Communication method, communication device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, and provides a communication method, a communication device and a computer readable storage medium, the method comprising: receiving first information, the first information being used for determining a plurality of frequency domain positions, the plurality of frequency domain positions comprising the first frequency domain position; and detecting a downlink control channel in the first frequency domain position. The method can reduce the power consumption overhead of the terminal equipment.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the increase in spectrum bandwidth in the upper 6GHz band (U6G), next-generation communication networks will be able to provide wider network coverage and higher network capacity. For downlink data transmission services in existing networks, since U6G generally uses mini-slots for scheduling user equipment (UE), there can be multiple scheduling opportunities within a single slot. For example, network equipment can select different scheduling opportunities to send downlink data to the UE within a single slot based on the load conditions within the cell.

[0003] To achieve short time slot and low latency scheduling, the control resource set (CORESET) may need to be configured as a short time slot, such as 1 to 3 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Since the UE is unsure whether each symbol contains the transmission parameters (such as transmission bandwidth) of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH, all air interface data within the entire downlink bandwidth needs to be cached to detect the PDCCH and PDSCH. This practice of caching all data will increase the power consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can reduce the power consumption of terminal devices. This application provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device. This method can be executed by the terminal device, by a module (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system) within the terminal device, or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method includes:

[0006] Receive first information, which is used to determine multiple frequency domain locations, including the first frequency domain location; detect the downlink control channel in the first frequency domain location.

[0007] In the above method, the terminal device receives the first information and detects the downlink control channel at the first frequency domain position based on the first information, without having to perform a wide range of blind detection (i.e., without targeting and attempting to decode possible downlink control channels on a wide range) at multiple frequency domain positions to find possible downlink control channel transmission, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location.

[0009] In some scenarios, the control resource set can be divided into multiple frequency domain locations. The configuration of multiple frequency domain locations can be completed by configuring the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location. There is no need to configure each frequency domain location separately. This not only makes the configuration method simple and efficient, but also reduces signaling overhead.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions, or the first information includes the start position and end position of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions.

[0011] In some scenarios, when available frequency domain resources are not distributed contiguously but rather present as multiple discontinuous and scattered frequency band locations, network devices can optimize the use of these discontinuous frequency domain resources through fine-grained configuration. For example, network devices can configure each discontinuous frequency domain location independently, including setting parameters such as the specific start and end positions of each frequency domain location. Through such independent configuration, network devices can utilize these scattered frequency domain resources more effectively, avoiding waste caused by resource discontinuity. For instance, in situations where spectrum resources are scarce, by precisely configuring each available frequency domain segment, the utilization of these segments for data transmission can be maximized, thereby improving overall resource utilization and communication efficiency.

[0012] In one possible implementation, multiple frequency domain locations are discontinuously distributed in the frequency domain.

[0013] In some scenarios, multiple frequency domain locations can be configured discontinuously. This discontinuous configuration not only makes full use of fragmented frequency domain resources, but also reduces transmission errors caused by frequency-selective fading or interference.

[0014] In one possible implementation, multiple frequency domain locations are continuously distributed in the frequency domain.

[0015] In some scenarios, multiple frequency domain locations can be configured consecutively. This consecutive configuration can reduce the fragmentation of spectrum resources, which is beneficial for the network side to manage frequency domain resources more effectively and improve resource utilization.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a downlink control channel at a first frequency domain location; receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel, wherein the time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel is greater than or equal to a preset time, and the preset time is a positive integer.

[0017] In some scenarios, network devices transmit downlink control channels in the first frequency domain and then transmit physical downlink shared channels after a preset time. As a result, when the terminal device receives the downlink control channel, it does not need to immediately cache the data within the subsequent preset time (e.g., within L symbols) because the transmission of the physical downlink shared channel is delayed by the preset time. This avoids unnecessary caching operations and reduces the power consumption of the terminal.

[0018] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device (such as a base station), by a module applied in the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes:

[0019] Determine the first information, which is used to configure multiple frequency domain positions, including the first frequency domain position, which is used to transmit the downlink control channel; send the first information.

[0020] In the above method, the network device sends first information so that the terminal device can detect the downlink control channel at the first frequency domain position based on the first information, without having to perform a wide range of blind detections at multiple frequency domain positions to find possible downlink control channels, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location.

[0022] In some scenarios, the control resource set can be divided into multiple frequency domain locations. The configuration of multiple frequency domain locations can be completed by configuring the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location. There is no need to configure each frequency domain location separately. This not only makes the configuration method simple and efficient, but also reduces signaling overhead.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions, or the first information includes the start position and end position of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions.

[0024] In some scenarios, when the frequency domain resources of the control resource set are not continuously distributed but rather present as multiple discontinuous and scattered frequency band locations, network devices can optimize the use of these discontinuous frequency domain resources through fine-grained configuration methods. For example, network devices can configure each discontinuous frequency domain location independently, including setting parameters such as the specific start and end positions of each frequency domain location. Through such independent configuration, network devices can utilize these scattered frequency domain resources more effectively, avoiding waste caused by the discontinuity of resources. For instance, in situations where spectrum resources are scarce, by precisely configuring each available frequency domain segment, the utilization of these segments for data transmission can be maximized, thereby improving overall resource utilization and communication efficiency.

[0025] In one possible implementation, multiple frequency domain locations are discontinuously distributed in the frequency domain.

[0026] In some scenarios, multiple frequency domain locations can be configured discontinuously. This discontinuous configuration not only makes full use of fragmented frequency domain resources, but also reduces transmission errors caused by frequency-selective fading or interference.

[0027] In one possible implementation, multiple frequency domain locations are continuously distributed in the frequency domain.

[0028] In some scenarios, multiple frequency domain locations can be configured consecutively. This consecutive configuration can reduce the fragmentation of spectrum resources, which is beneficial for the network side to manage frequency domain resources more effectively and improve resource utilization.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: transmitting a downlink control channel at a first frequency domain position; transmitting a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel, wherein the time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel is greater than or equal to a preset time, and the preset time is a positive integer.

[0030] In some scenarios, network devices transmit downlink control channels in the first frequency domain and then transmit physical downlink shared channels after a preset time. As a result, when the terminal device receives the downlink control channel, it does not need to immediately cache the data within the subsequent preset time (e.g., within L symbols) because the transmission of the physical downlink shared channel is delayed by the preset time. This avoids unnecessary caching operations and reduces the power consumption of the terminal.

[0031] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device. This method can be executed by the terminal device, by a module (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system) within the terminal device, or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method includes:

[0032] The first downlink control channel is detected during multiple listening opportunities within a preset time period, including at least two listening opportunities for transmitting the downlink control channel; when the first downlink control channel is detected at the target listening opportunity, the detection of the downlink control channel is stopped during the remaining listening opportunities within the preset time period.

[0033] In the above method, when the terminal device detects the first downlink control channel during multiple listening opportunities, if the first downlink control channel is successfully detected within a preset time period, the detection of the downlink control channel is stopped in the remaining frequency domain position of the preset time period. This method of reducing unnecessary downlink control channel detection within the preset time period not only helps to reduce data transmission latency but also reduces the power consumption of the terminal.

[0034] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device. This method can be executed by the terminal device, by a module (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system) within the terminal device, or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method includes:

[0035] At a first moment, a first downlink control channel is detected, and a first aggregation level is determined. The first aggregation level is the aggregation level used by the first downlink control channel. At a second moment, a second downlink control channel is detected based on the first aggregation level. The second moment is later than the first moment, and the interval between the second moment and the first moment is less than or equal to the first time interval.

[0036] In the above method, from the perspective of the terminal device, by detecting the first downlink control channel at the first moment, the terminal device can determine that the aggregation level used by the network device to send the first downlink control channel is the first aggregation level. Since the channel quality does not change significantly in a short period, the network device can use the same aggregation level (such as the first aggregation level) when sending the second downlink control channel to the terminal device. Thus, when the terminal device performs the second downlink control channel detection at the second moment, it can directly perform the detection at the first aggregation level, without needing to detect all possible aggregation levels. This not only improves detection efficiency but also reduces the power consumption of the terminal device. From the perspective of the network device, when the channel quality is relatively stable, using the same aggregation level as before to send the downlink control channel helps the terminal device to quickly and accurately detect the downlink control channel, thereby responding to the network device's control commands more quickly and improving the overall response speed of the communication system.

[0037] In one possible implementation, detecting the second downlink control channel at a second time based on the first aggregation level includes: determining at least one aggregation level from a plurality of aggregation levels based on the first aggregation level, wherein the number of at least one aggregation level is less than the number of the plurality of aggregation levels, and the at least one aggregation level includes the first aggregation level; and detecting the second downlink control channel at the second time based on the at least one aggregation level.

[0038] In certain scenarios (such as those with relatively stable channel quality), when network devices repeatedly schedule downlink control channels within a short period, the aggregation level of the downlink control channels is typically adjusted flexibly within a small range. By limiting the fluctuation range of the downlink control channel aggregation level, terminal devices can focus on this aggregation level range when detecting downlink control channels, without having to detect all possible aggregation levels. This detection method not only reduces the number of blind detections by the terminal device but also improves detection efficiency and reduces the terminal's power consumption. For example, if the terminal device detects the aggregation level of the downlink control channel for the first time (e.g., the terminal device detects the first downlink control channel at the first moment) as the first aggregation level, then considering the stability of channel quality in a short period, the terminal can perform subsequent detections (e.g., the detection of the second downlink control channel at the second moment) within a finite set consisting of the first aggregation level and its neighboring aggregation levels, without having to detect all possible aggregation levels.

[0039] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be a network device (e.g., a base station), a module applied within a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The communication device includes at least one processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the at least one processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the at least one processor executes the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, the communication device performs the method executed by the network device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0040] Sixthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be a terminal device (e.g., a UE), a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied within a terminal device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The communication device includes at least one processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions, and the at least one processor executes the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the at least one processor executes the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, the communication device performs the method executed by the terminal device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: computer program code, which, when executed, causes the methods executed by a network device (e.g., a base station) in the above aspects to be performed.

[0042] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising: computer program code, which, when executed, causes the methods executed by the terminal device in the above aspects to be performed.

[0043] Ninthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for implementing the functions of the network device in the methods described above. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for implementing the functions of the terminal device in the methods described above. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0045] In one aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by the network device in the above aspects.

[0046] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by a terminal device in the above aspects.

[0047] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, including: the communication device described in the fifth aspect and the communication device described in the sixth aspect.

[0048] Any of the devices, computer storage media, computer program products, chips, or communication systems provided above are used to execute the corresponding methods provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects of the corresponding solutions in the corresponding methods provided above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figures 1A to 1C This is a schematic diagram of PDSCH and PDCCH scheduling provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a CU-DU architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 4 Another schematic diagram of PDSCH and PDCCH scheduling provided for embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 An interactive schematic diagram of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figures 6A to 6D This application provides a schematic diagram of frequency domain location distribution as an embodiment.

[0055] Figure 7 Another schematic diagram of PDSCH and PDCCH scheduling provided for embodiments of this application;

[0056] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 9 Another schematic diagram of PDSCH and PDCCH scheduling provided for embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication method 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of PDCCH scheduling provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] In the description of this application, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply difference.

[0063] It should be understood that in this application, descriptions such as "in the case of," "if," "when," "if," etc., can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the use of " / " in the text indicates "or."

[0064] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as a preferred implementation of other embodiments or design schemes. The use of the terms "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0065] To facilitate understanding of this application, some of the technical terms involved in this application are explained below.

[0066] (1) PDCCH and PDSCH

[0067] When a new radio (NR) schedules a UE to receive downlink data, it can send downlink control information (DCI) on the PDCCH to indicate the reception parameters of the PDSCH carrying the data. The reception parameters include the time-domain and frequency-domain resource location of the PDSCH, the bandwidth size, the modulation and coding scheme used for the information on the PDSCH, the port and format of the reference signal in the PDSCH, etc.

[0068] There are two scheduling methods for PDCCH to schedule PDSCH:

[0069] Method 1): PDSCH mapping type A, also known as slot-based scheduling, means that PDSCH is scheduled using slots as the basic unit. In terms of time resources, each PDSCH transmission will fill the entire slot (e.g., 14 symbols); for example, ... Figure 1A As shown, the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH can be transmitted in the same time slot as the PDSCH, but the PDSCH transmission area needs to avoid the PDCCH. This transmission method can be called simultaneous time slot scheduling. Alternatively, the PDCCH and PDSCH can also be transmitted in different time slots. Figure 1B As shown, PDCCH is transmitted in time slot n, while PDSCH is transmitted in time slot n+k0, where k0>0. This transmission method can be called cross-slot scheduling.

[0070] Method 2): PDSCH mapping type B, also known as mini-slot / short slot scheduling, is a type where PDSCH is scheduled based on the number of symbols, not the time slot. In existing NR systems, network devices can allocate 2 to 13 symbols to a UE in a single scheduling operation. The PDCCH and PDSCH for scheduling PDSCH are transmitted in the same time slot, such as... Figure 1C As shown.

[0071] (2) Control resource set CORESET

[0072] A CORESET is used to carry PDCCH. A CORESET consists of a set of resource blocks (RBs) and a set of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols located on the RBs. These parameters can be configured through the corresponding PDCCH search space, involving the frequency domain, time domain, etc. In NR, PDCCH is transmitted within the frequency domain range specified in the CORESET. The frequencies allocated in the CORESET can be continuous or discontinuous. Typically, the time domain span in a CORESET can be 1 to 3 consecutive OFDM symbols.

[0073] (3) Search space set

[0074] The search space set has pre-configured bandwidth and transmission period in terms of time and frequency resources; PDCCH can be transmitted in the pre-configured search space set; the search space set is configured in CORESET, which defines the frequency resources (i.e., bandwidth) and time domain resources (such as the number of symbols that a PDCCH can occupy) that the search space set can use; in the time domain, the transmission period of the search space set can be configured from 1 time slot to 2560 time slots, and in each period, one or several consecutive time slots can be used to transmit PDCCH; in each time slot for transmitting PDCCH, the base station (gNB) can also configure the position of the specific symbols of PDCCH to be transmitted in each time slot for transmitting PDCCH.

[0075] (4) Aggregation level (AL)

[0076] To adapt to different channel environments, PDCCH transmission also employs the concept of aggregation levels, typically categorized as (1, 2, 4, 8, 16). Different aggregation levels utilize different amounts of RE resources; for example, aggregation level 2 PDCCH uses twice the number of REs as aggregation level 1, aggregation level 4 uses twice the number of REs as aggregation level 2, and so on. Although different aggregation levels use different numbers of REs, the number of information bits carried is the same or similar. Therefore, higher aggregation levels have lower code rates, better performance, and are more suitable for use in environments with poor channel conditions.

[0077] When receiving a PDCCH, the UE typically does not know the actual aggregation level used by the PDCCH. Therefore, it needs to assume different aggregation levels and, based on the possible frequency domain locations of the PDCCH at different aggregation levels, blindly detect whether the PDCCH should be transmitted within the entire CORESET bandwidth. The more blind detections are performed, the higher the UE's power consumption and complexity become.

[0078] The above briefly introduces the technical terms that may be involved in this application. The following describes the communication system to which this application applies.

[0079] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, including Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or NR. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems.

[0080] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0081] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 2 110a-110e (collectively referred to as 110) may also include at least one terminal 120 (such as Figure 2 RAN100, denoted as RAN100, comprises RAN nodes 120a-120d, collectively referred to as RAN120. RAN100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110 (e.g., RAN node 110b). Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 1000 may also include a core network (CN) 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 1000 may also include Internet 300.

[0082] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, an NR system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0083] RAN nodes, also known as network devices, wireless access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly.

[0084] In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system. A RAN node can also be a macro base station (such as...). Figure 2 110a in the text), can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as... Figure 2 110e in the middle), can also be a relay node (such as Figure 2 (110b and 110c in the middle).

[0085] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU performs the functions of the base station's radio resource control (RRC) protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's radio link control (RLC) layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and can also perform some or all of the physical (PHY) layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0086] The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: the control plane CU (CU-CP) and the user plane CU (CU-UP). For example... Figure 3As shown, CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including RRC and control plane PDCP (PDCP-C). PDCP-C is mainly responsible for control plane data encryption / decryption, integrity protection, and data transmission. CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including SDAP and user plane PDCP (PDCP-U). SDAP is mainly responsible for processing core network data and mapping flows to bearers. PDCP-U is mainly responsible for data plane encryption / decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, and data transmission. CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via the E1 interface. CU-CP represents the base station connecting to the core network via the next-generation (NG) interface. CU-CP connects to DU via the control plane F1 interface (F1-C). CU-UP connects to DU via the user plane F1 interface (F1-U). Alternatively, PDCP-C may also be included in CU-UP.

[0087] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0088] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user interface (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 (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. A terminal can be a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone). Figure 2 120a and 120b), tablet computers (such as Figure 2120c), printers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as...) Figure 2 The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal. (The examples include 120d, wearable devices, vehicles, aircraft, ships, robots, smart home devices, etc.)

[0089] Base stations and terminals can be fixed 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 base stations and terminals.

[0090] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 2 In this context, 110b can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals accessing the wireless access network 100 via 110b, 110b is a base station. However, for 110a, 110b can be a terminal; that is, 110a and 110b communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Alternatively, 110a and 110b can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 110b is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 2 The 110a-110e in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality. Figure 2 The 120a-120d in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0091] The above describes in detail the hardware and software system architecture of the communication system 1000 applicable to this application. Before introducing the communication method applicable to this application, the problems that this application needs to solve will be introduced in conjunction with specific application scenarios.

[0092] Because the 6GHz upper half (6G Upper, U6G) spectrum bandwidth is relatively large, data transmission typically requires only a few symbols (e.g., 1 to 2 symbols). In downlink data transmission services, U6G generally uses mini-slots to schedule terminal devices (e.g., UEs). Therefore, multiple scheduling opportunities can exist within a single slot; network devices can select different scheduling times to send downlink data to terminal devices based on the cell's load conditions. Figure 4 As shown, in a time slot of 14 symbols, network devices (such as base stations) configure PDCCHs at four locations; the search space sets corresponding to these four PDCCH locations are all single symbols, located at symbols 0, 4, 7, and 11 respectively; correspondingly, the terminal device has four opportunities to receive PDCCH scheduling PDSCH data, such as... Figure 4The four possible PDSCH scheduling scenarios are shown; furthermore, Figure 4 PDCCH and PDSCH can be transmitted on the same symbol, such as simultaneously on symbol 0; or they can be transmitted on different symbols, such as PDCCH on symbol 4 and PDSCH on symbol 5.

[0093] Since the terminal device is unsure whether a PDCCH is sent to it on each symbol, and also unsure of the transmission parameters of the PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH, it needs to buffer all air interface data within the entire downlink bandwidth to detect the PDCCH and PDSCH. However, since some symbols do not send PDCCH, buffering all air interface data increases the power consumption of the terminal device. Therefore, this application proposes a communication method that can reduce the power consumption overhead of the terminal device.

[0094] The following is combined Figure 5 Let me introduce the communication method 500 proposed in this application, such as... Figure 5 As shown, this communication method 500 can reduce the power consumption of terminal devices. Before introducing method 500, the main body executing method 500 will be briefly explained.

[0095] The terminal device (or network device) involved in method 500 can also be a chip, chip system, or processor applied in the terminal device (or network device), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device (or network device). For example, the network device can be... Figure 2 RAN node 110 in the middle; the terminal device can be Figure 2 Terminal 120 in the middle.

[0096] The following embodiments describe the communication method 500 using a terminal device (such as a UE) and a network device (such as a base station) as examples. The method 500 includes the following steps:

[0097] Step 501: The network device determines first information, which is used to configure multiple frequency domain positions, including the first frequency domain position, which is used to transmit downlink control channels.

[0098] The first information can be configuration information of the control resource set. This first information can be carried in RRC signaling, or in the control element (CE) of the media access control (MAC) layer, or in other signaling. This application does not limit the way the first information is carried.

[0099] It should be noted that the above-mentioned multiple frequency domain positions can be located on the same symbol or on multiple identical symbols; where a symbol can refer to an OFDM symbol; for example, multiple frequency domain positions can be located on a single symbol X; or, multiple frequency domain positions can be located on two or three symbols.

[0100] In some scenarios, the aforementioned multiple frequency domain locations can be understood as follows: network devices (such as base stations) divide the CORESET into multiple different sub-frequency bands or sub-regions in the frequency domain as needed; each frequency domain location (such as the first frequency domain location) can be used to transmit downlink control channels, i.e., to carry data and control information; this control information includes, but is not limited to, scheduling information (such as on which time resources the UE will receive or send data), power control commands, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). For example, network devices can divide the CORESET into multiple frequency domain locations based on network planning, spectrum resource allocation, and UE requirements; these frequency domain locations can be continuous or discontinuous, depending on network configuration and spectrum usage.

[0101] It should be noted that in some scenarios, the frequency domain location can be described as a sub-CORESET, sub-band, sub-frequency domain, or narrowband CORESET, etc. Of course, it is not limited to these alternative descriptions, and other descriptions may be used in actual applications. This application does not limit this.

[0102] Step 502: The network device sends the first information; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0103] After determining the first information, the network device can send the first information to the terminal device. The network device (or terminal device) can send (or receive) the first information through RRC signaling or MAC CE, or through other means. This application does not limit the specific methods used.

[0104] Step 503: The terminal device detects the downlink control channel in the first frequency domain location.

[0105] The downlink control channel can be a PDCCH or a downlink control channel in a future communication system; this application does not limit this.

[0106] It should be noted that the terminal device can determine the first frequency domain location based on the first information in the following ways: Method 1) The network device sends an indication message to the terminal device to indicate that it can detect the downlink control channel at a specific frequency domain location (such as only at the first frequency domain location); Method 2) The protocol preset method allows the terminal device to determine the detection downlink control channel at the first frequency domain location from multiple frequency domain locations according to the protocol preset rules.

[0107] Therefore, once the terminal device determines the first frequency domain location, it can detect the downlink control channel at the first frequency domain location without having to perform a wide range of blind detections at multiple frequency domain locations to find possible PDCCH transmissions, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location.

[0109] The number of multiple frequency domain locations can be understood as the number of sub-regions that the network device needs to divide the CORESET into.

[0110] In some embodiments, the network device can divide the CORESET into multiple frequency domain locations by the number of frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location. For example, if the first information is carried in the CORESET configuration information of the RRC, the following configuration parameters can be added to the CORESET configuration information:

[0111]

[0112] Here, frequencyDomainResources represents the total downlink bandwidth of CORESET, numberOfSubfrequencyRange represents how many frequency domain locations the entire CORESET will be divided into, and bandwidthOfSubfrequencyRange represents the bandwidth length (or bandwidth of each frequency domain location).

[0113] In this embodiment, CORESET is divided into multiple frequency domain locations for configuration by the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location; there is no need to configure each frequency domain location separately, which not only makes the configuration method simple and efficient, but also reduces signaling overhead.

[0114] In some embodiments, multiple frequency domain locations are continuously distributed in the frequency domain.

[0115] For example, a network device can use a series of consecutive spectrum resource blocks (RBs) as the frequency domain locations of a CORESET. When configuring a CORESET with multiple frequency domain locations, the network device can complete the configuration by configuring the number of multiple frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each location in the CORESET configuration information. For example, ... Figure 6A As shown, CORESET is divided into 4 regions (i.e., frequency domain position 1 to frequency domain position 4), and these 4 regions are continuously distributed. This continuous configuration can reduce the fragmentation of spectrum resources, which is conducive to the network side managing frequency domain resources more effectively and improving resource utilization.

[0116] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions, or the first information includes the start position and end position of each frequency domain position among multiple frequency domain positions.

[0117] The starting position can be described as the starting point or the starting frequency; the bandwidth length can be described as one of bandwidth, frequency band length or frequency domain length, etc., and this application does not limit it.

[0118] In some embodiments, the network device can divide the CORESET into multiple frequency domain locations by configuring the starting position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain location. For example, if the first information is carried in the CORESET configuration information of the RRC, the following configuration parameters can be added to the CORESET configuration information:

[0119]

[0120] Where frequencyDomainResources represents the entire downlink bandwidth of CORESET, startingPositionOfSubfrequencyRange1 represents the starting position of frequency domain position 1 (i.e., an example of multiple frequency domain positions), and bandwidthOfSubfrequencyRange1 represents the bandwidth length of frequency domain position 1.

[0121] In some other embodiments, the network device can divide the CORESET into multiple frequency domain locations by configuring the start and end positions of each frequency domain location. For example, if the first information is carried in the CORESET configuration information of the RRC, the following configuration parameters can be added to the CORESET configuration information:

[0122]

[0123] Where frequencyDomainResources represents the entire downlink bandwidth of CORESET, startingPositionOfSubfrequency1 represents the starting position of frequency domain position 1 (i.e., an example of multiple frequency domain positions), and endingPositionOfSubfrequency1 represents the ending position of frequency domain position 1.

[0124] Therefore, when CORESET frequency domain resources are not continuously distributed but rather present as multiple discontinuous and scattered frequency band locations, network devices can optimize the use of these discontinuous frequency domain resources through fine-grained configuration methods. For example, network devices can independently configure each discontinuous frequency domain location, including setting parameters such as the specific start and end positions of each frequency domain location. Through such independent configuration, network devices can more effectively utilize these scattered frequency domain resources and avoid waste caused by resource discontinuity. For instance, in situations where spectrum resources are scarce, by precisely configuring each available frequency domain segment, the utilization of these segments for data transmission can be maximized, thereby improving overall resource utilization and communication efficiency.

[0125] Furthermore, in some scenarios, the aforementioned multiple frequency domain locations can be understood as multiple narrowband cores. For example, network devices can be configured with narrowband cores, which have a smaller bandwidth than the legacy core. Terminal devices can detect downlink control channels within narrowband cores, reducing the number of blind detections of downlink control channels (such as PDCCH) and the power consumption generated by buffered data. Typically, to avoid being affected by frequency-selective fading, the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) can be configured with multiple narrowband cores. The configuration parameters of these narrowband cores are the same except for their frequency domain locations. In addition, these narrowband cores can overlap or not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0126] In some embodiments, the narrowband cores on different symbols can hop according to a certain pattern, meaning that the narrowband cores detected by the terminal device on different symbols can be different; this distribution pattern of the narrowband cores can resist frequency-selective fading and improve the reception performance of the downlink control channel. For example, as Figure 6BAs shown, network devices can configure multiple narrowband cores within the downlink BWP bandwidth; for example, taking the configuration of 4 narrowband cores in a single time slot as an example, if the total downlink bandwidth is 100MHz, then the bandwidth length of each narrowband core is 25MHz, and these 4 narrowband cores do not overlap with each other in the frequency domain; the network device can pre-agree with each terminal device or each terminal can calculate which narrowband core to detect on each symbol based on the formula (2) below; for example, Figure 6B In the diagram, the terminal device detects the search space set on the 4th narrowband CORESET at symbol 0, the search space set on the 2nd narrowband CORESET at symbol 3, the search space set on the 3rd narrowband CORESET at symbol 6, and the search space set on the 1st narrowband CORESET at symbol 10.

[0127] In some embodiments, multiple frequency domain locations are discontinuously distributed (or discontinuously distributed) in the frequency domain.

[0128] For example, a network device can use a series of discontinuous spectrum resource blocks as the frequency domain locations of a CORESET. Therefore, when configuring a CORESET with multiple frequency domain locations, the network device needs to individually configure the start and end positions (or the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain location) in the CORESET configuration information to complete the configuration of multiple frequency domain locations. For example, ... Figure 6C As shown, CORESET is divided into 4 regions (i.e., frequency domain position 1 to frequency domain position 4), and these 4 regions are discontinuously distributed. This discontinuous configuration can not only make full use of fragmented frequency domain resources, but also reduce transmission errors caused by frequency selective fading or interference.

[0129] In some other embodiments, when a network device configures a CORESET to multiple frequency domain locations, some frequency domain locations may be consecutive, while others may be discontinuous; for example, Figure 6D As shown, CORESET is divided into four regions (i.e., frequency domain positions 1 to 4). Frequency domain positions 2 and 3 are continuous within these four regions, while positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 1 and 4 are discontinuous. For the continuous frequency domain positions, the number of positions and the bandwidth of each position can be configured uniformly, eliminating the need for individual configuration of each position. Conversely, for the discontinuous frequency domain positions, each position can be configured individually using its start and end positions. This combination of continuous and discontinuous configurations fully utilizes fragmented frequency domain resources and simplifies the configuration process.

[0130] It should be noted that when network devices send downlink control channels (such as PDCCH) to various terminal devices, they can pre-agree on the following aspects so that each terminal device (such as UE) can detect its own downlink control channel at the corresponding frequency domain position (such as the first frequency domain position). Specific agreements include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0131] 1) The downlink control channel sent to each terminal device usually occupies time domain, frequency domain and other resources within a frequency domain location (i.e. a sub-region).

[0132] 2) If the downlink control channel sent to each terminal device uses interleaving, the scope of the interleaving will be limited to a frequency domain location (i.e., a sub-region), and it will usually not interleave across frequency domain locations.

[0133] 3) Agree on the frequency domain location (e.g., the first frequency domain location) of the downlink control channel sent to each terminal device; for example, agree on the rules for the frequency domain location (which can also be understood as a frequency domain sub-region) used by the network device when scheduling each terminal device (e.g., UE) in each symbol; for example, in some embodiments, the rules for the frequency domain location used by the UE can be determined by... The function is determined; The function can be determined by the UE identifier (such as the radio network temporary identity (RNTI)), the time slot number where the symbol is located, and the symbol number (i.e., the position of the current symbol in the time slot or the nth symbol in the current time slot); in some embodiments, this... The function can be represented as follows:

[0134]

[0135]

[0136] in, l is the time slot number where the symbol is located. symb N represents the nth symbol in the current time slot. sub - range The modulo operator represents the number of frequency domain locations (i.e., the total number of sub-regions). By using the modulo operation, the function can ensure that each frequency domain location among multiple frequency domain locations has a unique identifier. This helps network devices and terminal devices to accurately identify and manage each frequency domain location during communication, avoiding confusion and errors. Through the above method, it can be ensured that the frequency sub-regions detected by the terminal device on different symbols are different, avoiding the degradation of the terminal device's PDCCH reception performance caused by frequency selective fading.

[0137] In some other embodiments, the rules for the frequency domain position used by the UE may also be as follows: In short-time scheduling scenarios, the frequency domain position of each terminal device in blind detection of the downlink control channel (such as PDCCH) is the same as the frequency domain position of the first detection of the downlink control channel; in other words, each terminal device can determine the frequency domain position of the second detection of the downlink control channel based on the frequency domain position of the first detection of the downlink control channel. For example, if the frequency domain position of the UE's first detection of the PDCCH is the first frequency domain position, then the UE can directly perform detection at the first frequency domain position when detecting the PDCCH for the second time.

[0138] In some embodiments, the method 500 described above further includes steps 504 and 505;

[0139] Step 504: The terminal device receives the downlink control channel in the first frequency domain position; correspondingly, the network device transmits the downlink control channel in the first frequency domain position.

[0140] The fact that the terminal device receives the downlink control channel at the first frequency domain position indicates that the terminal device is configured to detect the transmission of the downlink control channel (such as PDCCH) at a specific frequency domain position (such as the first frequency domain position). The downlink control channel is usually a channel used by network devices (such as base stations) to send DCIs to the terminal device. These DCIs may include, but are not limited to, scheduling decisions, power control commands, etc.

[0141] Corresponding to the detection behavior of terminal devices, network devices can send downlink control channels at a specific frequency domain location (such as the first frequency domain location); the first frequency domain location can be determined based on factors such as network configuration, specific needs of the terminal, and possible resource allocation.

[0142] Step 505: The terminal device receives the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel; correspondingly, the network device sends the PDSCH according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel; wherein the time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel is greater than or equal to a preset time, and the preset time is a positive integer.

[0143] The preset time can be represented by a time slot or a symbol, etc. This application does not limit it. For example, the preset time can be L symbols, where L is a positive integer; L is generally 1 to 3 symbols; the time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel can be greater than or equal to L symbols.

[0144] For example, such as Figure 7As shown, taking the above time interval equal to L symbols and the downlink control channel as PDCCH as an example, the network device can send PDCCH on symbol 0; after L symbols, it sends PDSCH on symbols 4 to 5 according to the PDCCH schedule; since the network device will not send the PDSCH scheduled by PDCCH within L symbols after sending PDCCH, the terminal device can buffer the data on symbol 0 of the PDCCH transmission, without needing to buffer the air interface data on L symbols. This can reduce the data buffering amount of the terminal device and save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0145] It should be noted that, on the one hand, the aforementioned preset time can be understood as the time for the terminal device to decode the PDCCH; however, within the preset time, the terminal device may complete the PDCCH decoding or it may not. On the other hand, the preset time can also be understood as including the switching time of the terminal device's radio frequency devices, such as the radio frequency devices switching from a low bandwidth receiving mode to a high bandwidth receiving mode. In the low bandwidth receiving mode, the terminal device can use a smaller bandwidth to receive the PDCCH, thereby saving the receiver's power consumption, while in the high bandwidth receiving mode, the terminal device can use a larger bandwidth to receive PDSCH data.

[0146] Therefore, the network device sends the downlink control channel in the first frequency domain position, and then sends the physical downlink shared channel after a preset time. In this way, after the terminal device receives the downlink control channel, since the transmission of the physical downlink shared channel is delayed by the preset time, it does not need to immediately cache the data in the subsequent preset time (such as within L symbols), thereby avoiding unnecessary caching operations and reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0147] Method 500 has been introduced above. Next, we will introduce another communication method, 800, which can also reduce the power consumption of terminal devices. Before introducing method 800, we will briefly explain the execution subject of method 800. The terminal device (or network device) involved in method 800 can be a chip, chip system, or processor applied in the terminal device (or network device), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device (or network device). For example, the network device can be... Figure 2 RAN node 110 in the middle; the terminal device can be Figure 2 Terminal 120 in the middle.

[0148] The following embodiments describe the communication method 800 using a terminal device (such as a UE) and a network device (such as a base station) as examples. The method 800 includes the following steps:

[0149] Step 801: The terminal device detects the first downlink control channel during multiple listening opportunities within a preset time period, including at least two listening opportunities for transmitting the downlink control channel.

[0150] The preset time period can be at least one time slot, multiple symbols (such as 14 symbols), or other forms of duration representation, which is not limited in this application; the listening timing can also be described as one of the following: detection timing, detection moment, or listening moment; in some embodiments, the listening timing can occupy one symbol in a time slot or multiple symbols, which is not limited in this application.

[0151] A preset time period can refer to the time period during which the network device configures or instructs the terminal device to detect the downlink control channel. Within this preset time period, there are multiple (i.e., at least two) listening opportunities (or multiple detection opportunities), and each listening opportunity may contain a downlink control channel (such as PDCCH). Furthermore, the number and location of multiple listening opportunities are usually informed to the terminal device by the network device through signaling. Generally, the terminal device can obtain the number of listening opportunities within the preset time period through the search space set configured by the network device. The search space set defines the time position where the listening opportunities occur periodically. The listening opportunities located within the preset time period are the listening opportunities during which the terminal device needs to detect the PDCCH within the preset time period. Within the preset time period, the terminal device will attempt to detect the downlink control channel within multiple listening opportunities to ensure that the terminal device can receive DCI (such as scheduling information, power control commands, etc.) at the correct time.

[0152] Step 802: When the first downlink control channel is detected during the target listening time, the terminal device stops detecting the downlink control channel during the remaining listening time of the preset period.

[0153] The target listening opportunity is one of multiple listening opportunities. Under normal circumstances, network devices will not schedule terminal devices to receive downlink data multiple times within a preset time period (such as a single time slot). Therefore, if the terminal device detects the downlink control channel at a certain listening opportunity within the preset time period, the terminal device can stop detecting the downlink control channel at other listening opportunities within the preset time period. That is, the terminal device does not need to detect the search space set of other listening opportunities besides the target listening opportunity, thereby reducing the number of times the terminal device blindly detects the downlink control channel and saving its own power consumption.

[0154] For example, such as Figure 9As shown, there may be multiple listening opportunities within time slot 1. If the terminal device detects PDCCH from the four listening opportunities of symbol 0, symbol 3, symbol 6, and symbol 10 in time slot 1, and if the terminal device detects PDCCH on symbol 3, and that PDCCH schedules symbols 4 and 5 for sending PDSCH, then the terminal device stops detecting PDCCH from other listening opportunities in time slot 1, in order to reduce the number of blind PDCCH detections and save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0155] In another implementation, the preset time period starts counting from the symbol where the terminal device detects the PDCCH. For example, the length of the preset time period is 1 time slot (or 14 symbols). If the terminal device detects the PDCCH on symbol 3 of time slot 1, and the PDCCH schedules symbols 4 and 5 to send the PDSCH, then the terminal device stops detecting the PDCCH during the remaining listening opportunities in time slot 1, and also stops detecting the PDCCH on symbols 0 to 2 of time slot 2, so as to reduce the number of blind PDCCH detections and save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0156] Therefore, when the terminal device detects the first downlink control channel during multiple listening opportunities, if the first downlink control channel is successfully detected within a preset time period, the detection of the downlink control channel will stop in the remaining frequency domain position of the preset time period. This method of reducing unnecessary downlink control channel detection within the preset time period not only helps to reduce data transmission latency but also reduces the power consumption of the terminal.

[0157] Methods 500 and 800 have been introduced above. Below, we introduce another communication method, 1000, which also reduces the power consumption of terminal devices. Before introducing method 1000, we will briefly explain the execution entity of method 1000. The terminal device (or network device) involved in method 1000 can be a chip, chip system, or processor applied in the terminal device (or network device), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device (or network device). For example, the network device could be... Figure 2 RAN node 110 in the middle; the terminal device can be Figure 2 Terminal 120 in the middle.

[0158] The following embodiments describe the communication method 1000 using a terminal device (such as a UE) and a network device (such as a base station) as the executing entities. The method 1000 includes the following steps:

[0159] Step 1001: The terminal device detects the first downlink control channel at the first moment and determines the first aggregation level. The first aggregation level is the aggregation level used by the first downlink control channel.

[0160] The first moment can be understood as the moment when the terminal device first detects the first downlink control channel within a certain period of time.

[0161] The aforementioned first downlink control channel (second downlink control channel) may be a first PDCCH (or a second PDCCH), or other forms of downlink control channel, and this application does not limit this.

[0162] During the reception of downlink control channels (such as PDCCH), network devices can use different aggregation levels to transmit downlink control channels based on factors such as the current channel environment. The higher the aggregation level, the more resources (such as the number of REs) are used to ensure higher coding gain and more reliable transmission. Conversely, the lower the aggregation level, the fewer resources (such as the number of REs) are used, resulting in higher transmission efficiency and less resource consumption.

[0163] On the terminal side, in some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the aggregation level (such as the first aggregation level) used by the first downlink control channel by blindly detecting multiple aggregation levels at the first moment.

[0164] Step 1002: The terminal device detects the second downlink control channel according to the first aggregation level at a second time. The second time is later than the first time, and the interval between the second time and the first time is less than or equal to the first time interval.

[0165] The second moment can be understood as the moment when the terminal device detects the second downlink control channel for the second time within a certain period of time.

[0166] In some scenarios, since the channel conditions for network devices and terminal devices generally do not change within a short period (such as within the same time slot or multiple consecutive time slots), the aggregation level of the PDCCH can usually remain unchanged. Therefore, once the terminal device determines the aggregation level (e.g., the first aggregation level) used for the first downlink control channel at the first moment, it can directly detect the second downlink control channel based on the first aggregation level at the second moment, without needing to perform blind detection again across all aggregation levels. This not only improves detection efficiency but also reduces the power consumption of the terminal device. From the perspective of the network device, when the channel quality is relatively stable, using the same aggregation level as before to send the downlink control channel helps the terminal device to quickly and accurately detect the downlink control channel, thereby responding to the network device's control commands more quickly and improving the overall response speed of the communication system.

[0167] In some embodiments, step 1002 can also be implemented by steps 021 and 022;

[0168] Step 021: The terminal device determines at least one aggregation level from multiple aggregation levels based on the first aggregation level, wherein the number of at least one aggregation level is less than the number of multiple aggregation levels, and the at least one aggregation level includes the first aggregation level;

[0169] Among them, the multiple aggregation levels include, but are not limited to, aggregation level 1, aggregation level 2, aggregation level 4, aggregation level 8 and aggregation level 16; at least one aggregation level is a subset of the multiple aggregation levels, such as at least one aggregation level can be aggregation level 4 and aggregation level 8.

[0170] It should be noted that when determining at least one aggregation level, the terminal device needs to select from multiple aggregation levels based on the first aggregation level; typically, the at least one aggregation level includes the first aggregation level; for example, the multiple aggregation levels include aggregation level 1, aggregation level 2, aggregation level 4, aggregation level 8, and aggregation level 16; the first aggregation level is aggregation level 4; the terminal device can determine that at least one aggregation level can be aggregation level 4 and aggregation level 8, or at least one aggregation level can be aggregation level 2, aggregation level 4, and aggregation level 8, or at least one aggregation level can be aggregation level 2 and aggregation level 4.

[0171] For example, the terminal device determines the first aggregation level of the first downlink control channel as aggregation level 8 at the first moment; the terminal device can determine at least one aggregation level that may be used to detect the second downlink control channel at the second moment, including aggregation level 4, aggregation level 8 and aggregation level 16, based on aggregation level 8; in other words, considering that the channel quality is relatively stable, the network device can use the same or similar aggregation level as before (such as floating up or down by N levels based on the previous aggregation level, where N is a positive integer), that is, after the terminal device determines the first aggregation level at the first moment, when detecting the second downlink control channel at the second moment, it can use at least one aggregation level including the first aggregation level to detect the PDCCH.

[0172] Step 022: At the second moment, the terminal device detects the second downlink control channel according to at least one aggregation level.

[0173] As described in step 021, when the channel quality is relatively stable, the network device can use the same or similar aggregation level as the previous one (e.g., fluctuating up or down by N levels based on the previous aggregation level, where N is a positive integer). That is, after the terminal device determines the first aggregation level at the first moment, when detecting the second downlink control channel at the second moment, it can use at least one aggregation level including the first aggregation level to detect the PDCCH.

[0174] For example, such as Figure 11As shown, PDCCHs exist on symbols 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 within time slot X. If the terminal device detects the aggregation level of the first PDCCH as AL 8 at the first time (e.g., symbol 0), then it can also use AL8 to detect the second PDCCH at the second time (e.g., symbol 3), or it can use AL8 and nearby ALs (e.g., AL 4 and AL 16). For example, if the terminal device detects the aggregation level of the first PDCCH as AL 8 at the first time (e.g., symbol 0), then it can use AL 8 and AL 16 to detect the second PDCCH at the second time (e.g., symbol 6).

[0175] Therefore, in certain scenarios (such as those with relatively stable channel quality), when network devices repeatedly schedule downlink control channels within a short period, the aggregation level of the downlink control channels is typically adjusted flexibly within a small range. By limiting the fluctuation range of the downlink control channel aggregation level, terminal devices can focus on this aggregation level range when detecting downlink control channels, without needing to detect all possible aggregation levels. This detection method not only reduces the number of blind detections by the terminal device but also improves detection efficiency and reduces the terminal's power consumption. For example, if the terminal device detects the aggregation level of the downlink control channel for the first time (e.g., the terminal device detects the first downlink control channel at the first moment) as the first aggregation level, then considering the stability of channel quality in a short period, the terminal can perform subsequent detections (e.g., the detection of the second downlink control channel at the second moment) within a finite set consisting of the first aggregation level and its neighboring aggregation levels, without needing to detect all possible aggregation levels.

[0176] The foregoing has detailed the method examples provided by the embodiments of this application. It is understood that the corresponding apparatus, in order to achieve the above functions, includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0177] like Figure 12As shown, this application provides a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 1200. In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 can be a network device (or terminal device), or it can be executed by a module (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system) applied to a network device (or terminal device), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device (or terminal device).

[0178] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 can be a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip system can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. When the communication device 1200 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or logic circuit integrated on the chip. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit used to implement the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, which corresponds to the chip's input circuit; the device in the transceiver unit used to implement the transmitting function can be regarded as a transmitting unit, which corresponds to the chip's output circuit, i.e., the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 may include a processor 1210 and an interface circuit 1220. The processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 communicate with each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, wherein the transceiver includes a transmitter and / or a receiver, the transmitter being used to implement a transmitting function, and the receiver being used to implement a receiving function.

[0180] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a memory 1230, wherein the memory 1230 communicates with the processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 through an internal connection path. The memory 1230 is used to store computer programs and instructions, and the processor 1210 can execute the computer programs and instructions stored in the memory 1230.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1200 is used to implement the various processes and operations corresponding to the network device (or terminal device) in the above method.

[0182] It should be understood that the communication device 1200 can be specifically a network device (or terminal device) in the above method, or it can be a chip or chip system. Correspondingly, the interface circuit 1220 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be used to execute various operations and / or processes corresponding to the network device (or terminal device) in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1230 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1210 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1210 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1210 is used to execute various operations and / or processes corresponding to the network device (or terminal device) in the above method.

[0183] In implementation, each operation of the above method can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions. The operation of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules within 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; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the operations of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0184] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, the operations of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, operations, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The operation of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware decoding processor, or execution by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located 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; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the operations of the above methods.

[0185] 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.

[0186] 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 perform various operations or processes performed by the network device (or terminal device) in the above method.

[0187] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform various operations or processes performed by the network device (or terminal device) in the above method.

[0188] According to the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes one or more network devices in the foregoing methods, and / or one or more terminal devices in the foregoing methods.

[0189] The various device embodiments and method embodiments described above correspond completely, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding operations. For example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the receiving or sending operations in the method embodiment, while other operations besides sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The function of a specific unit can be based on the corresponding method embodiment. There can be one or more processors.

[0190] 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.

[0191] It should be understood that in this article, "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0192] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and operations described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0193] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0194] 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.

[0195] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0196] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0197] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk, SSD, etc.).

[0198] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the contributing part, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the operations of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0199] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information, the first information being used to determine multiple frequency domain locations, the multiple frequency domain locations including the first frequency domain location; The downlink control channel is detected in the first frequency domain location.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the number of the plurality of frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain position among the plurality of frequency domain positions, or the first information includes the start position and end position of each frequency domain position among the plurality of frequency domain positions.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The multiple frequency domain positions are discontinuously distributed in the frequency domain.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The multiple frequency domain positions are continuously distributed in the frequency domain.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The downlink control channel is received at the first frequency domain location; The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is received according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel. The time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel is greater than or equal to a preset time, where the preset time is a positive integer.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Determine first information, which is used to configure multiple frequency domain positions, including the first frequency domain position, which is used to transmit downlink control channels; Send the first message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first information includes the number of the plurality of frequency domain locations and the bandwidth length of each frequency domain location.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first information includes the start position and bandwidth length of each frequency domain position among the plurality of frequency domain positions, or the first information includes the start position and end position of each frequency domain position among the plurality of frequency domain positions.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The multiple frequency domain positions are discontinuously distributed in the frequency domain.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The multiple frequency domain positions are continuously distributed in the frequency domain.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The downlink control channel is transmitted at the first frequency domain position; The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is transmitted according to the scheduling of the downlink control channel. The time interval between the PDSCH and the downlink control channel is greater than or equal to a preset time, where the preset time is a positive integer.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first downlink control channel is detected at multiple listening opportunities within a preset time period, wherein the multiple listening opportunities include at least two listening opportunities for transmitting the downlink control channel; When the first downlink control channel is detected at the target listening time, the detection of the downlink control channel is stopped during the remaining listening time of the preset period.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first downlink control channel is detected at the first moment, and the first aggregation level is determined. The first aggregation level is the aggregation level used by the first downlink control channel. The second downlink control channel is detected at a second time point according to the first aggregation level. The second time point is later than the first time point, and the interval between the second time point and the first time point is less than or equal to the first time interval.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The detection of the second downlink control channel based on the first aggregation level at the second time includes: At least one aggregation level is determined from the plurality of aggregation levels based on the first aggregation level, wherein the number of the at least one aggregation level is less than the number of the plurality of aggregation levels, and the at least one aggregation level includes the first aggregation level; At the second moment, the second downlink control channel is detected according to the at least one aggregation level.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: at least one processor; The at least one processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions in memory, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12, or cause the communication device to implement the method as described in claim 13, or cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 7 to 12, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of claim 13, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 15.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 7 to 12, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of claim 13, or causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 15.

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