Communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication system, a chip system and a storage medium. The method can be applied to an environmental Internet of Things system. The method comprises the following steps: a network device sends a paging message, the paging message is used for configuring a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set comprises all access opportunities in a paging cycle; correspondingly, a terminal device receives the paging message, and determines an index n of a first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set; in the case that n is greater than or equal to Q, the terminal device caches a value C1 of a counter, and enters sleep; wherein the first access opportunity set comprises N access opportunities, 0≤n<N, Q<N, and C1=n-Q. The embodiment of the application provides a condition for the terminal device to enter sleep, that is, the terminal device can enter sleep in the case that n is greater than or equal to Q, which is beneficial to energy saving of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Some terminal devices, such as Ambient IoT (A-IoT), are IoT technologies that transmit data by collecting energy from the environment (such as light, heat, electromagnetic waves, etc.). The main characteristics of such terminal devices are low power consumption and no battery required.

[0003] It is evident that energy conservation is particularly important for this type of terminal equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, and storage medium that enable terminal devices (such as environmental IoT devices) to be more energy-efficient.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this approach. The following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0006] The method includes: receiving a paging message, the paging message being used to configure a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set including all access opportunities within a paging cycle; determining an index n of a first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity being the access opportunity in which the terminal device sends a random access request; and, if n is greater than or equal to Q, setting the value C1 of the terminal device's buffer counter and entering sleep mode; wherein the first access opportunity set includes N access opportunities, 0 ≤ n <N,Q<N,C1=n-Q。

[0007] Q can be understood as a threshold value set in this application embodiment to determine whether the terminal device enters sleep mode. Q can be any value less than N. This application does not specifically limit the value of Q.

[0008] In this embodiment, the terminal device can choose whether to enter sleep mode based on the relationship between the index n of its selected first access opportunity and Q. If n is greater than or equal to Q, it can be understood that there is still a period of time between the time domain location indicated by the paging message and the time domain location of the first access opportunity. Entering sleep mode when n is greater than or equal to Q is beneficial for energy saving of the terminal device.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, some implementations of the first aspect further include: receiving a first trigger message, the first trigger message including a counter marker t, the first trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of a first access opportunity subset, the first access opportunity set including multiple access opportunity subsets, the first access opportunity subset being a subset of the first access opportunity set; obtaining the value C1 of a counter; if the first trigger message is the first first trigger message received by the terminal device after wake-up, and C1 is less than Q, updating the value of the counter using the counter marker t; if the updated value C2 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, then the terminal device selects the C2+1th access opportunity in the first access opportunity subset for access, where m is the number of access opportunities in an access opportunity subset.

[0010] Because terminal devices (such as A-IoT devices) cache counter values ​​and disable high-precision clocks while in sleep mode, running low-precision clocks, the low-precision clocks may cause latency between the terminal device and the network device, further leading to access delays or failures after the terminal device wakes up. In this embodiment, the first trigger message is a special trigger message sent by the network device, carrying a counter flag. The terminal device can update its cached counter value based on the received first trigger message. Since the terminal device needs to determine the location of the access opportunity based on the counter value after waking up, updating the counter value can also be understood as the terminal device calibrating the latency, which is beneficial for the terminal device to achieve correct access.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: if the first trigger message is the first trigger message received by the terminal device after waking up, and C1 is greater than or equal to Q, then the value of the counter is updated using Q, the terminal device caches the updated value of the counter, and enters sleep mode. This can further save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second trigger message, the second trigger message not including a counter flag, the second trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of a second access opportunity subset, the second access opportunity subset being a subset of the first access opportunity set; obtaining the value C1 of a counter; if the second trigger message is not the first message received after the terminal device is woken up, updating the value of the counter using the formula C5=C1-m; if the updated value C5 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, then the terminal device selects the C5+1th access opportunity in the second access opportunity subset for access, where m is the number of access opportunities in an access opportunity subset.

[0013] Both the second trigger message and the first trigger message in this embodiment are trigger messages, and both can indicate the starting position of a subset of access opportunities. The difference between them is that the second trigger message does not include a counter flag. That is, some trigger messages sent by the network device include a counter flag, while others do not. This design has two advantages: firstly, the first trigger message containing the counter flag helps the terminal device, which wakes up from sleep mode, update the counter value and achieve synchronization; secondly, after the terminal device undergoes latency calibration, it still needs a trigger message to indicate the starting position of the subset of access opportunities, and the network device sending the second trigger message without the counter flag helps reduce the signaling overhead for both communicating parties.

[0014] It should also be understood that some of the trigger messages sent by network devices contain a counting flag, such as the first trigger message, while others do not, such as the second trigger message. This design not only enables latency calibration of terminal devices but also helps to save signaling overhead for both the sender and receiver.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: if the second trigger message is the first message received after the terminal device is woken up, the terminal device ignores the second trigger message.

[0016] It should be understood that the terminal device performs latency calibration based on the count flag in the first trigger message. The second trigger message does not contain a count flag. If the first message received by the terminal device after waking up is the second trigger message, calibration cannot be performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second trigger message is ignored in this case, which helps to avoid incorrect access.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sending period of the first trigger message is W time-domain units, and the terminal device wakes up when the sleep duration reaches X time-domain units, where X ≤ W. This helps to keep the latency error caused by the terminal device's sleep within a controllable range, thus improving calibration accuracy.

[0018] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a network device (such as a satellite) as an example.

[0019] The method includes: sending a paging message for configuring a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set including all access opportunities within a paging cycle; sending a first trigger message group, the first trigger message group including multiple consecutive first trigger messages, each first trigger message in the first trigger message group including a different counter, each first trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of a subset of access opportunities, the first access opportunity set including multiple subsets of access opportunities.

[0020] In this embodiment of the application, the network device can periodically send a first trigger message group, which includes multiple consecutive first trigger messages. This periodic and centralized sending of the first trigger messages is beneficial for the terminal device to receive the first trigger messages in a timely manner after waking up, and is also beneficial for the terminal device to calibrate the latency in a timely manner.

[0021] In one possible implementation, if the opportunity for sending a first trigger message in a first trigger message group overlaps with that of a paging message, then the paging message carries a counter for the first trigger message. This helps maintain the consistency of the counters in each first trigger message group, which is beneficial for terminal device access.

[0022] The second aspect is the implementation on the network device side, which corresponds to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0023] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided, including a module for performing a method such as the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0024] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods described in the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0025] In one implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0026] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0027] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the methods of the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0028] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0029] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods described in the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0030] Optionally, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0032] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0033] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation of the second aspect to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0034] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0035] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or network device. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 A communication system applicable to embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a contention-based access method;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a set of access opportunities for an A-IoT device, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 7 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 8 This application provides an implementation of a communication method.

[0044] Figure 9 A communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 10 This is yet another communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems or new radio access technology (NR), and Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) systems. Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit it in this regard.

[0048] Figure 1 An exemplary schematic diagram of a communication system 100 to which embodiments of this application are applicable is shown. The communication system 100 may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device, and the terminal device and the network device may communicate via a wireless link.

[0049] In one possible scenario, the network device can act as the transmitter and the terminal device as the receiver, with the network device sending downlink signals to the terminal device; in another possible scenario, the network device can act as the receiver and the terminal device as the transmitter, with the terminal device sending uplink signals to the network device.

[0050] In this embodiment, the network device can be a network-side device such as an access network or core network device. In some implementations, the network device can be called an access network device or a radio access network (RAN) device. The RAN device can provide wireless communication services and allow terminals to access the wireless network. The RAN device can be a node in the RAN, abbreviated as RAN node.

[0051] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB (or home Node B, HNB), a Wi-Fi access point (AP), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, or an ambient internet to things (IoT) communication system. A RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), meaning that a RAN node can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. RAN nodes can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, master nodes, etc., or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, nodes in open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenarios, etc. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, RAN nodes can be roadside units (RSUs). Of course, RAN nodes can also be nodes in the core network. Multiple access network devices in the communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. Base stations can communicate with terminals or through relay stations. Terminals can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms used in the network devices.

[0052] The network device in this application embodiment can also be a reader in an ambient internet of things (AIoT) system, which can have communication and identification capabilities, data processing and forwarding, adaptability and compatibility, low power consumption and high efficiency, security and reliability, and ease of deployment and maintenance. This application does not limit it in this regard.

[0053] The terminal device in this application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device providing voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment, etc.

[0054] Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, SIP phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). This application does not limit the scope to include devices such as assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0055] By way of example and not limitation, in this application, the terminal device can also be an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) device. It should be understood that an A-IoT device can also be called a tag, AIoT device, tag, electronic A-IoT device, A-IoT tag, smart AIoT device, transponder, data carrier, or device, etc., and this application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0056] The Internet of Things (IoT) is a crucial component of future information technology development. Its main technological characteristic is connecting objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. For example, the terminal device in this application embodiment can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they can also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0057] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device can also be a terminal in machine-type communication (MTC). Furthermore, the terminal device can also be an on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods provided in this application through the built-in on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit. Therefore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to vehicle-to-everything (V2X), long-term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V) technology, and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology.

[0058] It should also be understood that the terminal device in this application can be a terminal device or a device that enables the terminal device to perform this function, such as a processor, circuit, chip, chip system, etc., which can be installed in the terminal device or connected to the terminal device for use. In the technical solution provided in this application, the terminal device is used as an example to describe the technical solution provided in this application.

[0059] Terminal devices and / or network devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the application scenarios of the terminal devices and network devices. They can be deployed in the same or different scenarios; for example, both can be deployed on land simultaneously; or the network device can be deployed on land while the terminal device is deployed on water, etc., and so on.

[0060] In practical applications, multiple network devices can collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different network devices each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0061] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in the ORAN system, CU can also be called Open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called Open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called Open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called Open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called Open RU (O-RU).

[0062] In this application, any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU units can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. The CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or through dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0063] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application will be briefly explained first. Optionally, the explanation of some terms may also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0064] It is worth noting that the technical terms used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and not as limiting. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change, and other technical terms that have the same technical meaning should also be applicable to this application.

[0065] 1. Competitive Access Mechanism

[0066] Contention access is a method used in wireless communication to resolve conflicts when multiple users or devices simultaneously attempt to access the same resource (such as a channel or network).

[0067] For example, in the aforementioned AIoT system where the terminal device is an ambient internet of things (AIoT) device and the network device is a reader, it can support, for example... Figure 2 The contention access method 200 is shown.

[0068] Method 200 includes the following steps:

[0069] S201. The reader sends a paging message to the A-IoT device. The paging message is used to instruct the A-IoT device to respond to the core network service request. It can carry the device identifier and access occasion (AO) resource information. AO is the time-frequency resource used to transmit MSG 1 in contention-based random access.

[0070] S202, the reader sends a trigger message (R2D Trigger message) to the A-IoT device to locate the resource set for transmitting MSG 1. "R2D" can also be interpreted as "R to D," indicating a message sent by the reader to the deceive.

[0071] Figure 3 An exemplary schematic diagram of an access opportunity set for an A-IoT device is shown. For example... Figure 3As shown, there are 4 R2D trigger cycles (or R2D trigger periods) in a Paging loop (or Paging period). The Paging message is responsible for configuring the set of access opportunities within a Paging loop. The index numbers of the access opportunities in this set are as follows: Figure 3 As shown. It should be understood that an R2D Trigger message (hereinafter referred to as R2D trigger) can trigger an A-IoT device location access opportunity set. Figure 3 The diagram shows 32 access opportunities within a single paging loop, and 8 access opportunities within a single R2D trigger loop. Three R2D triggers divide the 32 random access opportunities within a single paging loop into four subsets of access opportunities, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown.

[0072] by Figure 3 For example, the process of A-IoT devices randomly selecting access opportunities is as follows:

[0073] After receiving the Paging message, the A-IoT device randomly selects one of the 32 access opportunities indicated in the Paging message, for example, the access opportunity with index 14, and uses a count-down algorithm to determine whether the corresponding access opportunity has been reached.

[0074] Specifically, the A-IoT device sets AO_COUNTER=14, and 14>8, indicating that the access opportunity selected by the A-IoT device is not in the first subset of access opportunities. Therefore, the A-IoT device will not search for access opportunities in the first subset of access opportunities. Then, when the A-IoT device receives the first R2D trigger message, AO_COUNTER=14–8=6. Since AO_COUNTER<8, it means that the access opportunity selected by the A-IoT device is in the access opportunity located by the first R2D trigger. Then, the A-IoT device generates a 16-bit random number RN16 and puts the random number into the Random ID field of MSG1. MSG1 is sent on access opportunity number 14.

[0075] Alternatively, AO_COUNTER can be understood as an index of the selected access opportunities cached by the A-IoT device.

[0076] S203, the A-IoT device sends MSG 1 to the reader. MSG 1 is a contention-based random access message containing a 16-bit random number.

[0077] S204: The reader sends MSG 2 to the A-IoT device. MSG 2 is a feedback message to MSG 1, containing a corresponding 16-bit random number, mainly used to resolve random contention conflicts. In addition, MSG 2 also allocates transmission resources for MSG 3.

[0078] S205. The A-IoT device sends MSG 3 to the reader. MSG 3 may contain A-IoT device data, such as deviceID.

[0079] Optionally, in S206, the reader sends an MSG 3 feedback message indicating that the transmission failed to send to the A-IoT device.

[0080] 2. Three states of A-IoT devices

[0081] ON state: In this state, A-IoT devices can send and receive data, run a high-precision clock, retain cached content, and cannot be charged.

[0082] OFF state: In this state, A-IoT devices cannot send or receive data, cannot run clocks, cannot retain cached content, but can be charged.

[0083] Sleep state: In this state, A-IoT devices cannot send or receive data, can run a low-precision clock, can retain cached content, and can (or cannot) charge.

[0084] It can be seen that A-IoT devices cannot send or receive data while charging.

[0085] The above method 200 works well when the A-IoT device is in the ON state and can send and receive data, but if the A-IoT device is in the ON state continuously, it is very detrimental to energy saving.

[0086] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, and storage medium, so that terminal devices can enter a sleep state when set conditions are met, thereby achieving energy saving.

[0087] Furthermore, in the above method 200, if the A-IoT device is in a state where it cannot send or receive data, such as when it is charging, the reader may send some R2D triggers during the charging period of the A-IoT device. In other words, the A-IoT device cannot receive these R2D trigger messages. Then, when the A-IoT device is fully charged and wakes up (availability) in the ON state and receives the subsequent R2D triggers sent by the reader, there may be a synchronization delay due to the missed detection of some R2D triggers, which may prevent the A-IoT device from connecting normally.

[0088] The communication method provided in this application embodiment allows the terminal device (which can be understood as an A-IoT device) to synchronize based on the first trigger message sent by the network device (which can be understood as a reader) after being woken up, thereby reducing synchronization latency and facilitating the terminal device's access to the network.

[0089] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0090] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0091] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that the communication method 400 can be applied to... Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown in this application embodiment refers to a terminal device, which may be the terminal device itself or a device within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system). The network device may be the network device itself or a device within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown, method 400 includes the following steps:

[0093] S401. The network device sends a paging message to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the paging message, which is used to configure a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set including all access opportunities within a paging cycle.

[0094] S402, The terminal device determines the first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set. If the index n of the first access opportunity is greater than or equal to Q, the terminal device cache counter value C1 is set and the device enters sleep mode.

[0095] The first access opportunity is the access opportunity in which the terminal device sends a random access request. The set of first access opportunities includes N access opportunities, where 0 ≤ n. <N,Q<N,C1=n-Q。

[0096] In one possible implementation, the first access opportunity may be randomly determined by the terminal device based on a set of first access opportunities. For example, after receiving a paging message, the terminal device's Media Access Control Layer (MAC) entity generates a random integer n to indicate the selected access opportunity AO position, where N is the total number of access opportunities configured in the paging message.

[0097] Q can be understood as a threshold value set in this application embodiment to determine whether the terminal device enters sleep mode. Q can be any value less than N. This application does not specifically limit the value of Q.

[0098] In this embodiment, the terminal device can choose whether to enter sleep mode based on the relationship between the index n of its selected first access opportunity and Q. If n is greater than or equal to Q, it can be understood that there is still a period of time between the time domain location indicated by the paging message and the time domain location of the first access opportunity. Entering sleep mode when n is greater than or equal to Q is beneficial for energy saving of the terminal device.

[0099] In one possible implementation, if n is less than Q, it can be understood that the time domain location indicated by the paging message is close to the time domain location of the first access opportunity. The terminal device can perform steps similar to S504~S507 or similar to S603~S606 to access the access opportunity subset indicated by the paging message or access the access opportunity subset indicated by the subsequent trigger message.

[0100] In one possible implementation, after the terminal device wakes up, method 400 further includes: the network device sending a first trigger message group to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receiving a first trigger message in the first trigger message group. The first trigger message group includes multiple consecutive first trigger messages, each first trigger message in the first trigger message group includes a different counter, the first trigger message received by the terminal device includes a counter t, and each first trigger message is used to indicate the starting position of a subset of access opportunities, the first set of access opportunities including multiple subsets of access opportunities.

[0101] It should be understood that after sending a paging message, the network device can subsequently send several trigger messages to the terminal device to indicate the starting position of the subset of access opportunities, so that the terminal device can find the access opportunity it has selected and access the network.

[0102] Because terminal devices (such as A-IoT devices) cache counter values ​​and disable high-precision clocks while in sleep mode, running low-precision clocks, the low-precision clocks may cause latency between the terminal device and the network device, further leading to access delays or failures after the terminal device wakes up. In this embodiment, the first trigger message is a special trigger message sent by the network device, carrying a counter flag. The terminal device can update its cached counter value based on the received first trigger message. Since the terminal device needs to determine the location of the access opportunity based on the counter value after waking up, updating the counter value can also be understood as the terminal device calibrating the latency, which is beneficial for the terminal device to achieve correct access.

[0103] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the application, the network device can periodically send a first trigger message group, which includes multiple consecutive first trigger messages. This method of periodically and centrally sending the first trigger messages is beneficial for the terminal device to receive the first trigger messages in a timely manner after waking up, and is beneficial for the terminal device to calibrate the latency in a timely manner.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the first trigger message group is sent periodically, with a sending period of W time-domain units. The unit of this time-domain unit can be any time-domain unit such as a symbol, slot, subframe, or system frame; this application does not impose any specific limitation on it.

[0105] Optionally, Q can also be the number of access opportunities included in the sending period of the first trigger message (or the first trigger message group), and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the interval between the network device sending the first trigger message is one time-domain unit, and the number of access opportunities in the subset of access opportunities indicated by one first trigger opportunity is m, then Q = W * m. It should be understood that the "*" in the formulas involved in the embodiments of this application is the multiplication sign in multiplication operations, and will not be explained again thereafter.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the first message in the first trigger message group may be a paging message. In this case, the paging message may also include a counter flag, but this application does not limit this.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives a paging message, selects an access opportunity, and wakes up after a sleep period. If the terminal device receives a first trigger message from the network device, the terminal device's execution steps include... Figure 5 Method 500 is shown.

[0109] Method 500 specifically includes the following steps:

[0110] S501, Get the value C1 of the counter.

[0111] S502. Determine whether the first trigger message is the first first trigger message received after wake-up; if yes, execute S503; if no, it means that the terminal device has received other first trigger messages before receiving this first trigger message, which means that the steps S503 to S507 below have been executed. Optionally, the terminal device may not repeat these steps and may treat the first trigger message as a second trigger message. The specific processing steps can be referred to the description in method 600 below.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may be configured with a parameter CTU, which can be used to indicate whether the first trigger message received by the terminal device is the first trigger message received after it is woken up. For example, if CTU=0 when the terminal device receives a first trigger message carrying a counter, it can be understood that the first trigger message is the first trigger message received after it is woken up.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the terminal device sets the parameter CTU to 1 after waking up and receiving the first trigger message and / or paging message, and sets CTU to 0 when switching from sleep to wake-up.

[0114] It should be understood that the above values ​​are merely examples of parameter CTU, and this application does not specify in what circumstances parameter CTU should be assigned what value.

[0115] Optionally, the counter flag of the first trigger message may be carried in the header of the message, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can execute the following steps S503 to S507 to achieve network synchronization after receiving the first first trigger message after waking up. Subsequently, if the first trigger message is received again without going into sleep, since it has been synchronized, the above actions do not need to be repeated. In this way, it is beneficial to avoid the terminal device from repeatedly executing the steps S503 to S507 and save the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0117] S503. Determine whether C1 is less than Q. If so, execute S404; if not, it means that the access opportunity selected by the terminal device has not arrived yet. The terminal device updates the value of the counter to C7 = C1 - Q and enters the sleep state again to further save the terminal energy consumption.

[0118] As described above, in one implementation, Q can be the number of access opportunities included in the sending period of the first trigger message. In this case, C1 < Q can be understood as that the access opportunity selected by the terminal device has fallen into the current period of this first trigger message it received, and the first access opportunity is close to or has fallen into the subset of access opportunities indicated by this first trigger message, and its specific position can be further determined.

[0119] S504. Update the value of the counter to C2 using the counting marker t.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the first trigger message group sent by the network device includes multiple consecutive first trigger messages. The counting markers of these multiple consecutive first trigger messages can be numbered starting from 0 in the order of sending, for example, numbered in the order and rule of 0, 1, 2, 3...

[0121] Furthermore, the terminal device can update the value of the counter to C2 using the formula C2 = C1 - t * m, where m is the number of access opportunities in a subset of access opportunities.

[0122] It should be understood that after this update, the access opportunity range of the terminal device is further reduced. However, whether it is specifically in the first access opportunity subset indicated by the current first trigger message still needs to be judged in S505.

[0123] S505. Determine whether C2 is greater than or equal to 0 and less than m. If so, execute S506; if C2 is greater than or equal to m and less than Q, execute S507.

[0124] S506. Select the (C2 + 1)-th access opportunity in the first access opportunity subset for access. The specific access steps can refer to S203 to S205 in the above method 200 and will not be elaborated here.

[0125] S507. Update the value of the counter to C3 using the formula C3 = C2 - m.

[0126] In one possible implementation, after S507, if the terminal device does not enter sleep mode again, and the terminal device receives the first trigger message or the second trigger message, it can be processed in accordance with the method 600 described below until the terminal device accesses the network.

[0127] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives a paging message, selects an access opportunity, and wakes up after sleep mode ends. The method 400 further includes: the network device sending a second trigger message; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second trigger message from the network device. The second trigger message does not include a counter flag and is used to indicate the starting position of a second subset of access opportunities, which is a subset of the first set of access opportunities. The subsequent execution steps of the terminal device include the following method 600.

[0128] It is worth noting that both the second trigger message and the first trigger message in this application embodiment are trigger messages, and both can indicate the starting position of a subset of access opportunities. The difference between the two is that the second trigger message does not include a counter flag. That is, some trigger messages sent by the network device include a counter flag, while others do not. This design has two advantages: firstly, the first trigger message containing the counter flag helps the terminal device that wakes up from sleep to update the counter value and achieve synchronization; secondly, after the terminal device has undergone latency calibration, it still needs a trigger message to indicate the starting position of the subset of access opportunities, and the network device sending the second trigger message without the counter flag helps reduce the signaling overhead for both communicating parties.

[0129] Figure 6 An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a communication method 600, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0130] S601, Get the value of the counter C10.

[0131] It should be understood that Ci (where i can be any integer) in the embodiments of this application does not refer to a specific value, but only to the value of the counter obtained by the terminal device at that time.

[0132] As the terminal device operates, the counter value C10 obtained by the terminal device in S601 may be C1 stored by the terminal device in S301, or it may be any one of C3 or C7 in method 400.

[0133] S602. Determine whether a first trigger message and / or paging message were received after this wake-up and before this second trigger message. If not, it can be understood that the terminal device has just woken up and cannot determine whether the first access opportunity it selected is in the subset of the second access opportunities indicated by the second trigger message through the second trigger message. The terminal device ignores the message.

[0134] It should be understood that if the terminal device received the first trigger message before this second trigger message after this wake-up, it can be understood that the latency caused by the terminal device's sleep has been calibrated, and S603~S606 can continue to be executed; if the terminal device received a paging message before this second trigger message after this wake-up, it is considered that a new paging cycle has been started, and the terminal device can select an access opportunity again, for example, to execute the above method 400 scheme again.

[0135] In one possible implementation, the value of the parameter CTU can still be used to determine whether the terminal device has received the first trigger message and / or paging message after this wake-up and before the second trigger message.

[0136] For example, if the terminal device receives a second trigger message without a counter tag and CTU=0, it can be understood that the terminal device did not receive the first trigger message and / or paging message after this wake-up and before the second trigger message; if the terminal device receives a second trigger message without a counter tag and CTU=1, it can be understood that the terminal device received the first trigger message and / or paging message after this wake-up and before the second trigger message.

[0137] It is worth noting that if the terminal device wakes up and receives the second trigger message, it does not change the value of parameter CTU.

[0138] S603. The value of the counter is updated to C5 using the formula C5=C10-m.

[0139] S604. Determine if C5 is greater than or equal to zero and less than m; if yes, execute S606; if no, C5 is greater than or equal to m and less than Q, then execute S606.

[0140] S605. Select the C5+1th access opportunity from the second subset of access opportunities for access. The specific access steps can be referred to S203~S205 in method 200 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0141] S606. Update the counter value to C6 using the formula C6=C5-m, and wait for the next trigger message.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the sleep duration of the terminal device can be X time-domain units, the sending period of the first trigger message can be W time-domain units, and each trigger message can be spaced one time-domain unit apart. X can be less than or equal to W.

[0143] Taking an A-IoT device as an example, if the value of X is greater than W, the clock deviation is very large because the high-frequency oscillator is turned off during the A-IoT device's sleep period. The clock accuracy deviation can reach ±90 seconds every 15 minutes, and the longer the sleep time, the greater the error. This may make it difficult to correct the device's latency, and when the device wakes up, it may miss important R2D messages. Therefore, one implementation of this application embodiment can set X to be less than or equal to W, so that the latency error caused by the terminal device's sleep is still within a controllable range, which is beneficial to improving calibration accuracy.

[0144] The following description uses an example of a first trigger message group comprising four first trigger messages to illustrate the method 700 for constructing a first trigger message group in an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that this number should not be construed as a limitation of the embodiments of this application.

[0145] like Figure 7 As shown, method 700 includes the following steps:

[0146] S701, Let k=0.

[0147] k can be understood as the value of a counter stored in the network device, used to count the messages sent by the network, or as a count of the resources consumed, which are used to send paging messages, first trigger messages, and second trigger messages. Initially, k=0.

[0148] S702. Is the first message in the first trigger message group sent by the network device a paging message? If yes, execute S703; otherwise, execute S708.

[0149] It should be understood that if the paging message of the network device coincides with the timing of the first message in the first trigger message group, then the first message in the first trigger message group is the paging message.

[0150] S703. After setting the paging message counter to 0, send it, let k=k+1, let q=0, where q is the value of the counter in the first trigger message group that the network device has sent or constructed, and can also be used as the count of the first trigger message that the network device has sent or constructed.

[0151] S704. Let q = q + 1, set the counter flag of the first trigger message to q, and then let k = k + 1.

[0152] S705. If q < 4, then repeat S704 until q ≥ 4, then execute S706.

[0153] S706. Send the second trigger message, setting k=k+1.

[0154] S707. If k < W, repeat S706 until k ≥ W, then return to execute S701 again.

[0155] S708. After setting the count flag of the first trigger message to 0, send it, set k = k + 1, and set q = 0.

[0156] S709. Set q = q + 1, set the count flag of the first trigger message to q, and then set k = k + 1.

[0157] S710. If q < 4, repeat S709 until q ≥ 4, then execute S711.

[0158] S711. Send the second trigger message, set k = k + 1.

[0159] S712. If k < W, repeat S711 until k ≥ W, then return to execute S701 again.

[0160] Next, taking the terminal device as an A-IoT device deceive and the network device as a reader as an example, and combining specific examples, the embodiments of the present application will be described. However, it should be understood that the following examples do not constitute specific limitations on the execution subject of the present application.

[0161] Optionally, in the following embodiments, the first trigger message is called a Tag R2D Trigger message, the first trigger message group is called a Tag R2D Trigger message Group, the second trigger message is called an R2D Trigger message, and the value Ci of the counter stored in the terminal device is represented by AO_COUNTER.

[0162] Figure 8 An exemplary possible implementation manner of the embodiments of the present application is shown, as Figure 8 shown, within one paging cycle, there are 14 access opportunity subsets, each access opportunity subset includes 4 access opportunities, numbered as Figure 8 shown, a total of 56 access opportunities, and these 56 access opportunities are indicated by paging messages. The starting position of an access opportunity subset can be indicated by a paging message, a Tag R2D Trigger message, or an R2D Trigger message.

[0163] Among them, one paging cycle can also be called a paging loop, and the interval between two trigger messages can also be called an R2D trigger loop. Figure 8In this architecture, each Tag R2D Trigger message Group comprises four Tag R2D Trigger messages, numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The period of each Tag R2D Trigger message Group is the time of seven R2D Trigger cycles, and the sleep duration of the A-IoT device can be the time of six R2D Trigger cycles. In one possible implementation, each R2D Trigger occupies one slot, meaning the period of each Tag R2D Trigger message Group is seven slots, and the sleep duration of the A-IoT device is six slots. The A-IoT device wakes up after six slots of sleep time.

[0164] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication system has two A-IoT devices, Device1 and Device2. After receiving the Pagingmessage, Device1 and Device2 select access opportunity 18 and access opportunity 45, respectively. The monitoring process of Device1 and Device2 describes two scenarios: the terminal device is in sleep mode and not in sleep mode.

[0165] Scenario 1: Device1 has not entered sleep mode and is constantly monitoring R2D messages.

[0166] After receiving the paging message in the ON state, Device1 selects access opportunity AO with index number 18, setting AO_COUNTER = 18. Since AO_COUNTER < 7*4, Device1 will not enter sleep mode and will continue to monitor the next 6 R2D messages. Because Device1 receives a paging message, the CTU variable is set to 1, meaning that subsequent TagR2D Trigger messages are treated as ordinary R2D Trigger messages. That is, for each R2D Trigger message or Tag R2D Trigger message received, the value of AO_COUNTER decreases by 4. After receiving 3 Tag R2DTrigger messages and 1 R2D Trigger message, the value of AO_COUNTER decreases by 16, i.e., AO_COUNTER = 18 - 16 = 2 < 4. Device1 then sends MSG 1 on the 2+1=3rd access opportunity in the subset of access opportunities indicated by the R2D Trigger message, which is access opportunity with index number 18.

[0167] Scenario 2: Device2 is in a hibernation state.

[0168] After receiving the Paging message in the ON state, Device2 selects access opportunity AO with index number 45 and sets AO_COUNTER = 45. Since AO_COUNTER > 7*4, Device2 caches the value of AO_COUNTER = 45 - 7*4 = 17, enters sleep state, and starts a low-precision clock.

[0169] When Device2's clock reaches its maximum value X = 6 slots, Device2 enters the wake-up state, assigns the cached value to AO_COUNTER, i.e.: AO_COUNTER = 17, stops the low-precision clock, and sets the CTU variable to 0.

[0170] like Figure 8 As shown, Device2 wakes up in the 6th slot, which is after the 2nd R2D trigger message. Since CTU=0, Device2 ignores the R2D trigger message when it receives it.

[0171] Then, due to channel issues, Device2 did not receive... Figure 8 The first Tag R2D Trigger message in the first trigger message group 2 (Tag R2D Triggermessage Group 2) is received, and the second Tag R2D Trigger message in Tag R2D Triggermessage Group 2 is received. CTU = 0, Device2 reads the Tag of the Tag R2D Triggermessage, which is 1, AO_COUNTER = 17–(1)*4 = 13, and CTU is set to 1.

[0172] Since the CTU variable is set to 1, this means that subsequent Tag R2D Trigger messages are treated as ordinary R2DTrigger messages. That is, for each subsequent R2D Trigger message or Tag R2D Trigger message received, the value of AO_COUNTER decreases by 4. After receiving 2 Tag R2D Trigger messages and 1 R2DTrigger message, the value of AO_COUNTER decreases by 12, i.e., AO_COUNTER = 13 - 12 = 1 < 4. Device2 selects the 1+1=2th access opportunity (index 45) from the subset of access opportunities indicated by this 1 R2D Trigger message and sends MSG 1.

[0173] In the embodiments described above, the terminal device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment; the network device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step 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.

[0174] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 8 The flowcharts or scene diagrams shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples illustrated. In fact, those skilled in the art can interpret the embodiments based on... Figures 1 to 8 The examples in the document can be transformed into equivalent ways to obtain more implementations.

[0175] The above text combined Figures 1 to 8 This document describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figures 9 to 10 The device embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication device of this application embodiment can execute the various communication methods of the foregoing embodiments of this application, that is, the specific working processes of the various products below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0176] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9As shown, the communication device 900 may include a communication module 920. The communication module 920 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 900 or communication functions between the communication device 900 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 920 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 900 also includes a processing module 910. The processing module 910 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0177] Optionally, the communication device 900 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 910 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 900 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0178] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device. The communication device 900 can be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0179] For example, the communication module 920 is configured to: receive a paging message, the paging message being used to configure a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set including all access opportunities within a paging cycle; the processing module 910 is configured to: determine the index n of a first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity being the access opportunity from which the terminal device sends a random access request; and, if n is greater than or equal to Q, set the value C1 of the terminal device's buffer counter and enter sleep mode; wherein the first access opportunity set includes N access opportunities, 0 ≤ n <N,Q<N,C1=n-Q。

[0180] Optionally, the communication module 920 is further configured to: receive a first trigger message, the first trigger message including a counter t, the first trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of the first access opportunity subset, the first access opportunity set including multiple access opportunity subsets, the first access opportunity subset being a subset of the first access opportunity set; the processing module 910 is configured to: obtain the value C1 of the counter, and if the first trigger message is the first first trigger message received by the terminal device after wake-up, and C1 is less than Q, update the value of the counter using the counter t, and if the updated value C2 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, then the terminal device selects the C2+1th access opportunity in the first access opportunity subset for access, where m is the number of access opportunities in an access opportunity subset.

[0181] Optionally, the processing module 910 is also used to update the value of the counter to C2 using the formula C2=C1-t*m.

[0182] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to: if the updated value C2 of the counter is greater than or equal to m and less than Q, then update the value of the counter to C3 using the formula C3=C2-m.

[0183] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to: update the value of the counter using Q when the first trigger message is the first first trigger message received by the terminal device after waking up, and C1 is greater than or equal to Q, cache the updated value of the counter, and enter sleep mode.

[0184] Optionally, the processing module 910 is also used to update the value of the counter using the formula C4=C1-Q.

[0185] Optionally, Q represents the number of access opportunities contained within one sending cycle of the first trigger message.

[0186] Optionally, the communication module 920 is further configured to: receive a second trigger message, the second trigger message not including a counter flag, the second trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of the second access opportunity subset, the second access opportunity subset being a subset of the first access opportunity set; optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to: obtain the value C1 of the counter; if the second trigger message is not the first message received after the terminal device wakes up, update the value of the counter using the formula C5=C1-m; if the updated value C5 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, then the terminal device selects the C5+1th access opportunity in the second access opportunity subset for access, where m is the number of access opportunities in an access opportunity subset.

[0187] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to: if the second trigger message is the first message received after the terminal device is woken up, the terminal device ignores the second trigger message.

[0188] Optionally, the sending period of the first trigger message is W time-domain units, and the terminal device is woken up when the sleep time reaches X time-domain units, where X≤W.

[0189] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0190] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device. The communication device 900 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0191] For example, the communication module 920 is configured to: send a paging message for configuring a first access opportunity set, the first access opportunity set including all access opportunities within a paging cycle; and send a first trigger message group, the first trigger message group including a plurality of consecutive first trigger messages, each first trigger message in the first trigger message group including a different counter, each first trigger message being used to indicate the starting position of a subset of access opportunities, the first access opportunity set including a plurality of subsets of access opportunities.

[0192] Optionally, the communication module 920 is further configured to: send a second trigger message, the second trigger message not including a counter flag, and the second trigger message also indicating the starting position of a subset of access opportunities.

[0193] Optionally, the first trigger message group is sent periodically, and the sending period of the first trigger message group is W time domain units.

[0194] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0195] Figure 10 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1000 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., used by a terminal device or network device to implement the above-described methods. The communication device 1000 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0196] like Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may include at least one processor 1010, which may also be referred to as a processing unit or processing module, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1010 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1000 (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a user, a user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0197] In an alternative design, the processor 1010 may also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 1010 to cause the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0198] In another alternative design, the communication device 1000 may include a communication interface 1020 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1020 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0199] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1030, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1010, causing the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1030 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1010 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 and the memories 1030 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0200] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0201] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1010 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1030, and when the processor 1010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1010 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0202] In another implementation, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the network device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1010 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1030, and when the processor 1010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1010 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the network device.

[0203] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0204] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may 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). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0205] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0206] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0207] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device.

[0208] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0209] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions thereon, which, when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0210] The computer-readable storage medium may be the aforementioned volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0211] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0212] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated.

[0213] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0214] 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.

[0215] In summary, the above are merely preferred embodiments of the technical solutions of this application and are 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 by comprising: The application is applied to a terminal device, and comprises the following steps: receiving a paging message, wherein the paging message is used for configuring a first access opportunity set, and the first access opportunity set comprises all access opportunities in a paging cycle; determining an index n of a first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set, wherein the first access opportunity is an access opportunity for the terminal device to send a random access request; in a case where the n is greater than or equal to Q, the terminal device caches a value C1 of a counter and enters sleep, wherein the first access opportunity set comprises N access opportunities, 0≤n<N, Q<N, C1=n-Q, and the Q is a threshold value used for determining whether the terminal device enters sleep.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the terminal device wakes up, the method further comprises the following steps: receiving a first trigger message, wherein the first trigger message comprises a counting mark t, the first trigger message is used for indicating a starting position of a first access opportunity subset, the first access opportunity set comprises a plurality of access opportunity subsets, and the first access opportunity subset is one of the first access opportunity subsets; obtaining the value C1 of the counter; in a case where the first trigger message is a first first trigger message received by the terminal device after waking up and the C1 is less than the Q, updating the value of the counter by using the counting mark t; if the updated value C2 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, the terminal device selects a C2+1th access opportunity in the first access opportunity subset for access, and m is a number of access opportunities in one access opportunity subset.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The updating the value of the counter with the count mark t comprises: updating the value of the counter with the formula The value of the counter is updated to C2.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: if the updated value C2 of the counter is greater than or equal to m and less than the Q, updating the value of the counter to C3 by using a formula C3=C2-m.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: in a case where the first trigger message is the first first trigger message received by the terminal device after waking up and the C1 is greater than or equal to the Q, updating the value of the counter by using the Q, the terminal device caches the updated value of the counter and enters sleep.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The updating of the value of the counter by using the Q comprises updating the value of the counter by using a formula C4=C1-Q.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The Q is specifically a number of access opportunities contained in one sending cycle of the first trigger message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the terminal device wakes up, the method further comprises the following steps: receiving a second trigger message, wherein the second trigger message does not comprise a counting mark, the second trigger message is used for indicating a starting position of a second access opportunity subset, and the second access opportunity subset is one of the first access opportunity subsets; obtaining the value C1 of the counter; in a case where the second trigger message is not a first message received by the terminal device after waking up, updating the value of the counter by using a formula C5=C1-m; if the updated value C5 of the counter is greater than or equal to zero and less than m, the terminal device selects a C5+1th access opportunity in the second access opportunity subset for access, and m is a number of access opportunities in one access opportunity subset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: in a case where the second trigger message is the first message received by the terminal device after waking up, the terminal device ignores the second trigger message.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, A sending period of the first trigger message is W time domain units, and the terminal device wakes up when a sleep duration reaches X time domain units, X≤W.

11. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending, to a terminal device, a paging message for configuring a first access opportunity set, so that the terminal device determines an index n of a first access opportunity based on the first access opportunity set, and in a case where the n is greater than or equal to Q, the terminal device caches a value C1 of a counter and enters sleep; wherein the first access opportunity set comprises all access opportunities in a paging cycle, the first access opportunity is an access opportunity for the terminal device to send a random access request, the first access opportunity set comprises N access opportunities, 0≤n<N, Q<N, C1=n-Q, and the Q is a threshold value for determining whether the terminal device enters sleep; sending, to the terminal device, a first trigger message group, the first trigger message group comprising a plurality of consecutive first trigger messages, each first trigger message in the first trigger message group comprising a different counting mark, and each first trigger message being used to indicate a start position of an access opportunity subset, the first access opportunity set comprising a plurality of access opportunity subsets.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a second trigger message, the second trigger message not comprising a counting mark, and the second trigger message also being used to indicate a start position of an access opportunity subset.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first trigger message group is sent periodically, and a sending period of the first trigger message group is W time domain units.

14. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory, the memory storing programs or instructions, and the processor executes the programs or instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions, characterized in that, The computer programs or instructions, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 13.

16. A communication system, characterized by The apparatus comprises modules for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or modules for implementing the method of any one of claims 11 to 13. 17.A chip system comprising one or more processors configured to invoke and run instructions stored in a memory, so that the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 is performed, or so that the method of any one of claims 11 to 13 is performed.

Images