steps of the above method embodiments can be implemented by hardware logic circuits or software instructions in the processor 801. The processor 801 can be a CPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, such as discrete gate, transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0140] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by processor 801, implements the communication method described in any of the method embodiments of this application.

[0141] The computer program product can be stored in memory 802, for example, program 804. Program 804 is finally converted into an executable object file that can be executed by processor 801 after processing such as preprocessing, compilation, assembly and linking.

[0142] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the communication method described in any of the method embodiments of this application. The computer program may be a high-level language program or an executable object program.

[0143] The computer-readable storage medium is, for example, memory 802. Memory 802 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or memory 802 can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0144] When the communication device 800 is a terminal device Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a terminal device 900 provided in this application is shown. This terminal device 900 is applicable to… Figure 1 The system shown implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For ease of explanation, Figure 9 Only the main components of the terminal device are shown.

[0145] like Figure 9 As shown, the terminal device 900 includes a processor, memory, control circuitry, antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, as well as for controlling the entire terminal device. For example, the processor receives power-saving signals via the antenna and control circuitry. The memory is primarily used to store programs and data, such as communication protocols and data to be transmitted. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency (RF) signals and processing RF signals. The control circuitry and antenna together can also be called a transceiver, primarily used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touchscreen or keyboard, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0146] When the terminal device is powered on, the processor can read the program from the memory, interpret and execute the instructions contained in the program, and process the data in the program. When information needs to be transmitted via the antenna, the processor performs baseband processing on the information to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal to obtain an RF signal and transmits the RF signal outward as electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When the electromagnetic waves carrying the information (i.e., the RF signal) reach the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into information and processes the information.

[0147] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 9 Only one memory and one processor are shown. In actual terminal devices, multiple processors and multiple memories may exist. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc., and this application does not limit it in this way.

[0148] As an optional implementation method, Figure 9 The processor in the device can integrate the functions of a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing power. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. A baseband processor can also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. A CPU can also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored as a program in memory, with the processor executing the program in memory to implement the baseband processing function.

[0149] In this application, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit 901 of the terminal device 900, used to support the terminal device in implementing the receiving function in the method embodiment, or to support the terminal device in implementing the transmitting function in the method embodiment. The processor with processing functions can be regarded as the processing unit 902 of the terminal device 900. For example... Figure 9As shown, the terminal device 900 includes a transceiver unit 901 and a processing unit 902. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, transceiver device, or transceiver apparatus. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 901 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 901 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit 901 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0150] The processor 902 can be used to execute programs stored in the memory to control the transceiver unit 901 to receive and / or transmit signals, thus performing the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. As one implementation, the functions of the transceiver unit 901 can be implemented through a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip.

[0151] In the case where the communication device 800 is a network device Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in this application, which can be, for example, a base station. Figure 10 As shown, this base station can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 The system shown implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The base station 1000 may include one or more radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) 1001 and at least one baseband unit (BBU) 1002. The BBU 1002 may include a distributed unit (DU), or it may include both a DU and a central unit (CU).

[0152] RRU1001, also known as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, may include at least one antenna 10011 and a radio frequency unit 10012. RRU1001 is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, for example, to support the transmitting and receiving functions in the base station implementation method embodiment. BBU1002 is primarily used for baseband processing and base station control. RRU1001 and BBU1002 may be physically installed together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station.

[0153] BBU1002, also known as a processing unit, is primarily used to perform baseband processing functions such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, and spread spectrum. For example, BBU1002 can be used to control the base station to execute the network device operation procedures described in the above method embodiments.

[0154] BBU1002 can be composed of one or more boards. Multiple boards can collectively support a single access standard radio access network (e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), or they can support different access standards radio access networks (e.g., LTE and NR networks). BBU1002 also includes a memory 10021 and a processor 10022. The memory 10021 stores necessary instructions and data. For example, the memory 10021 stores power-saving signals from the above method embodiments. The processor 10022 controls the base station to perform necessary actions, such as controlling the base station to execute the operation procedures in the above method embodiments. The memory 10021 and processor 10022 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0156] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed can be implemented in other ways. For example, some features of the method embodiments described above can be ignored or not performed. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system. Furthermore, the coupling between units or components can be direct coupling or indirect coupling, including electrical, mechanical, or other forms of connection.

[0157] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0158] Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper merely describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this paper generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0159] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive a power saving signal, the power saving signal including a first bit field; The presence of a tracking reference signal on the transmission resource is determined based on the value of the first bit field.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The received power saving signal includes: The power saving signal is detected based on the transmission period of the tracking reference signal.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: If it is determined that the tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource, the tracking reference signal is received; Time-frequency synchronization is performed based on the power-saving signal and the tracking reference signal.

4. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: A power saving signal is determined based on whether a tracking reference signal is sent on the transmission resource. The power saving signal includes a first bit field, the value of which is used to indicate whether the tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource. Send a power saving signal.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The power saving signal transmission includes: The power saving signal is transmitted based on the transmission period of the tracking reference signal.

6. The communication method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The value of the first bit field is used to indicate the presence of the tracking reference signal on the transmission resource, and the method further includes: The tracking reference signal is sent, and the power saving signal and the tracking reference signal are used for time-frequency synchronization.

7. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: Transceiver unit, used to receive power saving signal, the power saving signal including a first bit field; The processing unit is used to determine whether a tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource based on the value of the first bit field.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is specifically used for: The power saving signal is detected based on the transmission period of the tracking reference signal.

9. The communication device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: If it is determined that the tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource, the tracking reference signal is received; The processing unit is also used for: Time-frequency synchronization is performed based on the power-saving signal and the tracking reference signal.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: The processing unit is configured to determine a power saving signal based on whether a tracking reference signal is transmitted on the transmission resource. The power saving signal includes a first bit field, the value of which is used to indicate whether the tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource. The transceiver unit is used to send power-saving signals.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is specifically used for: The power saving signal is transmitted based on the transmission period of the tracking reference signal.

12. The communication device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The value of the first bit field is used to indicate the presence of the tracking reference signal on the transmission resource; The transceiver unit is also used for: The tracking reference signal is sent, and the power saving signal and the tracking reference signal are used for time-frequency synchronization.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the communication apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, When the first bit field is 1, the tracking reference signal exists on the transmission resource; When the first bit field is 0, the tracking reference signal does not exist on the transmission resource.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor configured to enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to be implemented.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to be implemented.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to be implemented.

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