Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, the method comprising: a network device sending first indication information through common control information, the first indication information being used for indicating a first resource set; and the terminal equipment sends or receives the first control information in the first resource set. According to the method, aiming at the control information, the network equipment can configure the resource for receiving the control information, so that the network resource can be flexibly adjusted according to the network load, and the aim of reducing the network overhead or reducing the power consumption of the network equipment or the terminal equipment is fulfilled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Network energy conservation is a common network requirement. A common energy-saving method is to reduce signal transmission and reception. However, some specific signals in a network require multiple beams for repeated transmission to achieve signal coverage across the entire cell. These specific signals include public signals broadcast within the cell. Consequently, the receiving end needs to monitor these signals for extended periods to avoid missing them and disrupting normal service operations, which is detrimental to network energy conservation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that helps to save network energy.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal-side device (also known as a terminal device). For example, the terminal device can be a terminal equipment or a module or unit for performing some functions of the terminal equipment, such as circuits or chip / chip system (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip) or other functional modules in the terminal equipment. Alternatively, the terminal device can be a logical node, logical module, or software module that implements all or part of the functions of the terminal equipment. For ease of description, the following example uses the application of this method to a terminal equipment.

[0006] The communication method includes: a terminal device receiving first indication information through public control information, and sending or receiving first control information within a first resource set. The first indication information is used to indicate the first resource set.

[0007] Secondly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a network-side device (also known as a network device). For example, the network device can be a network equipment, a component within the network equipment (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a module or unit used to perform some or all of the functions of the network equipment, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Alternatively, the network device can be a logical node, logical module, or software module that implements all or part of the functions of the network equipment. For ease of description, the following example illustrates the application of this method to a network device.

[0008] The communication method includes: a network device sending first indication information through public control information, and sending or receiving first control information within a first resource set. The first indication information is used to indicate the first resource set.

[0009] In the solutions provided in the first or second aspect, the first control information includes information that needs to be sent multiple times by the network device or information that needs to be listened to by the terminal device for a long time. For example, the first control information includes system information, paging information, etc. The network device can dynamically and flexibly configure the resource set (i.e., the first resource set) for receiving the first control information. Correspondingly, the terminal device sends or receives the first control information according to the configuration of the network device. In this way, the network device can flexibly adjust network resources according to network load, thereby reducing network overhead. In addition, the flexible configuration of the first resource set by the network device can also reduce the latency or number of times the terminal device detects the first control information, which is beneficial to energy saving of the terminal device. For example, if the first control information is a paging message, the network device can configure the first resource set for receiving paging messages, so that the terminal device does not need to determine the resources for paging messages based on listening to paging control information, thus saving energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0010] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the common control channel includes one or more of the following: a broadcast channel, a wake-up channel, a system information change indication channel, or a paging advance indication channel.

[0011] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0012] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set; or, the first resource set is one of a plurality of candidate resource sets.

[0013] The first resource set can be a subset of a candidate resource set, or it can be one of multiple candidate resource sets. The first candidate resource set can be (pre)configured or predefined, as can the multiple candidate resource sets. Optionally, the first candidate resource set or the multiple candidate resource sets are (pre)configured using system information.

[0014] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the first candidate resource set includes a first resource subset and a second resource subset, wherein the transmission period of resources in the first resource subset is different from that of resources in the second resource subset.

[0015] Different resource subsets have different transmission cycles. Network devices can select the first resource set with an appropriate transmission cycle based on network energy-saving requirements to further save network energy consumption. For example, if the network energy-saving requirement is large, the network device can configure the first resource set with a longer transmission cycle to reduce the number of times the first control information is sent, which can further save network energy consumption.

[0016] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set, wherein the transmission period of the resources in the second candidate resource set is different from that of the resources in the third candidate resource set.

[0017] The transmission cycles of resources in different candidate resource sets are different. Network devices can select the first resource set with a suitable transmission cycle according to the network energy saving requirements, so as to further save network energy consumption.

[0018] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the first control information includes random access information, and the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set. The random access resources in the second candidate resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, and the random access resources in the third candidate resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam. The first and second association relationships are configured independently.

[0019] For any candidate resource set, the association between random access resources and the common beam can be configured independently. Regardless of which candidate resource set the first resource set indicated by the first indication information is, the association between random access resources and the common beam in the first resource set can be consistent, so that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the association and reduce the erroneous reception of random access information.

[0020] In one implementation of the first or second aspect, the first indication information is modulated based on on-offkeying (OOK) modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation. This scheme is applicable to terminal devices that support low-power characteristics and has a wider range of uses.

[0021] In one implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a first wake-up signal based on the beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal. Correspondingly, in one implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device receiving the first wake-up signal. Wherein, the network device sending first control information within the first resource set includes: the network device sending the first control information based on the beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

[0022] The terminal device can instruct the network device to use the beam to send the first control information by sending a first wake-up signal. This scheme eliminates the need for the network device to send the first control information across multiple beams, thus improving energy efficiency.

[0023] Thirdly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to a terminal-side device. For details regarding this terminal-side device, please refer to the introduction in the first aspect. For ease of description, the following example uses the method applied to a terminal device.

[0024] The communication method includes: a terminal device receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first resource set; when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fourth candidate resource set, the terminal device sending or receiving first control information within the fourth candidate resource set; and / or, when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fifth candidate resource set or is not a fourth candidate resource set, the terminal device sending or receiving first control information within the first resource set. Wherein, the first resource set belongs to the fifth candidate resource set.

[0025] Fourthly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to network-side devices. For details on network-side devices, please refer to the description in the second aspect. For ease of description, the following example uses the application of this method to a network device.

[0026] The communication method includes: a network device sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first resource set; when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fourth candidate resource set, the network device sending or receiving first control information within the fourth candidate resource set; and / or, when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fifth candidate resource set or is not a fourth candidate resource set, the network device sending or receiving first control information within the first resource set. Wherein, the first resource set belongs to the fifth candidate resource set.

[0027] In the solutions provided in the third and fourth aspects, the fourth candidate resource set and the fifth candidate resource set can be regarded as two types / two kinds of resource sets. For a terminal device, if the resource set to be used by the terminal device is the fourth candidate resource set, then the resource set actually used for sending and receiving the first control information is the fourth candidate resource set by default, ignoring the first resource set indicated by the first indication information. If the resource set to be used by the terminal device is not the fourth candidate resource set, or if the resource set to be used by the terminal device belongs to the fifth candidate resource set, then the resource set actually used for sending and receiving the first control information is the first resource set indicated by the first indication information. In other words, the first indication information indicates the first resource set currently needed in the fifth candidate resource set. By setting the fourth candidate resource set and at least one fifth candidate resource set, the embodiments of this application can ensure that when some terminal devices use the fourth candidate resource set, they will not be unable to determine the actual resource set or determine the wrong resource set due to the misdetection or omission of the first indication information. For example, if the actual resource set to be used by a certain terminal device is the fourth candidate resource set, then for that terminal device, it is not necessary to determine the actual resource set to be used based on the first indication information.

[0028] In a third possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device determining the set of resources to be used by the terminal device based on the identifier of the terminal device.

[0029] In one implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0030] In one implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first control information includes random access information, the random access resources in the first resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, the random access resources in the second resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam, and the first association relationship and the second association relationship are configured independently.

[0031] In one implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first indication information is modulated based on OOK modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation.

[0032] In one implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a first wake-up signal based on the beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal.

[0033] In one implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: a network device receiving a first wake-up signal. The network device sending first control information within a first resource set includes: the network device sending the first control information based on a beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

[0034] The beneficial effects of the third or fourth aspect and its various implementations can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the first or second aspect and its various implementations mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0035] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the functionality to implement the behaviors described in any of the method examples of the first to fourth aspects. The beneficial effects can be found in the relevant descriptions of the first to fourth aspects and will not be repeated here. For example, the communication device may be a terminal device as described in the first or third aspect, or it may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions required by the methods provided in the first or third aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the terminal device. As another example, the communication device may be a network device as described in the second or fourth aspect, or it may be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing the functions required by the methods provided in the second or fourth aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the network device.

[0036] In one possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0037] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means, modules, or units for performing the methods of any of the first to fourth aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module or transceiver). The transceiver unit is capable of both transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting unit (sometimes also called a transmitting module), and when it performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional unit, referred to as the transceiver unit, which performs both transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional units, with "transceiver unit" being a general term for these functional units. These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method examples of any of the first to fourth aspects described above, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0038] For example, the communication device is used to implement the corresponding function in the method example of the first aspect. Accordingly, the processing module can be used to determine the first resource set. The transceiver module can be used to receive first indication information through common control information, and to send or receive first control information within the first resource set, the first indication information being used to indicate the first resource set.

[0039] For example, the communication device is used to implement the corresponding function in the method example of the second aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver module is used to send first indication information via common control information, and to send or receive first control information within the first resource set. The first indication information is used to indicate the first resource set. The processing module is used to determine the first resource set.

[0040] For example, the communication device is used to implement the corresponding function in the method example of the third aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver module is used to receive first indication information, which indicates a first resource set. The processing module is used to determine the resource set to be used by the terminal device. The transceiver module is also used to send or receive first control information within the second resource set when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a second resource set; or, when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a first candidate resource set or is not the second resource set, to send or receive first control information within the first resource set.

[0041] For example, the communication device is used to implement the corresponding function in the method example of the fourth aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver module is used to send first indication information, which indicates a first resource set. The processing module is used to determine the resource set to be used by the terminal device. The transceiver module is also used to send or receive first control information within the second resource set when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a second resource set; or, when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a first candidate resource set or is not the second resource set, to send or receive first control information within the first resource set.

[0042] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor configured to execute methods from any of the first to fourth aspects and any implementation thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory for storing computer programs (also referred to as code or instructions), data, etc. The processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program, data, etc., from the memory, methods from any of the first to fourth aspects and any implementation thereof are executed.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including an input / output interface and logic circuitry. The input / output interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information. The input / output interface may be an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuitry, etc. The logic circuitry is used to execute the methods described in any of the first to fourth aspects.

[0044] In the sixth and seventh aspects, the communication device may be a terminal device as described in the first or third aspect. Alternatively, the communication device may be a means capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions required by the methods provided in the first or third aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system within the terminal device. Alternatively, the communication device may be a network device as described in the second or fourth aspect. Alternatively, the communication device may be a means capable of supporting the network device in implementing the functions required by the methods provided in the second or fourth aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system within the network device. The chip may be a baseband chip and / or a radio frequency chip, and the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0045] In one implementation of the seventh aspect, when the communication device is a terminal device, the interface circuit can be a radio frequency processing chip in the terminal device, and the processing circuit can be a baseband processing chip in the terminal device. When the communication device is a network device, the interface circuit can be a radio frequency processing chip in the network device, and the processing circuit can be a baseband processing chip in the network device.

[0046] In one implementation of the seventh aspect, when the communication device is a chip or chip system, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the logic circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, or various other logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver; the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the input / output interface and the logic circuit.

[0047] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device is used to implement the function of the method described in the first aspect, and the network device is used to implement the function of the method described in the second aspect; or, the terminal device is used to implement the function of the method described in the third aspect, and the network device is used to implement the function of the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0048] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the methods described in any of the first to fourth aspects and any of their implementations to be implemented.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods described in any of the first to fourth aspects and any of their implementations to be implemented.

[0050] The beneficial effects of the fifth to tenth aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can be referenced to the beneficial effects of the first to fourth aspects and any one of their implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the system information change cycle;

[0053] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the advance paging instruction mechanism;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the system information change process;

[0055] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figures 6A-6B A schematic diagram of the first resource set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the beam used by the network device to transmit first control information according to an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the first resource set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating the communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 11 This is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems / New Radio (NR) communication systems, or future mobile communication systems, or other similar communication systems. Other similar communication systems may include Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and so on.

[0063] Please see Figure 1 This illustration shows a communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. The communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system may further include an Internet 300. Figure 1 (Using this as an example).

[0064] The wireless access network 100 may include at least one network device and at least one terminal device. For example, the wireless access network 100 includes two network devices, 110a and 110b, and terminal devices, such as 120a to 120j. Figure 1 The network architecture shown is merely illustrative; the number of terminal devices and / or network devices may be fewer or more. The communication system described in the embodiments of this application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiments of this application apply. For example, the communication system may also include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, etc. Figure 1 Not shown in the diagram. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems. When applying the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc., in the embodiments can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems, without limitation.

[0065] In this embodiment, network equipment refers to (radio)access network ((R)AN) equipment / RAN node. In this embodiment, (R)AN and RAN are interchangeable; for ease of description, RAN is used as an example below. RAN can be a cellular system related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as a 5G / NR mobile communication system or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), a virtualized RAN (vRAN), a non-terrestrial network (NTN), etc. RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN equipment can also be called a RAN node, RAN entity, or access node, etc.

[0066] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor / host nodes, or radio controllers. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, the RAN node can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0067] In another possible scenario, the RAN node can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of the base station; or multiple RAN nodes can cooperate to assist terminal equipment in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes performing some of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, DU, or RU. The function of the CU can be implemented by a single entity or by different entities. For example, the function of the CU can be further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane can be separated and implemented by different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-control plane (CP) entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-user plane (UP) entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the function of the RAN node. The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). Any of the units among the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0068] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples.

[0069] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications or the technical specifications of other applicable communication protocols.

[0070] The above division of the processing functions of CU and DU according to protocol layers is merely an example; other division methods are also possible, and this application does not limit this. For example, in one design, CU or DU can be further divided into processing functions with protocol layers. In one design, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are located in the CU, while the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are located in the DU.

[0071] In another possible design, the DU and RU collaborate to implement the PHY layer functionality, or, more specifically, a portion of the PHY layer functionality of the DU can be moved to the RU. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Alternatively, the DU may be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU may be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the MAC layer, and lower-level functions may include another portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the mid-RF side. This application does not limit the specific functions of the DU and RU. The interface between the DU and RU can be called a fronthaul interface. In one design, the CU may not have a PDCP layer; for example, the CU may only include an RRC layer. The CU-CP may not have PDCP-C. The CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have a CU-UP. In one design, the DU may not have an RLC layer; for example, the DU may only have a MAC and a higher PHY layer.

[0072] When the RAN is O-RAN, it can also have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For example, O-RAN includes an intelligent controller. The intelligent controller can be a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / non-RT RIC / NRTRIC) or a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / nRT RIC / nRT RIC). A non-real-time RIC can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, enabling workflows including model training and updates, and guiding applications / functions in the nRT RIC based on policies. A near-real-time RIC can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved.

[0073] In this application embodiment, anything capable of data communication with a base station can be considered a terminal device. Terminal devices are also called terminals, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, or mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios. For example, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, computers, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, stations (STA), robotic arms, cameras, robots, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, or smart home devices (such as televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, set-top boxes), relays, customer premises equipment (CPE), etc.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system, such as a water meter or electricity meter. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that enables human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0075] When the terminal device is applied to V2X, it can also be called a V2X device, such as a smart car, an unmanned car, a driverless car, a pilotless car, or an automobile, or a roadside unit (RSU). All the terminal devices described above, if located on a vehicle (e.g., placed / installed inside the vehicle), can be considered in-vehicle terminal devices. In-vehicle terminal devices can be built into a vehicle's on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit. In-vehicle terminal devices can be vehicle equipment, on-board modules, vehicles, on-board units (OBU), RSUs, in-vehicle infotainment systems (or on-board transmitting units) (telematics boxes, T-boxes), chips, or SoCs, etc., and the aforementioned chips or SoCs can be installed in the vehicle, OBU, RSU, or T-box.

[0076] The communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application has been described above. To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application, the relevant technical features involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained below.

[0077] (1) Initial Residential and Random Access Procedures

[0078] Terminal devices can achieve time and frequency synchronization with network devices by detecting synchronization signals. These synchronization signals include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). The PSS / SSS has a resource mapping relationship with the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), therefore, the terminal device can receive the PBCH based on the detected synchronization signal. The PBCH includes the MIB, which includes the system radio frame number, the initial control resource set zero (CORESET) #0 of the common PDCCH, and the search space (SS) #0. CORESET #0 and SS #0 indicate the time-frequency resource locations of the downlink control information (DCI) scheduling SIB1, respectively. SIB1 is the necessary system information besides the MIB, also known as the remaining necessary system information. SIB1 carries information about the cell and scheduling information for other system information (SIB-x). SIB-x is non-essential or on-demand system information, generally including mobility management-related configurations, etc. Information related to the cell, such as whether terminal devices are allowed to access the cell, paging configuration, random access configuration, the actual number of SSB transmission beams and the period, etc.

[0079] The PSS / SSS and PBCH together are called the synchronization signal / PBCH block (SSB), or simply synchronization signal block. By detecting the SSB, the terminal device can determine CORESET#0 and SS#0. Based on CORESET#0 and SS#0, it can detect the common PDCCH or DCI that schedules SIB1, and thus acquire SIB1, completing idle-state camping. For example, the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the common PDCCH is generally scrambled using the system information radio network temporary identifier (SI-RNTI), indicating that the common PDCCH is a DCI carrying system information. The terminal device determines the DCI that schedules SIB1 through the RNTI, and then receives SIB1 based on that DCI, completing idle-state camping. After camping, the terminal device will initiate random access according to actual needs. For example, based on data transmission needs, it may initiate random access on the random access channel (RACH). For example, when a terminal device needs to transmit data, or when it receives a paging message from the network, the terminal device initiates random access to enter the RRC connection state for data transmission.

[0080] (2) Paging process

[0081] A paging message (also known as a paging signal) can be understood as a signal sent by a network device. A network device sends a paging message to a terminal device to notify it that there is a call or message that needs to be processed. The terminal device can periodically check for paging to determine if it has been called or has a message to process. For example, if a network device needs to send downlink data to a terminal device while it is in RRC idle or RRC inactive mode, the network device will send a paging message to the terminal device to page it. Upon receiving the paging message, the terminal device will initiate an RRC connection establishment process to receive downlink data.

[0082] Terminal devices only detect paging messages on their own paging occasion (PO). Specifically, the terminal device detects the paging DCI on its own PO. The paging DCI includes a system information change indication and PDSCH scheduling information carrying the paging message. The terminal device receives the paging message according to the indication of the paging DCI. If the paging message carries the terminal device's ID, it indicates that the terminal device has been paged; if the paging message does not carry the terminal device's ID, it indicates that the terminal device has not been paged, and the terminal device can continue to "sleep" until the next PO.

[0083] Network devices can send paging configuration information to terminal devices via SIB1. This paging configuration information may include configuration information for the paging period, paging frame (PF), and PO. The terminal device can determine the PO based on the terminal device's ID and the paging configuration information. Alternatively, it can be understood that the network device configures a resource set through the paging configuration information, which includes multiple POs. The terminal device determines its own PO within this resource set based on its own ID. For example, within a paging period, the terminal device can determine the system frame number (SFN) of the PF where the PO is located, and the index of the PO within the PF corresponding to that SFN, thereby determining the location of the PO. For example, the terminal device can determine the location of the PO according to the following formulas (1) and (2):

[0084] The SFN of PF satisfies: SFN mod T=(T / N)*(UE_ID mod N) (Formula 1)

[0085] The index i_s of the PO in this SFN satisfies: i_s = floor(UE_ID) mod N s (Formula 2)

[0086] In the formula above, SFN represents the system frame number of the paging frame, T is the paging period, and N represents the total number of PFs included in one paging period. s This represents the number of POs contained in a PF, mod indicates modulo operation, UE_ID represents the quantity obtained based on the terminal device ID, floor(x) indicates rounding down x, and * indicates multiplication. Where T, N, and N... s The UE_ID is configured by the network device, while the UE_ID is determined based on the terminal device's ID. For example, the UE_ID can be the last 10 bits of the terminal device's 5G-short-temporary mobile subscriber identity (5G-S-TMSI).

[0087] Paging DCIs can also include system information (SI) change indications, or they can also indicate SI changes. Terminal devices detect paging DCIs to determine if an SI change has occurred. Once a paging DCI indicates an SI change, the network will begin the SI change process at the start of the next SI change cycle. Accordingly, the terminal device needs to receive the updated SI in the next SI change cycle.

[0088] The network can be configured with an SI change cycle. Typically, the SI change cycle can be an integer multiple of the paging cycle, and the paging cycle is an integer multiple of the PF (Pager Function). A PF includes multiple POs (Positions of Interest), such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0089] (3) Paging early indication (PEI)

[0090] Since a single Pager (PO) may correspond to multiple terminal devices, under normal circumstances, whenever a terminal device on that PO is paged, all terminal devices under that PO will detect the paging DCI (Distributed Content Query), which will cause unnecessary power consumption for some terminal devices. Therefore, the PEI (Paging Execution Indicator) mechanism was introduced. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the PEI mechanism refers to the terminal device detecting the PEI before each PO. The PEI can be used to indicate whether the PO has a paging message in the next paging cycle. The PEI can be carried by the DCI on the PDCCH. If the PEI indicates that the PO has no paging message or has not received the PEI in the next paging cycle, the terminal device does not need to detect the paging DCI in the next paging cycle, thus saving energy for the terminal device. If the PEI indicates that the PO has a paging message in the next paging cycle, the terminal device will detect the paging DCI in the next paging cycle.

[0091] (4) The relationship between SSB and RACH occasion (RO)

[0092] To enable data transmission between terminal devices and network devices, the terminal device establishes a connection with the network device through a random access procedure. During the random access procedure, the terminal device can send a preamble to the network device to initiate the procedure.

[0093] In NR, multi-beam operation is introduced, and the random access procedure is transmitted based on beams. For example, NR systems support network devices transmitting SSBs on multiple beams. For instance, in FR1, a network device can support up to 8 SSBs, meaning it can send 8 SSBs to the terminal device. After receiving multiple SSBs from the network device, the terminal device can select one SSB and send a preamble based on that SSB or its index (referred to as the SSB index). For example, the terminal device can select one SSB and send a RACH based on the preamble corresponding to that SSB's index.

[0094] To enable network devices to determine which SSB (Secure Service Bus) to use for a PRACH transmission from an end device, a mapping relationship between SSBs and ROs (Reserves Areas) is defined. This mapping relationship is configured by the network device through higher-layer parameters. For example, higher-layer parameters might configure N SSBs to be mapped (or associated) to a single RO. For instance, when N is less than 1, one SSB maps to 1 / N ROs; when N is greater than 1, N SSBs map to one RO (or, one SSB maps to 1 / N ROs), with each SSB mapped to a different preamble resource pool on that RO. For example, when N = 1 / 2, one SSB maps to two ROs and the preambles on those two ROs; when N = 2, two SSBs map to one RO and the preambles on that RO. In other words, one SSB can map to one or more ROs, and multiple SSBs can also map to one RO, with different SSBs mapped to different preamble resource pools on that RO. For example, SSB1 and SSB12 are mapped to the same RO. SSB1 is mapped to preamble resource pool 1 of that RO, and SSB2 is mapped to preamble resource pool 2 of that RO. The SSBs are mapped to ROs in the following order: first, according to the increasing preamble index within a RO; second, according to the increasing frequency domain resource index of at least one RO multiplexed in the frequency domain; third, according to the increasing time domain resource index of at least one RO multiplexed in the time division multiplexing within a PRACH slot; and finally, according to the increasing PRACH slot index. It can be seen that different SSBs are mapped to different ROs and preamble combinations. Even if multiple SSBs are mapped to the same RO, these multiple SSBs are also mapped to different preamble resource pools of that RO.

[0095] (5) Wake up radio (WUR)

[0096] Wake-up radio can be understood as a function that reduces the power consumption of terminal devices. For terminal devices, wake-up radio refers to introducing a low-power (LP) interface on top of the traditional main radio (MR) module / circuit. This LP interface is implemented through a simple circuit or chip with low power consumption. The specific form of the LP interface is not limited in this application. For example, the LP interface can be implemented through a wake-up receiver (WUR), a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR), a low-power radio (LR), a wake-up module, or a wake-up circuit. In this document, WUR can refer to a wake-up radio or a wake-up receiver. WUR in this document is interchangeable with LP-WUR, LR, wake-up module, or wake-up circuit.

[0097] The MR (Mobile Receiver) is primarily used for sending and / or receiving data / signaling. If there is no need for sending and / or receiving data / signaling, the MR can be turned off or placed in a sleep state or sleep mode. The WUR (Wake-up Receiver) can be used to wake up a sleep MR, for example, when there is a need for sending and / or receiving data / signaling, the WUR will wake up the MR. This design reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0098] The signal received via WUR can be called a low-power signal, wake-up signal (WUS), or low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS). When the terminal device detects / receives WUS or LP-WUS, it can wake up the MR that is in a dormant state.

[0099] (6) Modulation method

[0100] This application relates to switch-type modulation methods and sequence modulation methods. Therefore, the following describes the switch-type modulation methods and sequence modulation methods respectively. Both of these modulation methods can be used in the above WUR.

[0101] Typical switching modulation methods include OOK modulation and frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation. OOK modulation uses the presence or absence of a signal to represent digital information. The bit information corresponding to the signal is mapped to at least one time unit through OOK modulation, with one time unit corresponding to one bit of information. The bit information of the signal is determined by detecting whether there is a signal in the time unit. A signal in a time unit means that the signal amplitude in the time unit is not zero; this time unit is also called an ON time unit, or the time unit is in ON mode. Conversely, a signal in a time unit means that the signal amplitude in the time unit is zero; this time unit is also called an OFF time unit, or the time unit is in OFF mode. Generally, if a sequence is transmitted in a time unit, then there is a signal in that time unit; if no sequence is transmitted in a time unit, then there is no signal in that time unit. For a time unit, being an ON time unit or in ON mode can be decoded as 1; being an OFF time unit or in OFF mode can be decoded as 0. Accordingly, when the receiver detects a sequence in a certain time unit, it can decode it as 1, and when it does not detect a sequence in a certain time unit, it can decode it as 0.

[0102] FSK performs energy detection on two separate frequency resources, and otherwise it is similar to OOK in essence.

[0103] Sequence modulation refers to a method where the bit information corresponding to a signal is carried through one or more sequences. The bit information corresponding to a resource can be determined by detecting the sequences on that resource. For example, for N time-frequency resources, each resource can be transmitted using M sequences, meaning the N time-frequency resources can carry a maximum of N*log₂M bits. The terminal device determines the bit information corresponding to each time-frequency resource by blindly detecting each candidate sequence on that resource. This blind detection of candidate sequences by the terminal device is based on correlation processing operations, which is simpler than other receivers that rely on complex channel estimation and encoding / decoding operations to detect raw bit information.

[0104] (7) Public Signals

[0105] Public signals, also known as normally open signals, generally refer to signals transmitted by network devices via broadcast or multicast, or signals that can be received by multiple terminal devices. In this application embodiment, public signals can also be referred to as public information or public control information. Several common public signals / public information are listed below.

[0106] (7-1) Synchronization signals and system information

[0107] Network devices need to send synchronization signals to terminal devices so that the terminal devices can access a specific cell. Network devices also send system information to terminal devices so that the terminal devices can function properly within the accessed cell. Network devices send synchronization signals or system information via broadcast. Optionally, the synchronization signal includes an SSB (Service Level Signal).

[0108] (7-2) Paging Information

[0109] Paging information includes paging messages, paging DCI, or PEI, etc. For terminal devices in idle or inactive states, network devices can send a paging message when a downlink service arrives. Alternatively, network devices can also send a paging message to terminal devices when there are system message changes or when public warning messages such as earthquake and tsunami warnings need to be sent. Paging can be carried through paging messages and / or short messages. The content of the paging message is sent to the terminal device via the physical downlink shraed channel (PDSCH), which is scheduled via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled with the paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). Short messages are carried via the PDCCH scrambled with the P-RNTI.

[0110] (7-3) Wake-up signal and reference signal

[0111] Wake-up signals, such as signals received via WUR. Reference signals include sounding reference signals (SRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), or other uplink or downlink reference signals. Any reference signal transmitted by network devices via broadcast or multicast can be considered a common signal.

[0112] (7-4) Common Control Channel

[0113] Common control channels include, for example, broadcast channels, wake-up channels, system information change indication channels, or paging advance indication channels.

[0114] (7-5) Random Access Message

[0115] For terminal devices in idle or inactive states, when an uplink service arrives, the terminal device needs to execute a random access procedure to enter the connected state before it can transmit data. During the random access process, the network device can send Msg2 to the terminal device, which may carry a random access response (RAR) message. Multiple terminal devices may simultaneously use the same preamble to perform random access. In this case, the network device cannot distinguish between the multiple terminal devices, and the Msg2 sent by the network device may be received by multiple terminal devices. In this sense, Msg2 can also be considered a common signal.

[0116] The above only illustrates various common signals, namely the signals mentioned in (7-1) to (7-5) above. This application embodiment does not limit the number or type of common signals; any signal that can be received by multiple terminal devices or transmitted by network devices via broadcast or multicast is collectively referred to as a common signal in this application embodiment.

[0117] Common signals are scheduled via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Before sending common signals to terminal devices, network devices first send a PDCCH to the terminal devices. This PDCCH can carry the Direct Current Interface (DCI) used to schedule common signals. This DCI of the common signal is also a type of common signal.

[0118] (8) Beam

[0119] A beam is a communication resource, typically represented by a resource index in protocols. For example, an SSB beam can be represented based on an SSB index. The technique for forming a beam is called beamforming. Beamforming refers to adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of a signal so that the radiated signal transmitted through an antenna array has a certain directionality. In beamforming, the signal is filtered by a spatial domain transmission filter to achieve amplitude and / or phase adjustment. Different spatial domain transmission filters using different spatial filtering parameters can achieve beams in different directions. Spatial domain transmission filters can also be called spatial filters. From this perspective, a beam can be understood as a spatial filter or spatial parameters. The beam used to transmit signals can be called a transmission beam (Tx beam), a spatial domain transmit filter, or spatial transmit parameters (spatial Txparameters). The transmission beam can also refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted through the antenna. From this perspective, the transmitting beam can also be a spatial transmitting angle (such as azimuth, zenith) or a spatial transmitting angle range (such as azimuth center angle and offset, azimuth uncertainty, azimuth protection range, zenith center angle and offset, zenith uncertainty, zenith protection range, etc.). Correspondingly, the beam used to receive signals can be called a receiving beam (Rx beam), a spatial domain receive filter, or spatial receive parameters (spatial Rx parameters). The receiving beam can also refer to the signal strength distribution of the wireless signal received from the antenna in different spatial directions. From this perspective, the receiving beam can also be a spatial receiving angle (such as azimuth, zenith) or a spatial receiving angle range (such as azimuth center angle and offset, azimuth uncertainty, azimuth protection range, zenith center angle and offset, zenith uncertainty, zenith protection range, etc.).

[0120] (9) In the embodiments of this application, "transmission" includes "sending" and / or "receiving". "Sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between access network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0121] In this application embodiment, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A / B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and / or c means the following combinations: a exists alone, b exists alone, c exists alone, a and b exist simultaneously, a and c exist simultaneously, b and c exist simultaneously, or a, b, and c exist simultaneously, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0122] In the embodiments of this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device taking corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action, nor do they imply any other limitations. Unless otherwise specified, "if" and "if" can be substituted, and "when" and "in the case of" can be substituted. "When" and "if" / "if" can be substituted.

[0123] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0124] In this application, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first candidate resource set and the second candidate resource set refer to two different candidate resource sets, and do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two candidate resource sets.

[0125] In the embodiments of this application, the solutions in each embodiment can be used in a reasonable combination, and the explanations or descriptions of various terms, similar operations, or steps appearing in the embodiments can be referenced or explained to each other in the embodiments, without limitation.

[0126] In communication, system / device energy efficiency is a key indicator of communication performance, and minimizing device power consumption is generally prioritized. There are various methods to reduce power consumption. For example, the transmit / receive cycle and / or duration of the aforementioned common signal can be adjusted based on cell load. Specifically, in RRC connected state, network devices can adjust the transmit / receive resources of each cell or terminal device based on dedicated signaling, such as adjusting the configuration information of downlink reference signals. In RRC idle state, when the cell is lightly loaded, the transmit / receive cycle of the common signal can be increased, thus reducing the number of times the network device transmits the common signal and consequently reducing the power consumption of the network device. Correspondingly, this also reduces the number of times the terminal device detects the common signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. Conversely, when the cell is heavily loaded, the transmit / receive cycle of the common signal can be shortened to maximize service continuity and improve user experience. It's important to understand that light load and heavy load are relative terms. Generally, if the average traffic volume over a period of time is below a certain threshold, it can be considered light load; conversely, if the average traffic volume over a period of time is above a certain threshold, it can be considered heavy load.

[0127] Currently, configuration information for common signals is adjusted through SI (System Indicator) changes. This configuration information may include transmit / receive cycles, transmit / receive durations, resource locations, and the number of beams. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the SI change process includes the following steps:

[0128] (1) All POs of the network device in the previous SI change cycle before the SI change boundary send paging DCI notifications for SI change instructions;

[0129] (2) The terminal device receives the SI change instruction at its own PO location in the previous SI change cycle;

[0130] (3) The network device begins the SI change operation at the start of the next SI change cycle after the SI change boundary;

[0131] (4) In the next SI change cycle after the SI change boundary, the terminal device needs to start receiving SI again, that is, the changed SI. The terminal device uses the changed SI to send and receive common signals.

[0132] In the SI change process, network devices need to page every terminal device camped in the cell on all POs within the previous SI change cycle, and then send the updated SI in the next SI change cycle. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SI change indication in the paging DCI, and then waits until the next SI change cycle to re-acquire the updated SI, resulting in a relatively long latency. Although the latency of acquiring the updated SI can be reduced by shortening the SI change process—for example, configuring the network device with a shorter paging cycle to page the terminal device faster and shorten the latency of acquiring the updated SI—this increases the time the terminal device spends listening for paging, increasing the terminal device's power consumption.

[0133] Furthermore, from the boundary of the SI change cycle until the terminal device successfully obtains the updated SI, the terminal cannot know the updated SI. Therefore, some operations performed by the terminal device during this period may result in errors. For example, in the case of a RACH cycle change, because the terminal device has not obtained the RACH cycle in time, it may initiate a RACH at the RACH timing determined before obtaining the updated SI. However, the network device will receive the RACH at the changed RACH timing and will not receive it. It is evident that adjusting the transmission and reception cycle of common signals based on the SI change process has a long delay and may lead to erroneous operations due to the failure to obtain the updated SI in a timely manner.

[0134] In addition, for RRC connection mode, network devices configure cell and / or terminal device resources through dedicated signaling, which has a large signaling overhead and is not flexible enough.

[0135] Therefore, a method according to embodiments of this application is provided. In this embodiment, the network device can dynamically and flexibly configure the resources for receiving control information. Thus, the network device can flexibly adjust network resources according to network load, achieving the purpose of reducing network overhead, reducing the power consumption of the network device, or reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. The so-called control information may include (or be) one or more of the aforementioned common signals. For example, the control information may be a paging DCI. The network device dynamically and flexibly configures the set of resources for receiving the paging DCI. The terminal device determines the set of resources for the paging DCI based on the configuration information of the network device, then determines its own paging timing within that set, and thus detects the paging DCI. Compared to the prior art where the terminal device detects the paging DCI based on a semi-statically configured paging resource set, this method can dynamically modify the period during which the terminal device listens for the paging DCI, thereby reducing the latency of the terminal device receiving the paging DCI and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. Correspondingly, by dynamically adjusting the paging transmission period, the power consumption of the network device can also be reduced.

[0136] Furthermore, the terminal device can indicate to the network device the beam used to send control information, which can reduce the network device's energy consumption compared to the network device sending control information on multiple beams so that the terminal device can receive the control information.

[0137] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0138] In the following description, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applied to... Figure 1 Taking the network architecture shown as an example, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by a network device and a terminal device. The steps executed by the network device can be implemented by the RAN device itself, or by components within the RAN device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules), or by components that perform some or all of the functions of the RAN device (such as a CU, DU, or RU). The steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by components within the terminal device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules). There are no restrictions on the specific form of the network device and the terminal device; for example, the network device can be a chip, and the terminal device can be a device; or both the network device and the terminal device can be chips or devices. In possible scenarios, the terminal device can be... Figure 1 The terminal device 120a shown, or it could be Figure 1 The chip (system) in the terminal device 120a; the network device can be Figure 1 The network device 110a in the middle, or it could be Figure 1 The chip (system) in the network device 110a.

[0139] The embodiments of this application can be used in terminal devices that support low-power characteristics, or terminal devices that support LP-SS, or terminal devices with LP capability / WUR capability. Having WUR capability is equivalent to any of the following descriptions: having the ability to receive low-power signals, or having the ability to receive LP-SS, or being configured with WUR or LP-SS functions, or having WUR or LP-SS functions enabled, or supporting the reception of LP signals through an LP receiver / link / interface, or being configured to receive LP signals through an LP receiver / link / interface, or being allowed / activated to receive LP signals through an LP receiver / link / interface.

[0140] In this embodiment, resources include resources of multiple dimensions. For example, resources include resources of one or more dimensions such as time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, and power domain. For example, RACH resources include RACH time-frequency resources and random access preamble / preamble codes. Accordingly, the information for configuring resources includes one or more of the following: time domain information, frequency domain information, spatial domain information, code domain information, and power domain information.

[0141] The time-domain information may include one or more of the following: resource period, resource start position, resource end position, or resource duration. This application does not limit the granularity of the time-domain resource; for example, the granularity of the time-domain resource indicated by the time-domain information may be a time unit. A time unit generally refers to a unit of time. A time unit may be a radio frame, subframe, slot, mini-slot, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol (simply referred to as a symbol), millisecond (ms), or fractional milliseconds (e.g., 1 / 32 ms). Alternatively, a time unit may be multiple slots, multiple subframes, multiple mini-slots, multiple OFDM symbols, several milliseconds (ms), or several fractional milliseconds. A radio frame may include multiple subframes, a subframe may include one or more slots, and a slot may include at least one symbol. Alternatively, a radio frame may include multiple slots, and a slot may include at least one symbol.

[0142] Frequency domain information may include one or more of the following: resource period, resource start position, resource end position, or resource duration. This application does not limit the granularity of frequency domain resources; for example, the granularity of the frequency domain resource indicated by the frequency domain information can be a frequency domain unit. A frequency domain unit generally refers to a unit of frequency. A frequency domain unit can be several subcarriers, several resource blocks, several subbands, several bandwidth parts (BWPs), several carriers, or several frequency bands.

[0143] Spatial domain information may include one or more of the following: layer or stream information, antenna information, or beam information. Code domain information may include preambles, sequences, etc. Power domain information may include transmit power or receive power, etc.

[0144] In this embodiment, receiving first control information and detecting first control information are interchangeable. "Information" and "signal" are interchangeable; information may include a signal or a channel, and a channel may include information or a signal. In this embodiment, (pre)configuration refers to configuration via signaling, which may be one or more of RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC control element (CE).

[0145] Please see Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This method is described from the perspective of interaction between network devices and terminal devices. It should be understood that the communication method 500 can also be implemented by other devices, such as a chip or communication device with communication capabilities. Furthermore, the processing performed by a single execution entity can be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into execution by at least one of CU, DU, RU, etc. Figure 5 As shown, the communication method 500 includes the following steps.

[0146] S501. The network device sends first indication information through a common control channel, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information through the common control channel.

[0147] S501 can also be replaced by the network device sending the first instruction information, and the terminal device receiving the first instruction information accordingly.

[0148] The first indication information can be used to indicate a set of resources for sending and / or receiving the first control information, such as being referred to as a first resource set. It should be noted that, in this embodiment and the following embodiments, the resources in this resource set can be resources of one or more of the aforementioned dimensions.

[0149] The first control information includes information that can be received by multiple terminal devices, or the first control information includes information sent by network devices via broadcast or multicast. For example, the first control information may include (or be) one or more of the aforementioned common signals. For example, the first control information may include one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signals, wake-up signals, and reference signals. Alternatively, the first control information may be replaced by a first control channel. The paging information includes (or is) paging DCI, PEI, or paging messages. The first control channel may be a control channel used for scheduling common information. For example, the first control channel includes (or is) PDCCH. The first control information can be used for scheduling control information, random access response information, downlink wake-up signals, system information change indication information, or paging advance indication information, etc. The random access information includes random access preamble (Msg1), random access response information (message 2), random access message 3 (Msg3), or random access message A (MsgA).

[0150] For example, in the RRC idle state, the first control information may include SSB, SIB1, other SIBs, paging information, RACH information, a wake-up signal (also known as a downlink wake-up signal) used to wake up the terminal device to receive one or more information, or a wake-up signal (also known as an uplink wake-up signal) used to wake up the network device to send one or more information. In the RRC connected state, the first control information may include SRS, CSI-RS, PUCCH, or PDCCH.

[0151] Additionally, the first indication information can be transmitted via a common control channel. This common control channel includes one or more of the following: a broadcast channel (such as a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) or SSB), a wake-up channel, a system information change indication channel, or a paging advance indication channel. The wake-up channel carries wake-up information, the system information change indication channel carries system change indications, and the paging advance indication channel carries paging advance indications. Alternatively, the common control channel can be a channel for scheduling system information, wake-up information, system information change indications, or paging advance indications. For example, the common control channel can be a second PDCCH or a PDSCH scheduled by a second DCI. Alternatively, the common control channel can be replaced by a second DCI. This second DCI can be a common DCI or a DCI used for a group of terminal devices. The second PDCCH can be used for scheduling system information, wake-up information, system information change indication information, paging advance indication information, or one or more of PDSCH. The PDSCH can be a common PDSCH or a PDSCH used for a group of terminal devices.

[0152] The common control channel varies depending on the different first control information, as illustrated below.

[0153] (1) The first control information is system information (including SSB and / or SIB), paging information (including paging messages, paging DCI, paging advance indication information, SI change indication information, etc.), RACH information (including the aforementioned Msg1 / A / 2 / 3, etc.), and wake-up information (downlink wake-up DCI or uplink wake-up signal). Alternatively, the first control information can be replaced by a first common PDCCH, which can be used to schedule system information, paging information, RACH response information, etc.

[0154] The common control channel can be a broadcast channel. Correspondingly, the first indication information can be carried by a broadcast channel (such as PBCH or SSB). In this case, network devices send the first indication information through the broadcast channel, and terminal devices receive the first indication information through the broadcast channel. It should be noted that PBCH or SSB can carry the first indication information, which can be used to indicate the PBCH or its time-domain configuration information, such as the transmission period, transmission duration, and transmission start position.

[0155] (2) The first control information is the above-mentioned system information, paging information, RACH information or the first common PDCCH.

[0156] The common control channel can be a second PDCCH, which can be used to schedule wake-up information, paging messages, paging advance indication information, SI change indication information, etc. Correspondingly, the first indication information can be carried by the second common PDCCH. Network devices send the first indication information through the second common PDCCH, and terminal devices receive the first indication information through the second common PDCCH. For example, when the second common PDCCH used for scheduling paging messages carries the first indication information, this first indication information can be used to indicate the time-domain configuration information of the aforementioned paging information, such as the listening period, listening duration, and listening start position.

[0157] It should be noted that the current SI change indication information (e.g., referred to as the first SI change indication information) only indicates whether the SI has changed, requiring the terminal device to reread the SSB and / or SIB to obtain the configuration information of the changed SI. However, the SI change indication information carried in the second common PDCCH (e.g., referred to as the second SI change indication information) can directly indicate the configuration information after the SI change, thereby reducing the energy consumption consumed in obtaining the SI. For example, the second SI change indication information can indicate that the paging timing period is adjusted from 160ms to 320ms, and so on.

[0158] The first resource set is indicated by the network device through the first indication information. It can be considered that the resources for sending and receiving the first control information, or the resource set, are dynamically indicated by the network device. This allows for flexible adjustment of network resources based on load, effectively reducing resource overhead and energy consumption. Depending on the implementation of the first resource set, the specific implementation form of the first indication information also varies; examples are given below.

[0159] (A) The first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set, such as Figure 6A As shown.

[0160] The first candidate resource set can be (pre)configured or predefined. For example, the first candidate resource set can be (pre)configured via SSB and / or SIB. The first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set; for example, the first resource set can be a set consisting of some or all of the resources in the first candidate resource set. In this case, the first indication information includes, but is not limited to, the following.

[0161] (A-1) The first indication information may include first location information and a first value. The first location information may indicate the starting position of the first resource set, and the first value may indicate the number M of resources included in the first resource set, where M is a positive integer. Thus, the terminal device can determine, based on the first indication information, that the first resource set consists of M resources (including resources located at the position indicated by the first location information) starting from the position indicated by the first location information.

[0162] (A-2) The first indication information may include second location information and a first value. The second location information may indicate the end position of the first resource set, and the first value may indicate the number M of resources included in the first resource set, where M is a positive integer. Thus, the terminal device can determine, based on the first indication information, that the first resource set consists of M resources preceding the position indicated by the first location information (including resources located at the position indicated by the first location information).

[0163] (A-3) The first indication information may include a first value, which indicates the number M of resources included in the first resource set, where M is a positive integer. In this case, the start or end position of the first resource set may be predefined or (pre)configured. Thus, the terminal device may determine the first resource set from the first candidate resource set based on the first value and the start or end position of the first resource set.

[0164] (A-4) The first indication information includes first location information and second location information. The terminal device may determine the set of resources (which may include resources located at the start position indicated by the first location information and resources located at the end position indicated by the second location information) between the start position indicated by the first location information and the end position indicated by the second location information as the first resource set.

[0165] (A-5) The first indication information may include a second value, which indicates the proportion of the first resource set in the first candidate resource set. In this case, the start or end position of the first resource set may be predefined or pre-configured. Thus, the terminal device can determine the first resource set from the first candidate resource set based on the second value and the start or end position of the first resource set. Alternatively, a specific rule may be predefined or pre-configured, which, along with the second value, can be used to indicate the first resource set in the first candidate resource set. For example, the specific rule may be to select resources with the second value as the proportion from the first candidate resource set according to a given order (such as time order, time-frequency combination order, time-frequency code combination order, etc.). For instance, for the first candidate resource set, the first 1 / 2 or 1 / 4 of the resources in the first candidate resource set may be selected as the first resource set according to time order. Another example is that the specific rule may be to select a certain proportion of resources from the first candidate resource set at intervals according to a given order (such as time order, time-frequency combination order, time-frequency code combination order, etc.) as the first resource set. For example, given a first candidate resource set, resources are selected at intervals of 1 / 2 or 1 / 4 to form the first resource set. Taking the first candidate resource set as an example, where the resources are ordered by time from resource 1 to resource 8, if resources are selected at intervals of 1 / 2, then resources 1, 3, 5, and 7 can be selected as the first resource set. Similarly, if resources are selected at intervals of 1 / 4, then resources 1 and 5 can be selected as the first resource set.

[0166] It is understood that the first indication information may also include first location information and / or second location information.

[0167] (A-6) The first indication information may indicate a first index, which is an index of the first resource set. In this case, the first resource set may be considered as a subset of the first candidate resource set (e.g., referred to as the first resource subset). The first candidate resource set may include multiple subsets, which include the first resource subset (i.e., the first resource set).

[0168] Alternatively, the first indication information can indicate a bitmap, where one bit in the bitmap corresponds to a subset. If the value of the bit corresponding to a subset is "1" or "0", then that subset is the first resource set. For example, if the first candidate resource set includes N subsets, the first indication information can be a bitmap consisting of N bits, where the subsets corresponding to the bits with values ​​of "1" or "0" in these N bits are the first resource set.

[0169] Of course, the first resource set can also be a set of multiple subsets included in the first candidate resource subset. In this case, the first indication information can indicate the index of each of the multiple subsets, or the first indication information can be a bit map consisting of N bits, and the subsets corresponding to the bits with values ​​of "1" or "0" in the N bits constitute the first resource set.

[0170] The specific manner in which the first indication information indicates the first index is not limited. For example, the first indication information includes N bits, where the value of these N bits is the first index. Another example is that the first indication information carries a first sequence, which indicates the first index. In this case, each of the multiple subsets included in the first candidate set corresponds to a sequence.

[0171] Optionally, the transmission periods of resources in different subsets of the first candidate resource set may differ. For ease of description, the transmission period of resources in a resource set is referred to as the transmission period of the resource set. Taking the first candidate resource set as including a first resource subset and a second resource subset as an example, the transmission periods of the first resource subset and the second resource subset are different. Network devices can configure resource sets with appropriate transmission periods according to actual energy-saving requirements. For example, if the transmission period of the first resource subset is longer than that of the second resource subset, and the network device has a greater energy-saving requirement, then the first resource set configured by the network device can be the first resource subset to reduce the control information transmitted by the network device and thus save more energy. Conversely, if the network device has a smaller energy-saving requirement, then the first resource set configured by the network device can be the second resource subset to minimize latency and meet the latency requirements of the terminal device.

[0172] (B) The first resource set is one of multiple candidate resource sets, such as Figure 6B As shown.

[0173] The first indication information may indicate one of multiple candidate resource sets (e.g., referred to as candidate resource set X), which is the first resource set. The first indication information may indicate the index of candidate resource set X. For example, the first indication information includes N bits, where the value of these N bits is the index of candidate resource set X. Alternatively, the first indication information may carry a first sequence, which indicates the index of candidate resource set X. In this case, each of the multiple candidate sets corresponds to a sequence.

[0174] Optionally, the transmission periods for different candidate resource sets can be different. For example, the transmission periods for the first candidate resource set and the second candidate resource set can be different. Alternatively, if multiple candidate resource sets include a third candidate resource set, the transmission periods for the second and third candidate resource sets can be different. The network device can configure candidate resource sets with appropriate transmission periods based on actual energy-saving requirements. For example, if the transmission period for the second candidate resource set is longer than that for the third candidate resource set, and the network device has a higher energy-saving requirement, then the first resource set configured by the network device can be the second candidate resource set. Conversely, if the network device has a lower energy-saving requirement, then the first resource set configured by the network device can be the third candidate resource set.

[0175] Furthermore, the first indication information can be received based on a low-power mode, thus making it suitable for terminal devices that support low-power characteristics. The phrase "the first indication information is received based on a low-power mode" can be replaced by at least one of the following descriptions.

[0176] (1) The channel carrying the first indication information adopts a switch-type modulation signal.

[0177] Switching modulation signals include, for example, OOK modulation signals or FSK modulation signals. Taking OOK modulation signals as an example, the principle of receiving the first indication information is as follows: given time-frequency resources, the original bit information of the channel carrying the first indication information is detected by detecting the presence or absence of energy. It is evident that low-power receivers can be used to receive OOK signals; for example, envelope detection can be used to receive the first indication information, saving at least an order of magnitude in reception power compared to receiving the first indication information using an OFDM receiver.

[0178] (2) A sequence receiver is used to receive the channel carrying the first indication information.

[0179] The original information bits of the channel carrying the first indication information are carried through multiple candidate sequences, and the first indication information is received by sequence detection. For example, given N time-frequency resources, each time-frequency resource can be transmitted using M sequences, then a maximum of N*log2M original bit information can be carried, where N and M are positive integers. The terminal device determines the aforementioned original bit information by blindly detecting each candidate sequence on each time-frequency resource.

[0180] (3) The channel carrying the first indication information is transmitted within a first bandwidth, and the channel carrying the first control information indicated by the first indication information is transmitted within a second bandwidth. The first bandwidth is less than the second bandwidth. For example, the second bandwidth is the initial BWP, and the first bandwidth is less than the initial BWP. Accordingly, when the terminal device receives the channel carrying the first indication information, its receiving bandwidth capability is the first bandwidth; when the terminal device receives the channel carrying the first control information indicated by the first indication information, its receiving bandwidth capability is the second bandwidth.

[0181] For a certain bandwidth capability, if the bandwidth of the receiving filter of the device is not less than the receiving bandwidth, it is beneficial for the terminal device to save energy by introducing a smaller first bandwidth as the receiving bandwidth to receive the channel carrying the first indication information.

[0182] (4) The channel carrying the first indication information carries the first information amount, and the channel carrying the first control information indicated by the first indication information carries the second information amount, and the first information amount is less than the second information amount.

[0183] The channel carrying the first indication information carries fewer raw bits. Furthermore, the length of the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the channel carrying the first indication information can also be shorter than the length of the CRC of the channel carrying the first control information.

[0184] (5) The channel carrying the first indication information is received using the first number of antennas, the first number of radio frequency channels, or the first number of antenna ports; the channel carrying the first control information indicated by the first indication information is received using the second number of antennas, the second number of radio frequency channels, or the second number of antenna ports. Wherein, the first number of antennas is less than the second number of antennas, or the first number of radio frequency channels is less than the second number of radio frequency channels, or the first number of antenna ports is less than the second number of antenna ports. This is equivalent to using a smaller number of antennas to receive the channel carrying the first indication information.

[0185] (6) A first spatial layer is used to receive the channel carrying the first indication information, and a second spatial layer is used to receive the channel carrying the first control information indicated by the first indication information, wherein the first spatial layer is less than the second spatial layer. In other words, fewer spatial layers can be used to receive the channel carrying the first indication information.

[0186] To ensure that terminal devices in different directions can receive the first indication or control information, network devices typically need to transmit the first indication and control information on multiple beams, resulting in high power consumption. To address this, terminal devices can indicate to the network device which beam(s) they should be transmitting in. The network device then transmits the first indication and control information in the beam(s) indicated by the terminal device, eliminating the need to transmit on multiple beams and thus saving power.

[0187] For example, before receiving the first control information, the terminal device may send the first wake-up signal to the network device based on the beam / resource association between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal. The common control channel may be a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, an SSB, or a channel carrying the first indication information. Accordingly, upon receiving the first wake-up signal, the network device may determine the beam / resource for sending the first indication information or the first control information based on the beam / resource association. Specifically, when the association is between the SSB and the first wake-up signal, the network device may send the first indication information or the first control information based on this association. When the association is between the first indication information and the first wake-up signal, the network device may send the first control information based on this association.

[0188] Taking the association between an SSB and a first wake-up signal as an example, when a terminal device sends a first wake-up signal to a network device, and this first wake-up signal is associated with the first SSB among multiple SSBs, the network device knows that the terminal device is located in the transmission beam direction of the first SSB. Therefore, the network device uses the transmission beam of the first SSB to send first indication information or first control information, without needing to send first indication information or first control information in the directions of other SSBs. Compared to the network device sending first indication information or first control information in more beams, the network device consumes less power.

[0189] For easier understanding, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 (a) in the diagram shows a network device using multiple beams to transmit the first control information. Figure 7 (b) shows the network device sending first control information using the beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal. (Compare) Figure 7 As can be seen from (a) and (b) in the figure, by sending a first wake-up signal through the terminal device, the network device can send first control information based on the beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the network device.

[0190] It should be noted that the beam association relationship between the first control information and the first wake-up signal can be the association relationship between the beam information associated with the first control information and the first wake-up signal. The so-called beam information can be a beam ID, or information that can characterize a beam, for example, a beam can be characterized by a time-frequency resource index.

[0191] S502, the terminal device sends or receives first control information within the first resource set, and correspondingly, the network device receives or sends first control information within the first resource set.

[0192] It is understandable that when a network device sends first control information within the first resource set, a terminal device receives the first control information within the first resource set. Figure 5 (Taking this as an example). The network device receives the first control information within the first resource set, and the terminal device sends the first control information within the first resource set.

[0193] The terminal device receives first instruction information, determines a first resource set based on the first instruction information, and sends or receives first control information within the first resource set. The process of the network device sending or receiving first control information within the first resource set varies depending on the type of first control information; a specific example is provided below.

[0194] (1) The first control information includes (or is) system information, for example, the first control information is MIB or SIB1.

[0195] For example, the first control information is a MIB. The terminal device can detect the MIB within the first resource set, thereby determining the time-frequency resource location of the DCI for scheduling SIB1 based on the detected MIB, receiving the DCI based on the time-frequency resource location, and then receiving SIB1 based on the DCI. Since the first resource set can be dynamically and flexibly configured through the first indication information, information such as the MIB detection period and resource configuration can be changed. For example, the MIB detection period can be increased, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device compared to the current fixed period. Another example is that multiple SSBs or MIB beams can be adjusted from time division multiplexing (TDM) to frequency division multiplexing (FDM). Compared to the current terminal device only detecting MIBs according to TDM, this can also reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0196] For example, the first control information is SIB1. The terminal device detects SIB1 within the first resource set, and then obtains scheduling information for other system information (SIB-x) based on SIB1, thereby receiving SIB-x. Similarly, by dynamically and flexibly configuring the first resource set, the detection period of SIB1 can be changed, for example, the detection period of SIB1 can be increased. Compared to the current method where the terminal device detects SIB1 according to a fixed period, dynamically and flexibly configuring the first resource set can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0197] (2) The first control information is paging information. For example, the first control information includes one or more of the following: paging message, paging DCI, PEI or paging wake-up information.

[0198] For example, the first control information is paging information, which the terminal device receives within a first resource set. The terminal device can determine its own Point of Purchase (PO) within the first resource set and then detect the paging information on that PO. The first resource set is dynamically indicated by first indication information, thus allowing for dynamic modification of configuration information such as the period or time-frequency resource location for the terminal device to detect paging information. Compared to the terminal device detecting paging information based on a semi-statically configured paging resource set of network devices, dynamically and flexibly configuring the first resource set reduces the number of times the terminal device detects paging information, contributing to energy savings.

[0199] Optionally, the terminal device can determine the PF and / or PO within the first resource set according to specific rules. For example, the specific rule could be: POs within the first resource set are mapped in ascending order of their indices, first in the frequency domain and then in the time domain. Taking the first resource set as {PO1, PO2, PO3, PO4}, with two POs in the time domain and two in the frequency domain, the four POs are sorted according to the specific rules. The sorted result is: PO1 occupies the position of the first PO in both the time and frequency domains; PO2 occupies the position of the first PO in both the time and frequency domains; PO3 occupies the position of the second PO in both the time and frequency domains; PO4 occupies the position of the second PO in both the time and frequency domains. The terminal device can determine the PO from these four POs to receive the paging message based on the terminal device's ID. For example, the index of the PO receiving the paging message is floor(UE_ID mod total number of POs in the first resource set). Introducing frequency-first, time-later PO sorting can reduce the time it takes for the network to send paging information and reduce network power consumption compared to the current pure TDM PO sorting.

[0200] Alternatively, if the terminal device determines the PF in the first resource set, the specific rule can be the rule for determining the PO from the PF. For example, if the PF has 4 POs, with two POs in the time domain and two in the frequency domain, then the POs can be ordered in the order of frequency domain first, then time domain. That is, the first PO (i.e., PO1) is placed in the first frequency domain of the first time unit; the second PO (i.e., PO2) is placed in the second frequency domain of the first time unit; the third PO (i.e., PO2) is placed in the first frequency domain of the second time unit; and the fourth PO (i.e., PO4) is placed in the second frequency domain of the second time unit. The terminal device can determine the PO to receive the paging message from these 4 POs based on the terminal device's ID. For example, the index of the PO to receive the paging message is floor(UE_ID mod total number of POs in the PF).

[0201] (3) The first control information is RACH information. For example, the first control information includes one or more of the following: RACH preamble / Msg1 / MsgA, or Msg3. It is understood that the RACH preamble can be used as a trigger signal in addition to initiating random access. For example, the RACH preamble can be used to trigger the network device to send SIB1 and / or SIB-X.

[0202] Terminal devices can send RACH information within a first resource set. This first resource set is dynamically indicated by first indication information, allowing for dynamic modification of information such as the RACH transmission period or time-frequency code resource configuration of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the RACH reception period of the network device is also modified. Compared to terminal devices sending RACH at a fixed period or network devices receiving RACH at a fixed period, this approach helps save energy for both terminal and network devices.

[0203] The terminal device can determine the random access resource from the first resource set based on the association between the random access resource and the common beam, and then transmit RACH information on that random access resource. The common beam can be replaced by an SSB or a beam for common control information, etc. For example, the cell where the terminal device is camped has four SSB beams (SSB1 to SSB4), each corresponding to a set of RACH resource configurations. SSB1 is associated with RACH resource configuration 1, SSB2 with RACH resource configuration 2, SSB3 with RACH resource configuration 3, and SSB4 with RACH resource configuration 4. The terminal device can select one SSB from SSB1 to SSB4 based on the SSB measurement results, and then determine the RACH resource for transmitting RACH information based on the RACH resource configuration associated with that SSB.

[0204] Optionally, a candidate resource set corresponds to a set of associations between random access resources and public beams.

[0205] For example, the first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set, which independently configures a set of associations between random access resources and common beams. Thus, regardless of which subset of the first candidate resource set the first indication information indicates, the associations between random access resources and common beams in the first resource set of the terminal device remain consistent.

[0206] For example, the first resource set is one of multiple candidate resource sets, each of which independently configures a set of associations between random access resources and the common beam. For instance, the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set. The random access resources in the second candidate resource set have a first association with the common beam, while the random access resources in the third candidate resource set have a second association with the common beam. These first and second associations are configured independently. The terminal device determines the RACH resources based on the associations corresponding to the first resource set indicated by the first indication information.

[0207] In the aforementioned communication method 500, taking the implementation of the first resource set as either (A) or (B) as an example, in possible implementations, the first resource set belongs to a fourth candidate resource set, or the first resource set belongs to at least one fifth candidate resource set, such as... Figure 8 As shown. Figure 8 Taking the first resource set belonging to the fifth candidate resource set as an example, the fourth and fifth candidate resource sets can be considered as two types or categories of resource sets. Alternatively, in this embodiment, there are two types of resource sets: one called the fourth candidate resource set and the other called the fifth candidate resource set. Relatively speaking, the fourth candidate resource set can be called the basic candidate resource set, and the fifth candidate resource set can be called the flexible candidate resource set. The basic candidate resource set can be fixed, while the flexible candidate resource set is variable; for example, the number of resources, resource location, resource cycle, etc., in the flexible candidate resource set can be variable.

[0208] Optionally, the transmission period of the fourth candidate resource set can be longer than that of the fifth candidate resource set. Different fifth candidate resource sets can have different transmission periods. For example, the transmission periods of fifth candidate resource set A and fifth candidate resource set B are different.

[0209] The fourth candidate resource set and / or at least one fifth candidate resource set may be (pre)configured or predefined. When the first resource set belongs to at least one fifth resource set, the way the first indication information indicates the first resource set can refer to the aforementioned way of indicating a candidate resource set from multiple candidate resource sets, and / or indicating the first resource set from the first candidate resource set, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the first indication information may indicate that at least one fifth candidate resource set is not activated or disabled. In this case, the resource set indicated by the first indication information can be considered as the fourth candidate resource set.

[0210] When the first resource set belongs to the fourth candidate resource set, or to at least one fifth candidate resource set, the resource set (e.g., the target resource set) actually used by the terminal device to send or receive the first control information is related to the resource set to be used by the terminal device. In other words, the target resource set may be related not only to the resource set to be used by the terminal device, but also to the first resource set configured by the network device. The following describes how the terminal device determines the target resource set in this situation.

[0211] Please see Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 This method is described from the perspective of interaction between network devices and terminal devices. It should be understood that the communication method 900 can also be implemented by other devices, such as a chip or communication device with communication capabilities. Furthermore, the processing performed by a single execution entity can be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into execution by at least one of CU, DU, RU, etc. Figure 9 As shown, the communication method 900 includes the following steps.

[0212] S901. The network device sends first indication information through a common control channel, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information through the common control channel.

[0213] The difference between S901 and S501 is that the first indication information indicates the first resource set from at least one fifth candidate resource set. Regarding the overlap between S801 and S501, please refer to the relevant content of S501 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] S902, The terminal device determines the target resource set.

[0215] The first indication information may indicate a first resource set, and the target resource set also needs to be determined based on the resource set to be used by the terminal device. The resource set to be used by the terminal device can be determined based on the ID of the terminal device. For example, if the ID of the terminal device is modulo 2 0, then the resource set to be used by the terminal device is the fourth candidate resource set; if the ID of the terminal device is modulo 2 1, then the resource set to be used by the terminal device is at least a fifth candidate resource set. It should be noted that determining the resource set to be used by the terminal device based on the ID of the terminal device is only an example, and the specific implementation method for determining the resource set to be used by the terminal device in this application embodiment is not limited.

[0216] For a terminal device, if the resource set to be used by the terminal device is the fourth candidate resource set, then the target resource set is the fourth candidate resource set by default, ignoring the first resource set indicated by the first indication information. If the resource set to be used by the terminal device is not the fourth candidate resource set, or if the resource set to be used by the terminal device belongs to at least one fifth candidate resource set, then the target resource set is the first resource set indicated by the first indication information from at least one fifth candidate resource set. By setting the fourth candidate resource set and at least one fifth candidate resource set, it can be ensured that when some terminal devices use the fourth candidate resource set, the terminal device will not be unable to determine the target resource set or cause the target resource set to be incorrectly determined due to false detection or omission of the first indication information.

[0217] S903. The terminal device sends or receives first control information within the target resource set, and correspondingly, the network device receives or sends first control information within the target resource set.

[0218] It is understandable that when a network device sends first control information within a target resource set, a terminal device receives the first control information within the target resource set. Figure 9 (Taking this as an example). The network device receives the first control information within the target resource set, and the terminal device sends the first control information within the target resource set. It should be noted that S902 and S903 can be a single step.

[0219] For details on the specific implementation of the S903 terminal device sending or receiving the first control information within the target resource set, please refer to the relevant content in the aforementioned S902, which will not be repeated here.

[0220] In this embodiment, the network device can dynamically and flexibly configure the resources for receiving control information. This allows the network device to adjust network resources flexibly according to network load, thereby reducing network overhead, power consumption of the network device, or power consumption of the terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device can indicate to the network device the beam used to send the control information. Compared to the network device sending control information on multiple beams to ensure the terminal device receives the control information, this reduces the network device's energy consumption.

[0221] As described above, in this embodiment, the network device dynamically configures the configuration information for transmitting control information to the terminal device. The terminal device receives dynamic signaling and determines the transmission and reception of control information based on the signaling. For example, the network device sends a common DCI, which can indicate the configuration information of a common signal. The terminal device receives the common DCI and further determines the transmission and reception of the common signal based on the common DCI.

[0222] For example, dynamic signaling can indicate the resources for transmitting and receiving control information (i.e., the first resource set). For instance, in possible implementations, a first candidate resource set, or multiple candidate resource sets, can be (pre-)configured, or a fourth candidate resource set and at least one fifth candidate resource set can be (pre-configured). Accordingly, the first resource set can be indicated in the following three ways.

[0223] (1) (Pre-configure) the first candidate resource set.

[0224] Indicate the first resource set from the first candidate resource set.

[0225] (2) (Pre-configure) multiple candidate resource sets.

[0226] Indicate the first resource set from multiple candidate resource sets.

[0227] (3) (Pre-configure) a fourth candidate resource set and at least one fifth candidate resource set.

[0228] Indicate the first resource set from the fourth candidate resource set and at least one fifth candidate resource set.

[0229] Optionally, the common DCI can be a paging DCI, PEI, LP-WUS, etc., which can indicate the configuration of common signals in the idle state. Common signals in the idle state include, for example, one or more of the following: SSB, SIB, paging, random access information, etc.

[0230] Optionally, the common DCI can be a DCI scrambled by a specific RNTI, which can indicate the configuration of common signals in the RRC connection state. Common signals in the RRC connection state include, for example, CSI-RS, SRS, PUCCH, etc.

[0231] Optionally, the public DCI supports the UE to use a low-power receiver for reception, for example, the public DCI supports reception via an OOK receiver or a sequence receiver.

[0232] In addition, common DCI and UE WUS can be combined. For example, the network device sends a common DCI for multiple beams, and the terminal device receives the common DCI for a specific beam direction. The terminal device will then send a WUS. After receiving the WUS, the network device will transmit and receive common signals in the beam direction corresponding to that WUS.

[0233] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application above are described using terminal devices and network devices as examples. In this application, each embodiment can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain inherent connections; in each embodiment, different implementation methods can be implemented in combination or independently. To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application above, the steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by a functional entity including the terminal device, or by different functional entities constituting the terminal device. The steps executed by the network device can be implemented by the network device itself, or by different functional entities constituting the network device, or by a functional entity including the network device. For example, the network device is an access network device, which can be a CU-DU-RU architecture, where the DU can generate first indication information and the RU can send the first indication information. To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application above, the terminal device and network device can include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0234] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiments, this application provides a communication device. The communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The content above can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated content will not be repeated.

[0235] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the terminal device in the various method embodiments described above. For example, the communication device 1000 may be... Figure 1The communication device 1000 can be a terminal device; or, the communication device 1000 can be a chip (system) in the terminal device; or, the communication device 1000 can be a software module of the terminal device. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the network device in the above-described method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1000 can be... Figure 1 The communication device 1000 can be a network device; or, the communication device 1000 can be a chip (system) within the network device; or, the communication device 1000 can be a software module of the network device. The communication device 1000 may include a processing module 1010 and a transceiver module 1020. Optionally, it may also include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions (code or programs) and / or data. This storage module may be, for example, a memory. The processing module 1010 and the transceiver module 1020 may be coupled to the storage module. For example, the processing module 1010 can read instructions (code or programs) and / or data from the storage module to implement a corresponding method. When the communication device 1000 is a chip in a terminal device, the storage module may be a storage module within the chip, such as a register, cache, etc. For example, the storage module may also be a storage module located outside the chip within the terminal device, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), etc. The above-mentioned units can be set independently, or partially or completely integrated.

[0236] Processing module 1010 may be a processor or controller, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing unit (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc. Transceiver module 1020 is a transceiver, interface circuit, bus, pin, or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, transceiver module 1020 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for the chip to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0237] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1000 can be the terminal device, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) within the terminal device, a part of a chip or chipset in the terminal device used to execute the relevant method functions, or a software module in the terminal device capable of implementing the above communication method; there are no limitations. For details, please refer to the relevant content of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0238] For example, the transceiver module 1020 is used to receive first indication information through a common control channel and to send or receive first control information within a first resource set. The first indication information is used to indicate the first resource set. The processing module 1010 can be used to determine the first resource set.

[0239] As an optional implementation, the common control channel includes one or more of the following: broadcast channel, wake-up channel, system information change indication channel, or paging advance indication channel.

[0240] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0241] As an optional implementation, the first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set; or, the first resource set is one of multiple candidate resource sets.

[0242] As an optional implementation, the first candidate resource set includes a first resource subset and a second resource subset, wherein the transmission period of resources in the first resource subset is different from that of resources in the second resource subset.

[0243] As an optional implementation, the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set, with the transmission period of resources in the second candidate resource set being different from that of resources in the third candidate resource set.

[0244] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes random access information, and the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set. The random access resources in the second candidate resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, and the random access resources in the third candidate resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam. The first and second association relationships are configured independently.

[0245] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is modulated based on OOK modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation.

[0246] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1020 is specifically used to send the first wake-up signal based on the beam association relationship between the first indication information and the first wake-up signal.

[0247] For example, the transceiver module 1020 is configured to receive first indication information via a common control channel, the first indication information being used to indicate a first resource set. The transceiver module 1020 is also configured to: when the resource set to be used is a fourth candidate resource set, send or receive first control information within the fourth candidate resource set; and / or, when the resource set to be used is a fifth candidate resource set or is not a fourth candidate resource set, send or receive first control information within the first resource set, where the first resource set belongs to the fifth candidate resource set.

[0248] As an optional implementation, the processing module 1010 is also used to determine the set of resources to be used based on the identifier of the terminal device.

[0249] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0250] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes random access information, wherein the random access resources in the first resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, and the random access resources in the second resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam, and the first association relationship and the second association relationship are configured independently.

[0251] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is modulated based on OOK modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation.

[0252] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1020 is also used to: transmit the first wake-up signal based on the beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal.

[0253] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1000 can be a network device, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) within the network device, a part of a chip or chipset in the network device used to execute the relevant method functions, or a software module in the network device capable of implementing the above communication method; there are no limitations. For details, please refer to the relevant content of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] For example, the transceiver module 1020 is used to send first indication information through a common control channel, and to send or receive first control information within a first resource set. The first indication information is used to indicate the first resource set. The processing module 1010 can be used to determine the first resource set.

[0255] As an optional implementation, the common control channel includes one or more of the following: broadcast channel, wake-up channel, system information change indication channel, or paging advance indication channel.

[0256] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0257] As an optional implementation, the first resource set belongs to the first candidate resource set; or, the first resource set is one of multiple candidate resource sets.

[0258] As an optional implementation, the first candidate resource set includes a first resource subset and a second resource subset, wherein the transmission period of resources in the first resource subset is different from that of resources in the second resource subset.

[0259] As an optional implementation, the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set, with the transmission period of resources in the second candidate resource set being different from that of resources in the third candidate resource set.

[0260] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes random access information, and the multiple candidate resource sets include a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set. The random access resources in the second candidate resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, and the random access resources in the third candidate resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam. The first and second association relationships are configured independently.

[0261] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is modulated based on OOK modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation.

[0262] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1020 is also used to receive the first wake-up signal. Accordingly, when the transceiver module 1020 sends the first control information, it specifically sends the first control information based on the beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

[0263] For example, the transceiver module 1020 is used to send first indication information through a common control channel, the first indication information being used to indicate a first resource set. The transceiver module 1020 is also used to: when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fourth candidate resource set, send or receive first control information within the fourth candidate resource set; and / or, when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fifth candidate resource set or is not a fourth candidate resource set, send or receive first control information within the first resource set, the first resource set belonging to the fifth candidate resource set.

[0264] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, synchronization signal, wake-up signal, reference signal, or control channel. The paging information includes paging control information or paging message.

[0265] As an optional implementation, the first control information includes random access information, wherein the random access resources in the first resource set have a first association relationship with the common beam, and the random access resources in the second resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam, and the first association relationship and the second association relationship are configured independently.

[0266] As an optional implementation, the first indication information is modulated based on OOK modulation, or the first indication information is modulated based on sequence modulation.

[0267] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1020 is also used to transmit the first wake-up signal based on the beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal.

[0268] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 1020 is also used to receive a first wake-up signal. Accordingly, when the transceiver module 1020 transmits the first control information within the first resource set, it specifically transmits the first control information based on the beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

[0269] When the communication device 1000 is a chip-based device or circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0270] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 can be a terminal device or a network device as described in the above embodiments. For example, the communication device 1100 can be... Figure 1 The terminal device or the chip (system) within the terminal device. For example, the communication device 1100 could be... Figure 1 The network device or the chip (system) within the network device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or it may include chips and other discrete devices. For specific functions, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0271] The communication device 1100 includes one or more processors 1101, used to implement or support the communication device 1100 in implementing the functions of the terminal device or network device in the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method examples, which will not be repeated here. The processor 1101 can also be called a processing unit or processing module, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it includes: a baseband processor, a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1100 (e.g., a terminal device or a network device), execute software programs and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0272] In one design, processor 1101 may include program 1103 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which can be executed on processor 1101 to cause communication device 1100 to perform the methods described in the embodiments below. In yet another possible design, communication device 1100 includes circuitry (…). Figure 11 (Not shown), the circuit is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments.

[0273] In one design, the communication device 1100 may include one or more memories 1102 storing a program 1104 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 1101 to cause the communication device 1100 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0274] In one design, the processor 1101 and / or memory 1102 may include AI modules 1107 and 1108, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​modules may include RIC modules. For instance, the AI ​​modules may be near real-time RICs or non-real-time RICs.

[0275] In one possible design, the processor 1101 and / or memory 1102 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0276] In one possible design, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1105 and / or an antenna 1106. The processor 1101, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device 1100. The transceiver 1105, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 1100 through the antenna 1106.

[0277] In one possible design, the communication device 1100 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It is understood that in some embodiments, the communication device 1100 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated, or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0278] The communication device in the above embodiments can be a terminal device or a network device, a circuit, a chip applied in a terminal device or network device, or other combined devices or components having the aforementioned terminal device or network device. When the communication device is a terminal device, the transceiver module can be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, such as a CPU. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device can be an FPGA, a dedicated ASIC, a SoC, a CPU, a network processor (NP), a DSP, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module can be the processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or communication interface can be the input / output interface or interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in memory and can be read directly from memory or through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can be used to run the code instructions to execute the methods in the above method embodiments. For example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and the transceiver.

[0279] This application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The terminal device is a terminal device used to implement the functions related to the above-described communication method, and the network device is a network device used to implement the functions related to the above-described communication method.

[0280] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the method executed by the terminal device or network device in the above-described communication method to be executed.

[0281] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer program code, which, when executed, causes the method executed by the terminal device or network device in the above-described communication method to be executed.

[0282] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of a terminal device or network device in the aforementioned communication method. The chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0283] To achieve the above Figures 10-11In addition to the functions of the communication device, this application also provides a chip, including a processor, for supporting the communication device in implementing the functions involved in the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the chip is connected to a memory or the chip includes a memory for storing the computer programs or instructions and data necessary for the communication device.

[0284] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0285] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps 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.

[0286] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0287] 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.

[0288] 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.

[0289] 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 essential contributing part of the technical solution of this application, 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 steps 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, external hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0290] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first indication information through a common control channel, the first indication information being used for indicating a first resource set; sending or receiving first control information in the first resource set.

2. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first indication information through a common control channel, the first indication information being used for indicating a first resource set; sending or receiving first control information in the first resource set.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The common control channel comprises one or more of the following: a broadcast channel, a wake-up channel, a system information change indication channel, or a paging early indication channel.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The first control information comprises one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, a synchronization signal, a wake-up signal, a reference signal, or a control channel, wherein the paging information comprises paging control information or paging messages.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein: the first resource set belongs to a first candidate resource set; or the first resource set is one of a plurality of candidate resource sets.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first candidate resource set comprises a first resource subset and a second resource subset, a transmission period of resources in the first resource subset being different from a transmission period of resources in the second resource subset; or the plurality of candidate resource sets comprises a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set, a transmission period of resources in the second candidate resource set being different from a transmission period of resources in the third candidate resource set.

7. The method of any one of claims 4-6, wherein, The first control information comprises random access information, and the plurality of candidate resource sets comprises a second candidate resource set and a third candidate resource set, wherein random access resources in the second candidate resource set have a first association relationship with a common beam, random access resources in the third candidate resource set have a second association relationship with the common beam, and the first association relationship and the second association relationship are independently configured.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The first indication information is modulated based on an on-off keying (OOK) modulation mode, or the first indication information is modulated based on a sequence modulation mode.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 and 3-8, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a first wake-up signal based on a beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal.

10. The method of any one of claims 2-8, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a first wake-up signal; sending the first control information in the first resource set comprises sending the first control information based on a beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first resource set; when the resource set to be used is a fourth candidate resource set, sending or receiving first control information in the fourth candidate resource set; and / or when the resource set to be used is a fifth candidate resource set or is not the fourth candidate resource set, sending or receiving first control information in the first resource set, the first resource set belonging to the fifth candidate resource set.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first resource set; when the resource set to be used by the terminal device is a fourth candidate resource set, sending or receiving first control information in the fourth candidate resource set; and / or The first control information is transmitted or received in the first resource set, the first resource set belonging to the fifth candidate resource set.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: The set of resources to be used is determined according to the identifier of the terminal device.

14. The method of any one of claims 11-13, wherein, The first control information includes one or more of the following: system information, paging information, random access information, a synchronization signal, a wake-up signal, a reference signal, or a control channel, wherein the paging information includes paging control information or a paging message.

15. The method of any one of claims 11-14, wherein, The first control information includes random access information, a random access resource in the first resource set has a first association relationship with a common beam, and a random access resource in the second resource set has a second association relationship with the common beam, the first association relationship and the second association relationship being independently configured.

16. The method of any one of claims 11-15, wherein, The first indication information is modulated based on an on-off keying (OOK) modulation mode, or the first indication information is modulated based on a sequence modulation mode.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 and 13-16, wherein, The method further includes: A first wake-up signal is transmitted based on a beam association relationship between the common control channel and the first wake-up signal.

18. The method of any one of claims 12 and 14-16, wherein, The method further includes: receiving a first wake-up signal; Transmitting the first control information in the first resource set includes transmitting the first control information based on a beam corresponding to the first wake-up signal.

19. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes at least one processor configured to cause the method of any one of claims 1 and 3-9 to be performed by the communication device, or the at least one processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 2, 3-8, and 10, or the at least one processor is configured to cause the method of any one of claims 11 and 13-17 to be performed by the communication device, or the at least one processor is configured to cause the method of any one of claims 12, 14-16, and 18 to be performed by the communication device.

20. A communications device, characterized by The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when executed on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 and 3-9 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 2, 3-8, and 10 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 11 and 13-17 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 12, 14-16, and 18 to be performed.

21. A communications device, characterized by ​ 22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, ​ 23. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 and 3-9 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 2, 3-8 and 10 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 11 and 13-17 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 12, 14-16 and 18 to be performed.

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