Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception periods, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception periods comprising a first discontinuous reception period, and the first discontinuous reception period comprising a second discontinuous reception period; the first discontinuous reception period comprises a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception period, and the second time period is a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception period; and the terminal equipment receives a synchronization signal in a time window, the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located in the second time period.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular to a communication method and device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the evolution of communication technology, the frequency spectrum used by wireless communication is wider and wider, the number of transmitting antennas of network equipment is more and more, and the power consumption is higher and higher. Therefore, how to achieve energy saving has attracted more and more attention. One of the main technical means to reduce energy consumption is to reduce the transmission of signals by network equipment. The cell discontinuous transmission (cell DTX) technology makes the network equipment only perform downlink transmission with the terminal equipment in a specified time period, and does not perform downlink transmission in other time periods, so that network energy saving can be achieved through the shutdown technology.

[0003] The cell DTX / DRX configuration can include one or more of the following information: cycle length, on time, off time, on duration, or off duration, etc. Among them, the on time refers to the start time of the active time period in the cell DTX / DRX cycle, the off time refers to the start time of the inactive time period in the cell DTX / DRX cycle, the on duration refers to the duration of the active time period, and the off duration refers to the duration of the inactive time period.

[0004] In a cell DTX / DRX cycle, the active time and the inactive time are included in chronological order. In the inactive time period, the network equipment at least stops the downlink service transmission with the terminal equipment, and can also stop the transmission of some periodic signals, such as at least one of the synchronization signal block (SSB), the downlink channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and the semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). In the active time, the network equipment performs downlink service transmission with the terminal equipment. Taking the synchronization signal as an example, if the network equipment stops transmitting the synchronization signal in the inactive time period, and the terminal equipment directly performs data transmission after entering the active time period, at this time, since the terminal equipment and the network equipment have not completed synchronization, the accuracy of data transmission is low. In order to ensure the accuracy of data transmission, if the terminal equipment synchronizes the synchronization signal at the same time as data transmission, for example, the synchronization signal and data transmission are in the same time slot or subframe, the terminal equipment cannot correctly demodulate the data in the current time slot or subframe, resulting in a large data transmission delay.

[0005] How to ensure the accuracy and latency of data transmission of network equipment and terminal equipment in the active time period of cellDTX is a problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device to ensure that network equipment and terminal equipment perform time and / or frequency synchronization before the active time period, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission of network equipment and terminal equipment in the active time period.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal side device. The terminal side device can be a terminal device, or a module (such as a chip) in the terminal device, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing the function of the terminal device. The method comprises: receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; and receiving a synchronization signal in a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window being located in the second time period.

[0008] In the above implementation manner, by introducing the time window of the synchronization signal, the terminal device can be quickly synchronized before the active time period in which data can be transmitted with the network equipment, thereby improving the accuracy of data transmission.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the method further comprises: receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the first time period.

[0010] In the above implementation manner, since the terminal device has received the signal for time and frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period, the terminal device can complete time and / or frequency synchronization in time based on the signal, so that when the network equipment starts to transmit downlink data at a certain moment in the first time period, the terminal device can ensure that the PDSCH transmitted by the network side can be received, and the transmission of downlink data can be realized.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the receiving the PDSCH in the first time period comprises: receiving the PDSCH in the first symbol in the first time period, or receiving the PDSCH in the first slot in the first time period.

[0012] In a possible implementation, in the first discontinuous period, the first time period is located before the second time period, and the method further includes: determining a position of a time window in the second time period in the first discontinuous period according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous period or a starting position of the first time period in the first discontinuous period, wherein the second discontinuous period is a next discontinuous period of the first discontinuous period.

[0013] In a possible implementation, in the first discontinuous period, the second time period is located before the first time period, and the method further includes: determining a position of a time window in the second time period according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous period or a starting position of the first time period in the first discontinuous period.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating a length of the time window and / or a transmission period of the period of the synchronization signal.

[0015] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side device. The network side device can be a network device, for example, a base station or a radio access network device. The network side device can be a network device, or a module (for example, a chip) in the network device, or software (for example, a control subsystem) containing a function of the network device. The method includes: sending cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception periods, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception periods including a first discontinuous reception period, the first discontinuous reception period including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception period, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception period; and sending a synchronization signal in a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window being located in the second time period.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a PDSCH in the first time period.

[0017] Some possible implementations and intended effects of the second aspect can refer to those of the first aspect, and will not be described herein.

[0018] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: sending, by a network device, cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; and receiving, by a terminal device, a synchronization signal in a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located in the second time period.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a network device and a terminal device. The terminal device can implement the method of the first aspect, and the network device can implement the method of the second aspect.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes units configured to perform respective steps of the method provided in the first aspect. For example, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform the method of any one of the first aspect or the method of any one of the second aspect.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip is configured to read a computer program stored in a memory, and implement the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the chip can include a processor coupled to the memory, and the processor is configured to read the computer program stored in the memory, and implement the method provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the chip can further include a memory, a communication interface, a power supply module, and the like. The memory is configured to store the computer program, the communication interface is configured to receive and send data, and the power supply unit is configured to supply power to the processor.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes a processor configured to support a computer apparatus to implement the method provided in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store necessary programs and data of the computer apparatus. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0024] In a ninth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided. The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions, and when the program or instructions run on a communication apparatus, the program or instructions cause the communication apparatus to implement the method provided in the first aspect, or implement the method provided in the second aspect.

[0025] In a tenth aspect, a program product is provided, wherein the program product comprises a program or instructions; when the program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method provided in the first aspect or the method provided in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system architecture suitable for embodiments of the application;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an active time and an inactive time within a cell DTX / DRX cycle;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method provided in embodiments of the application;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a time domain position relationship between a time window and a first / second time period in embodiments of the application;

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a time domain position relationship between a time window and a first / second time period in embodiments of the application;

[0031] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a signal resource within a time window in embodiments of the application;

[0032] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a signal resource within a time window in embodiments of the application;

[0033] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a cell DTX cycle length being an integer multiple of a time window cycle length in embodiments of the application;

[0034] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus provided in embodiments of the application;

[0035] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus provided in embodiments of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) system or a new radio (NR), or a future communication system or other similar communication system.

[0037] Referring to Figure 1 , a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system 1000 to which embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in the figure, the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200, and optionally, the communication system 1000 can also include an Internet 300. The radio access network 100 can include at least one radio access network device (for example, 110a and 110b in the figure), and can also include at least one terminal (for example, 120a-120j in the figure). The terminal is connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner, and the radio access network device is connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the radio access network device can be independent and different physical devices, or can be a same physical device in which the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network device are integrated, or can be a physical device in which the functions of part of the core network device and part of the radio access network device are integrated. The terminals and the terminals, and the radio access network devices and the radio access network devices can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 The communication system can also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in the figure. Figure 1 The communication system can also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in the figure.​​​

[0038] Wireless access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system; it can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here performs the functions of the radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The radio access network equipment can be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 1 110a in the text), can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as... Figure 1 110b) in the text can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the wireless access network equipment. For ease of description, the following description uses a network device as an example of a wireless access network equipment.

[0039] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminals.

[0040] Network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminals.

[0041] The roles of network devices and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, drone 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol; in this case, 120i is also a network device relative to 110a. Therefore, both network devices and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 110a and 110b can be referred to as communication devices with network equipment functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0042] The network device and the terminal, the network device and the network device, and the terminal and the terminal can communicate through an authorized frequency spectrum, an unlicensed frequency spectrum, or both. They can communicate through a frequency spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), a frequency spectrum above 6 GHz, or both. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the frequency spectrum used for wireless communication.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem containing the functions of the network device. The control subsystem containing the functions of the network device herein can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device containing the functions of the terminal.

[0044] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel. The terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the network device. The cell that establishes a wireless connection with the terminal device is called the service cell of the terminal device.

[0045] The present application relates to network energy saving technology and time / frequency synchronization technology. In order to more clearly understand the embodiments of the present application, the network energy saving technology and time / frequency synchronization technology, as well as other related technologies and terms, will be described first.

[0046] (1) Network energy saving technology

[0047] To realize network energy saving, one possible way is to configure a terminal device with a cycle including an active time (may also be referred to as an on duration or active time) and an inactive time (may also be referred to as an off duration or inactive time or non active time), in the inactive time of a cycle, the terminal device does not receive / transmit some signals to save power consumption, and in the active time of the cycle, the terminal device can receive / transmit the signals / channels. In this application, the above energy saving technology is referred to as cell DTX / DRX. Optionally, the cell DTX / DRX is effective for all terminal devices in a first cell, or in other words, the network device indicates the cell DTX / DRX to all users in the first cell through first indication information, or in other words, the configurations of the cell DTX / DRX of all users in the first cell are the same.

[0048] The cell DTX / DRX can be configured in a cell (cell) granularity. The network device can send multiple cell DTX / DRX configurations to the terminal device through radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and enable (or activate) one of the multiple cell DTX / DRX configurations in a cell through downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0049] It should be understood that the cell DTX / DRX is a simple name of the above-mentioned energy saving technology, for example, the above-mentioned energy saving technology can also be referred to as energy saving mode 1, energy saving configuration 1, etc., and the name of the energy saving technology is not limited in this application.

[0050] In the embodiments of this application, the active time in the cell DTX / DRX cycle is referred to as a first time period, and the inactive time in the cell DTX / DRX cycle is referred to as a second time period.

[0051] Exemplarily, Figure 2 The active time and the inactive time (may also be referred to as cell DTX off time period or inactive period or inactive time) in the cell DTX / DRX cycle are shown. As Figure 2In an example, the network device or the cell is in an active state in the active time period, and is in a deactivated state in the inactive time period. In the active state, the transceiving state of the first signal / first channel can be transmitting or receiving. For example, in the active time period, the network device can transmit the first signal, and the terminal device can receive the first signal. In the deactivated state, the transceiving state of the first signal / first channel can be not transmitting or not receiving. For example, in the inactive time period, the network device can not transmit the first signal, and the terminal device can not receive the first signal. The first signal can include at least one of the first group of signals, the second group of signals, the third group of signals, and the fourth group of signals.

[0052] In an example, the first group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled with a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), a PDCCH scrambled with a configured scheduling radio network temporary identifier (CS-RNTI), a PDCCH scrambled with a slot format indicators (SFI)-RNTI, a PDCCH scrambled with a cancellation indication (CI)-RNTI, a PDCCH scrambled with a transmission power control (TPC) for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (also referred to as TPC-PUCCH, where TPC is an abbreviation of transmission power control), a PDCCH scrambled with a TPC for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (also referred to as TPC-PUSCH), a PDSCH scheduled dynamically, a PDCCH scrambled with a TPC for a sounding reference signal (SRS) (also referred to as TPC-SRS), and a PDCCH scrambled with an availability indication (AI)-RNTI.

[0053] Exemplarily, the second group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: a hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledge (HARQ-ACK) of a dynamically scheduled PDSCH, an aperiodic SRS (A-SRS), a periodic SRS (P-SRS), a semi-persistent SRS (SP-SRS), an aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI), a periodic CSI (P-SRS), a semi-persistent CSI (SP-SRS), and a dynamically granted (DG) PUSCH.

[0054] Exemplarily, the third group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: an SSB, a beam failure recovery (BFR), a semi-persistent scheduled PDSCH (SPS PDSCH), a system information (SI) / random access (RA) / temporary cell (TC) / paging / power saving (PS)-RNTI scrambled PDCCH.

[0055] Exemplarily, the fourth group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: a granted PUSCH (CG PUSCH), a HARQ-ACK of a semi-persistent scheduled PDSCH, a scheduling request (SR), and a physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0056] Among the above four groups of signals, the first group of signals and the third group of signals are both downlink signals, the second group of signals and the fourth group of signals are both uplink signals, and the first group of signals and the second group of signals are both affected by the DRX configuration.

[0057] In summary, the following downlink signals can not be transmitted in the cell DTX inactive state: SPS PDSCH, UE-specific PDCCH, periodic / half-static CSI-RS (for CSI reporting), group PDCCH (such as DCI 2-0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5); the following uplink signals can not be received in the cell DRX inactive state: CG PUSCH, SR, periodic / half-static CSI reporting, periodic / half-static SRS (excluding SRS for positioning). It is not excluded that other downlink signals can not be transmitted or uplink signals can not be received, and the present application does not limit this.

[0058] Similarly, cell discontinuous reception (cell DRX) can also be configured.

[0059] It should be understood that the configurations of cell DRX and cell DTX are independent, i.e., both can be configured or only one of them can be configured.

[0060] (2) Radio resource control (RRC) state of terminal device

[0061] In a wireless communication system, such as a new radio (NR) system, according to whether there is an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device has three RRC states, which are RRC idle state (hereinafter referred to as idle state or Idle state), RRC inactive state (hereinafter referred to as inactive state or Inactive state) and RRC connected state (hereinafter referred to as connected state or connected state). In this application, the terminal device in idle state and the terminal device in inactive state can be collectively referred to as the terminal device in non-connected state.

[0062] The terminal device in connected state has an RRC connection with the network device, can perform data transmission with the network device, and can receive RRC signaling sent by the network device. The terminal device in non-connected state does not have an RRC connection with the network device, cannot perform data transmission with the network device, but can receive broadcast information of the cell, such as system message, paging message, etc. The terminal device in connected state can initiate an RRC connection release process according to the received RRC connection release message, and switch to the non-connected state. The terminal device in non-connected state can switch to the connected state through a random access procedure.

[0063] (3) Synchronization

[0064] The synchronization can include at least one of time synchronization or frequency synchronization. The time synchronization is adjusting clock time values distributed in different places to a certain accuracy or a certain compliance through time comparison, and the former is called absolute time synchronization, and the latter is called relative time synchronization. The frequency synchronization is adjusting rate values of frequency sources distributed in different places to a certain accuracy or a certain compliance through frequency comparison, and the former is called frequency synchronization, and the latter is called relative frequency synchronization. Through time and / or frequency synchronization (hereinafter referred to as time-frequency synchronization), the time / frequency deviation of the crystal oscillator of the terminal device and the crystal oscillator of the network device can be corrected to ensure the accuracy of data transmission. For example, the time-frequency synchronization can be implemented based on a synchronization signal, that is, the synchronization signal in the present application can be a reference signal, or the synchronization signal in the present application can also be a signal dedicated for synchronization.

[0065] At present, in a wireless communication system, signals that can be used for time-frequency synchronization include a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a tracking reference signal. The tracking reference signal is, for example, a channel status information reference signal for tracking (TRS). The terminal device can first search the boundary of a frame or a time slot based on the SSB to complete preliminary time-frequency synchronization, and then complete more fine time-frequency synchronization based on the TRS. The terminal device can also perform initial access and cell search based on the SSB. After synchronization is completed, the terminal device can perform data transmission (hereinafter referred to as data transmission). In order to improve the data transmission rate and performance, the network side can use high-order modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for data transmission, which requires the terminal device to correctly receive the data transmitted using high-order MCS in the case of implementing fine time-frequency synchronization, so as to ensure the data transmission performance.

[0066] The SSB is a periodically transmitted common signal, and the period length is generally 20 ms. In the case of using network energy saving technology, the period of the SSB is lengthened, for example, the period length of the SSB can be lengthened to 1000 ms. The TRS can be configured to be periodically transmitted, or semi-statically transmitted or non-periodically transmitted. In order to ensure the time-frequency synchronization performance of the terminal device, the terminal device is generally configured with a periodic TRS.

[0067] The cell-DTX technology is effective for a connected terminal device, that is, in the active time of the cell-DTX period, the terminal device can normally receive the first signal sent by the network device, and can receive data using a high-order MCS, and in the inactive time of the cell-DTX period, the terminal device can normally receive TRS. Since the TRS and the cell DTX are independently configured, there can be no TRS before the active time of the cell-DTX period, so that the terminal device cannot complete time-frequency synchronization before the active time of the cell-DTX period.

[0068] To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and related devices capable of implementing the method. In the embodiment of the present application, the relationship between the time window of the synchronization signal and the cell DTX is introduced, so that the terminal device can quickly synchronize before the active time period of the corresponding cell-DTX period, and the performance of data transmission is improved.

[0069] The signal for downlink time-frequency synchronization in the embodiment of the present application can be broadcasted and sent by the network device, and the signal can be TRS or other signals that can be used for downlink time-frequency synchronization, which is not limited in the present application.

[0070] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The specific operation method in the method embodiment can also be applied to the device embodiment or the system embodiment.

[0071] Based on the above Figure 1 The network system architecture shown in the figure and the content introduced above in the related technology, Figure 3 An exemplary flowchart of a possible communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 3 The scheme in the embodiment of the present application is introduced by taking the interaction between the network device and the terminal device as an example. Specifically, the flow is described by taking the network device as the network equipment and the terminal device as the terminal. The related description of the network device and the terminal device is described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] As Figure 3 The method comprises:

[0073] Step 301: The network device sends cell DTX configuration information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the cell DTX configuration information.

[0074] Specifically, the cell DTX configuration information can indicate N cell DTX cycles to the terminal device, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, which comprises a first time period and a second time period. The first time period is the time during which data can be transmitted, and the second time period is the time during which data cannot be transmitted. An illustration of the first time period (active time) and the second time period (inactive time) can be found here. Figure 2 Taking the first cell DTX cycle out of N cell DTX cycles as an example, the first cell DTX cycle includes a first time period and a second time period. During the first time period, the network device can transmit the first channel, and the terminal device can detect (or receive) the first channel. During the second time period, the network device can choose not to transmit the first channel, and the terminal device can choose not to receive (or detect) the first channel. The specific type of the first channel and the parameters included in the cell DTX configuration information can be found in the previous description.

[0075] Another way to understand the first time period is to refer to all the active time periods in N discontinuous reception cycles as the first time period, and all the inactive time periods in N discontinuous reception cycles as the second time period.

[0076] In one possible implementation, after configuring cell DTX for a terminal device, the network device can activate (or enable) the cell DTX configuration via indication information. Optionally, this indication information can be unicast, multicast, or broadcast RRC signaling, or unicast, multicast, or broadcast MAC CE, or unicast, multicast, or broadcast DCI; this application does not limit this. That is, the network device can first configure cell DTX for the terminal device via cell DTX configuration information, and then activate (or enable) the cell DTX configuration in the cell via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0077] Step 302: The network device sends a synchronization signal within the time window, and the terminal device receives the synchronization signal accordingly within the time window.

[0078] Specifically, this time window is located within the second time period. That is, it is the inactive time period within a cell DTX cycle used for receiving or sending synchronization signals. The specific location of the time window in the second time period is further described below with reference to the attached diagram.

[0079] like Figure 4As shown in (a), if the first time segment precedes the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle, then the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the end position of the second time segment. Alternatively, the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the start position of the first time segment within the second cell DTX cycle (i.e., the cell DTX cycle following the first cell DTX cycle). Since the time window in the second time segment is adjacent to the next first time segment, it can be guaranteed that after the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal received within this time window, it can receive the first channel or downlink data sent by the network device in the next first time segment. In other words, the time required for the terminal device to complete time-frequency synchronization and receive the signal in the next first time segment is relatively short (e.g., the length of one or more symbols), which is insufficient to cause a large shift in the time and / or frequency of the terminal device. Therefore, it can be guaranteed that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the next first time segment.

[0080] and Figure 4 Similar to (a) in the example, if the first time period precedes the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle, then in some other embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown in (b), within the second time period of the first cell DTX cycle, there is a time interval between the end position of the time window and the end position of the second time period, which is less than or equal to the first time interval. Alternatively, within the second time period of the first cell DTX cycle, there is a time interval between the end position of the time window and the start position of the first time period within the second cell DTX cycle (i.e., the next cell DTX cycle after the first cell DTX cycle), which is less than or equal to the first time interval. Because there is a time interval between the end position of the time window within the second time period and the subsequent first time period, and this time interval is less than or equal to the first time interval, it can be guaranteed that after the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal received within this time window, it can receive the first channel or downlink data sent by the network device in the next first time period after a short interval. In other words, the time required for the terminal device to receive the signal in the next first time period from completing time-frequency synchronization is relatively short (less than or equal to the first time interval), and this time length is insufficient to cause a large shift in the time and / or frequency of the terminal device. Therefore, it can be guaranteed that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the next first time period. For example, the time interval between the end of the time window in the second time period and the start of the next first time period can be equal to a time slot. This ensures that when the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal within the time window, it can maintain time-frequency synchronization at the start of the first time period after a time slot, thus enabling it to receive signals sent by the network device during that first time period.

[0081] Optionally, the length of this time interval can be pre-configured or configured by the network device.

[0082] Based on the above Figure 4 In (a), the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle based on the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the second cell DTX cycle. Based on the above... Figure 4 In (b), the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle based on the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the second cell DTX cycle, and in conjunction with the first time interval.

[0083] like Figure 5In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle.

[0084] In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle. Figure 5 In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle. Figure 5 In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle.

[0085] In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle. Figure 5 In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle. Figure 5 In some embodiments, if the second time period is located before the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the ending position of the second time period. In other words, the ending position of the time window in the second time period in the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the starting position of the first time period in the first cell DTX cycle.

[0086] In some embodiments, the length of the time window is one time slot, and the signal for time-frequency synchronization occupies at least two symbols in the time slot. For example, if there are 14 symbols in the time slot, the signal for time-frequency synchronization can be located at the positions of symbol 0, symbol 4, symbol 8 and symbol 12, as shown in (a) of FIG. 13. Figure 6 Figure 6 ​As shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the signal for time-frequency synchronization can be located at the positions of symbol 1, symbol 5, symbol 9 and symbol 13 in the time slot. That is, four signals are included in the time window, and each signal occupies one symbol.

[0087] In another possible implementation, the length of the time window can be two time slots, and the signal for time-frequency synchronization occupies at least two symbols in each of the two time slots. For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the signal for time-frequency synchronization can be located at the positions of symbol 4 and symbol 8 in time slot 1, and the positions of symbol 4 and symbol 8 in time slot 2. That is, four signals are included in the time window, and each signal occupies one symbol. Figure 7

[0088] If a plurality of symbols for transmitting the signal are included in a time window, the plurality of symbols are not adjacent to each other, such as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 3, or at least two symbols are not adjacent. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the position relationship of the plurality of symbols for transmitting the signal. Figure 6 Figure 7 It should be understood that

[0089] It should be understood that Figure 6 Figure 7 The time domain resource of the signal for time-frequency synchronization in a time window is only exemplarily shown, and the present application does not limit this.

[0090] It should be further understood that Figure 6 Figure 7 The time domain resource of the signal for time-frequency synchronization in a time window is only shown, and the present application does not limit the frequency domain resource of the signal in the time window.

[0091] Optionally, in step 303, the terminal device performs time-frequency synchronization based on the synchronization signal.

[0092] The terminal device can perform detection in the time window to detect whether the sequence of the signal for time-frequency synchronization exists in the time window. If the sequence of the signal is detected, it indicates that the terminal device receives the signal in the time window. The sequence of the signal can be pre-configured at the terminal device side, or configured to the terminal device by the network side, or generated by the terminal device according to the system defined rule, or obtained by the terminal device in other manners, and the present application does not limit this.

[0093] Based on the above Figure 3 As shown in the flow of (b) of FIG. 1, in a possible implementation, Figure 3 ​​​​The embodiments also include the following steps: the network device sends the PDSCH to the terminal device in the first time period, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the PDSCH in the first time period. Optionally, the network device can send the PDSCH in the first symbol in the first time period or in the first time slot in the first time period. For the case that the network device needs to use the high-order MCS to perform data transmission starting from the start position of the first time period of the cell-DTX period, since the time window before the first time period is configured, the terminal device receives the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period, so that the time-frequency synchronization can be completed in time based on the signal, and therefore, when the network device starts to perform the downlink data transmission in the first symbol or the first time slot in the first time period, the terminal device can ensure that the PDSCH sent by the network side can be received, and the downlink data transmission is realized.

[0094] In a possible implementation, if the network device needs to send downlink data to the terminal device at the first time (for example, the first symbol or the first time slot) in the first time period, the network device can send the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period; if the network device does not need to send downlink data to the terminal device in the first time period, the network device can not send the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period, so as to save power consumption. For the terminal device, the signal for time-frequency synchronization can be detected in each time window.

[0095] In some embodiments of the application, the position relationship between the time window and the end position of the second time period or the start position of the first time period, and / or the time / frequency resource of the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window, etc. can be indicated by the signal configuration information.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the signal configuration information can indicate one or more of the following:

[0097] The length of the time window. The signal configuration information can include indication information of the length of the time window. For example, the length of the time window can be one time slot or two time slots.

[0098] The period length of the signal. The signal for time-frequency synchronization can be periodically configured, and the period length of the signal can be understood as the time interval between two adjacent time windows. In the case of periodic configuration of the signal, the signal configuration information can include the period length of the signal. For example, the period length of the signal can be the same as the period length of the cell DTX, for example, refer to Figure 4 or Figure 5For example, the period length of the cell DTX can be an integer multiple of the period length of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the period length of the cell DTX is twice the period length of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization, which can ensure that a time window is configured before the first time period, so that the terminal device can complete time-frequency synchronization between the first time period. Figure 8

[0099] For example, the time domain resource and / or the frequency domain resource of the signal in the time window. For example, the signal configuration information can include a symbol index, so that the terminal device can receive the signal used for time-frequency synchronization on the corresponding symbol according to the symbol index, so as to Figure 6 As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the symbol index can include 0, 4, 8, 12; for another example, the signal configuration information can include the index of the first symbol in the time window and the symbol interval, so that the terminal device can receive the signal used for time-frequency synchronization on the symbol according to the symbol index, and can receive the signal on the subsequent symbol according to the symbol interval. As shown in FIG. 5, the symbol interval is 3. Figure 6

[0100] The repetition number of the signal.

[0101] The trigger offset of the aperiodic signal. The signal used for time-frequency synchronization can be configured as aperiodic. For the aperiodic signal, the offset can indicate the time interval between the start time or the end time of the signal (or the time window in which the signal is located) and the start time of the first time period after the signal, or indicate the time interval between the start time or the end time of the signal (or the time window in which the signal is located) and the end time of the second time period in which the signal is located.

[0102] It should be understood that the above only exemplarily lists some parameters included in the signal configuration information, and the present application does not limit the parameters included in the signal configuration information.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present application, all or part of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information can be pre-configured. If part of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are pre-configured, another part of the configuration parameters can be configured by the network device to the terminal device. In another possible implementation, all the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are configured by the network device to the terminal device.

[0104] ​​Optionally, the network device can configure the terminal device with the signal configuration information through cell DTX configuration information. For example, the network device can send the signal configuration information as part of the cell DTX configuration information to the terminal device. The terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information for time-frequency synchronization from the cell DTX configuration information.

[0105] Optionally, the network device can configure the terminal device with the signal configuration information in a manner independent of the cell DTX configuration information (i.e., not included in the cell DTX configuration information). For example, the network device can carry the signal configuration information in a system message, and the terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information by receiving the system message from the network device. For another example, the network device can carry the signal configuration information in RRC signaling, and the terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information according to the received RRC signaling.

[0106] Based on the above Figure 3 As shown in the flow, the terminal device can determine the first time period and the second time period in the N cell DTX periods corresponding to the terminal device according to the cell DTX configuration information. Taking the first cell DTX period in the N cell DTX periods as an example, since there is a time window in which the signal for time-frequency synchronization can be received in the second time period in the first cell DTX period, the terminal device can receive (detect) the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period (in the case that the first time period in the cell DTX period is in the front, the first time period is the first time period in the next cell DTX period, or in the case that the first time period in the cell DTX period is in the rear, the first time period is the first time period in the current period), and can complete time and / or frequency synchronization based on the signal, so as to ensure that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the first time period after the time window.

[0107] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing various functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenarios and design constraints of the technical solutions.

[0108] Figure 9 and Figure 10The diagram illustrates the possible structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminals 120a-120j shown can also be as follows: Figure 1 The base station 110a or 110b shown can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or base station.

[0109] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. The communication device 900 is used to implement the above-mentioned... Figure 3 The methods illustrated in this embodiment demonstrate the functions of the terminal device or network device.

[0110] When the communication device 900 is used to implement Figure 3 In the method embodiment shown, the terminal device functions as follows: Transceiver unit 920 receives cell discontinuous reception configuration information, which indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, which includes a first time period and a second time period. The first time period is the time during which data can be transmitted, and the second time period is the time during which data cannot be transmitted. Processing unit 910 receives a synchronization signal within a time window through transceiver unit 920. The synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located within the second time period.

[0111] When the communication device 900 is used to achieve Figure 3 In the method embodiment shown, the network device functions as follows: Processing unit 910 transmits cell discontinuous reception configuration information via transceiver unit 920. The cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, which includes a first time period and a second time period. The first time period is the time period during which data can be transmitted, and the second time period is the time period during which data cannot be transmitted. Furthermore, transceiver unit 920 transmits a synchronization signal within a time window. The synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located within the second time period.

[0112] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 3The relevant descriptions of the method embodiments shown are directly obtained, and are not described here.

[0113] As shown in Figure 10 The communication apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a memory 1030, used for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010 or storing input data required by the processor 1010 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1010 runs instructions.

[0114] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the method shown in Figure 3 The processor 1010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 920.

[0115] When the above communication apparatus is a terminal chip, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0116] When the above communication apparatus is a network device module, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device; or the network device module sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or a DU or other module, and the DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0117] It is to be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0118] In the present application, another example of a communication device is provided, which comprises at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor and the at least one memory are coupled, the at least one memory is configured to store instructions, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device performs the method in the above embodiments. Taking the communication device comprising one processor and one memory as an example, as shown in Figure 10 The communication device 1000 comprises one processor 1010 and one memory 1030. The processor 1010 and the memory 1030 are coupled, and the memory 1030 stores instructions, when the instructions stored in the memory 1030 are executed by the processor 1010, the communication device 1000 performs the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the above embodiments.

[0119] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or can be implemented in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in the network device or the terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the network device or the terminal.

[0120] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments are performed. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0121] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0122] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The association relationship between the associated objects is described, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the literal description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the associated objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0123] It can be understood that various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, wherein the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle includes a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period is a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; receiving a synchronization signal in a time window, wherein the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located in the second time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the first time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The receiving of the PDSCH in the first time period comprises: receiving the PDSCH in a first symbol in the first time period or in a first slot in the first time period.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, In the first discontinuous cycle, the first time period is located before the second time period, and the method further comprises: determining a position of the time window in the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle or a starting position of the first time period in a second discontinuous reception cycle, wherein the second discontinuous reception cycle is a next discontinuous reception cycle of the first discontinuous reception cycle.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein In the first discontinuous cycle, the second time period is located before the first time period, and the method further comprises: determining a position of the time window in the second time period according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle or a starting position of the first time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Further comprising: receiving signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates a length of the time window and / or a transmission period of a period of the synchronization signal.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending cell discontinuous reception configuration information, wherein the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle includes a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period is a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; sending a synchronization signal in a time window, wherein the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located in the second time period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: sending a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the first time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The sending of the PDSCH in the first time period comprises: sending the PDSCH in a first symbol in the first time period or in a first slot in the first time period.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, Further comprising: sending signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates a length of the time window and / or a transmission period of a period of the synchronization signal.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The first time period is located before the second time period in the first discontinuous period; The ending position of the time window is the same as the ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception period is less than or equal to the first time interval; or The ending position of the time window is the same as the starting position of the first time period in the second discontinuous reception period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the starting position of the first time period in the second discontinuous reception period is less than or equal to the first time interval. The second discontinuous reception period is the next discontinuous reception period of the first discontinuous reception period.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The second time period is located before the first time period in the first discontinuous period; The ending position of the time window is the same as the ending position of the second time period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the ending position of the second time period is less than or equal to the first time interval; or The ending position of the time window is the same as the starting position of the first time period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the starting position of the first time period is less than or equal to the first time interval.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The length of the time window is one time slot, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in the one time slot; or The length of the time window is two time slots, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in each of the two time slots.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The at least two symbols in the one time slot or the at least two symbols in each of the time slots are not adjacent to each other.

15. The method of claim 6 or 10, wherein, The period of the synchronization signal is equal to the discontinuous reception period, or the discontinuous reception period is an integer multiple of the period of the synchronization signal.

16. A communications device, characterized by The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

17. A communications device, characterized by The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15. The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

18. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

19. A chip system, characterized by ​ 20. A program product, characterized by ​

Images