Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device. The method comprises the steps that network equipment sends first indication information; correspondingly, the terminal receives first indication information, and the first indication information is used for activating transmission of the SSB and / or indicating transmission resources of the SSB; or the first indication information is used for deactivating transmission of the SSB. That is, by activating transmission of the SSB and / or indicating transmission resources of the SSB; or, the transmission of the SSB is deactivated, so that the device can be in a sleep mode or a deep sleep mode, thereby achieving the purposes of reducing resource overhead and saving energy for the network.

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] Typically, network devices periodically broadcast synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) so that terminals receiving the SSBs can access the corresponding network based on the parsed information. However, this periodic broadcasting method prevents network devices from entering sleep or deep sleep modes, resulting in energy waste and hindering network energy conservation.

[0003] Therefore, how to achieve network energy saving has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that, by activating the transmission of the SSB and / or instructing the transmission resources of the SSB, can reduce the transmission of the SSB, thereby enabling network devices / terminals to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, reducing energy waste and achieving the purpose of network energy saving.

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

[0006] The method includes: receiving first indication information from a network device; wherein the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of an SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of an SSB; or, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of an SSB.

[0007] Alternatively, the system receives a first indication message from the network device and determines whether to receive the SSB based on the first indication message (or, based on the first indication message, whether to receive or not receive the SSB); wherein the first indication message is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; or, the first indication message is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0008] Based on the first aspect, the terminal can reduce the number of SSBs received by receiving the first indication information from the network device to activate and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, or activate the transmission of the SSB by receiving the first indication information from the network device. This allows the terminal to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving the goal of network energy saving.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, if the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the SSB is received; if the first execution information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB, the SSB is stopped (or not) received.

[0010] In this implementation, by indicating different content through the first instruction information, the SSB can be received or not received, thereby reducing the amount of SSB received. This allows the terminal to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving the goal of network energy saving.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being N is used to indicate receiving an SSB for N SSB cycles, and the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being infinite is used to indicate receiving an SSB according to the SSB cycle.

[0012] In this implementation, the SSB period indicated by the first indication information and the number of transmissions in the SSB period can be used to enable the terminal to receive SSBs according to the SSB period and the number of transmissions in the SSB period, thereby improving the receiving efficiency.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of an SSB, after receiving an SSB according to the first SSB cycle, the system switches to receiving an SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0014] In this implementation, SSBs can be received through multiple SSB cycles indicated by the first indication information, thereby improving reception efficiency.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB according to the first SSB cycle, switching to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle includes: when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB for N first SSB cycles, switching to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0016] In this implementation, the SSB can be received by the first SSB period and the second SSB period indicated by the first indication information, as well as the number of transmissions of the first SSB period and the second SSB period, thereby improving the reception efficiency.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, where the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before receiving the first indication information from the network device, receiving an index of the SCell and configuration information of the SCell from the network device, wherein the index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

[0018] In this implementation, by receiving the SCell index and SCell configuration information, the SCell can be activated while configuring it, simplifying the SCell processing flow, reducing signaling transmission, and lowering power consumption.

[0019] Secondly, a method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a network device as an example.

[0020] The method includes: a network device sending a first indication message to a terminal; the first indication message being used to activate the transmission of an SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of an SSB; or, the first indication message being used to deactivate the transmission of an SSB.

[0021] Alternatively, the network device obtains the first indication information and sends the first indication information to the terminal; the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; or, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0022] Based on the second aspect, the network device can reduce the amount of SSB sent to the terminal by activating and / or instructing the transmission resources of SSB through the first instruction information, or by activating the transmission of SSB through the first instruction information, thereby enabling the network device to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thus reducing energy consumption and achieving the goal of network energy saving.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, if the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the SSB is sent; if the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB, the transmission of the SSB is stopped (or not sent).

[0024] In this implementation, different content indicated by the first indication information can determine whether or not to send an SSB, thereby reducing the amount of SSB sent and enabling network devices to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving network energy saving.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of SSB, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is N to indicate the transmission of SSB for N SSB cycles, and the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is infinite to indicate the transmission of SSB according to the SSB cycle.

[0026] In this implementation, the SSB period indicated by the first indication information and the number of transmissions in the SSB period can enable the network device to send SSBs according to the SSB period and the number of transmissions in the SSB period, thereby improving the transmission efficiency.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of an SSB, after an SSB is sent according to the first SSB cycle, the transmission switches to sending an SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0028] In this implementation, SSBs can be sent through multiple SSB cycles indicated by the first indication information, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after sending the SSB according to the first SSB cycle, switching to sending the SSB according to the second SSB cycle includes: when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after sending N SSB cycles of the first SSB cycle, switching to sending the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0030] In this implementation, the transmission efficiency can be improved by sending the first SSB period and the second SSB period indicated by the first indication information, as well as the number of transmissions of the first SSB period and the second SSB period.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, where the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before sending the first indication information, sending an index of the SCell and configuration information of the SCell, wherein the index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

[0032] In this implementation, by sending the SCell index and SCell configuration information, the SCell can be activated while configuring it, simplifying the SCell processing flow, reducing signaling transmission, and lowering power consumption.

[0033] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transmission state of the SSB, the transmission state including an active state or a deactivated state; when the transmission state is active, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; when the transmission state is deactivated, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0034] In this implementation, the first indication information also indicates the transmission status of the SSB, and the activation or deactivation status indicates the activation or deactivation of the SSB transmission, thereby improving communication reliability.

[0035] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; or, the first indication information is carried in Media Access Control-Control Unit (MAC CE); or, the first indication information is carried in Downlink Control Information (DCI). This can improve communication reliability.

[0036] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is RRC signaling; or, the first indication information is MAC CE; or, the first indication information is DCI.

[0037] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, when the network device configures a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal and the terminal has not received an activation command from the network device; or, when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal and the terminal receives an activation command from the network device; or, when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives an activation command from the network device, and the terminal has completed SCell activation, the first indication information is used to activate the SSB transmission and / or indicate the SSB transmission resources; wherein the activation command is used to indicate SCell activation.

[0038] When the network device configures the SCell for the terminal and the SCell is already activated, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB. When the terminal completes measurement and synchronization; or when the terminal completes SCell activation, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0039] In this implementation, when SSB transmission is required, the transmission of SSB can be activated and / or the transmission resources of SSB can be indicated by the first indication information to transmit SSB; or, the transmission resources of SSB can be directly indicated by the first indication information to transmit SSB; when SSB transmission is not required, the transmission of SSB can be activated by the first indication information to stop the transmission of SSB, thereby realizing on-demand transmission of SSB, reducing energy waste, and achieving network energy saving.

[0040] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the transmission resources of the SSB include one or more of the following: an index of the SCell used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal; the subcarrier spacing of the SSB; one or more SSB cycles; the number of transmissions in the SSB cycle; the absolute radio frequency domain channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the time domain resources of the SSB; and the type of the SSB.

[0041] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the time-domain resources of the SSB include at least one of the following: the starting position of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the length of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the time-domain resources of the SSB, and the valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst.

[0042] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module being configured to receive first indication information from a network device; the first indication information being configured to activate the transmission of an SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of an SSB; or, the first indication information being configured to deactivate the transmission of an SSB.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the processing module is configured to receive or not receive an SSB based on a first indication.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is configured to receive an SSB when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; and the transceiver module is configured to stop (or not) receiving the SSB when the first execution information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of SSB, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being N is used to indicate receiving an SSB for N SSB cycles, and the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being infinite is used to indicate receiving an SSB according to the SSB cycle.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of an SSB, after receiving an SSB according to the first SSB cycle, the system switches to receiving an SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB according to the first SSB cycle, switching to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle includes: when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB for N first SSB cycles, switching to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, which includes an active state or a deactivated state; when the transmission status is active, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; when the transmission status is deactivated, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; or, the first indication information is carried in Media Access Control-Control Unit (MAC CE); or, the first indication information is carried in Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0050] In one possible implementation, when the network device configures a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal and the terminal has not received an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal and the terminal receives an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives an activation command from the network device, and the terminal has completed SCell activation, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; wherein the activation command is used to indicate the activation of the SCell.

[0051] When the network device configures the SCell for the terminal and the SCell is already activated, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB. When the terminal completes measurement and synchronization; or when the terminal completes SCell activation, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the transmission resources of the SSB include one or more of the following: an index of the SCell used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal; the subcarrier spacing of the SSB; one or more SSB cycles; the number of transmissions in the SSB cycle; the absolute radio frequency domain channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the time domain resources of the SSB; and the type of the SSB.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the time-domain resources of the SSB include at least one of the following: the starting position of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the length of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the time-domain resources of the SSB, and the valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst.

[0054] In one possible implementation, if the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before receiving the first indication information from the network device, receiving an index of the SCell and configuration information of the SCell from the network device, wherein the index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

[0055] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing module and a transceiver module, the transceiver module being used to send first indication information; the first indication information being used to activate the transmission of an SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of an SSB; or, the first indication information being used to deactivate the transmission of an SSB.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the processing module is used to obtain first indication information.

[0057] In one possible implementation, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the transceiver module is used to send the SSB; when the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB, the transceiver module is used to stop sending (or not send) the SSB.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, and the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of SSB, the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being N is used to indicate the transmission of SSB for N SSB cycles, and the number of transmissions of the SSB cycle being infinite is used to indicate the transmission of SSB according to the SSB cycle.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of an SSB, after an SSB is sent according to the first SSB cycle, the transmission switches to sending an SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after sending the SSB according to the first SSB cycle, switching to sending the SSB according to the second SSB cycle includes: when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after sending N SSB cycles of the first SSB cycle, switching to sending the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, which includes an active state or a deactivated state; when the transmission status is active, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; when the transmission status is deactivated, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; or, the first indication information is carried in Media Access Control-Control Unit (MAC CE); or, the first indication information is carried in Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0063] In one possible implementation, when the network device configures a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal and the terminal has not received an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal and the terminal receives an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives an activation command from the network device, and the terminal has completed SCell activation, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; wherein the activation command is used to indicate the activation of the SCell.

[0064] When the network device configures the SCell for the terminal and the SCell is already activated, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB. When the terminal completes measurement and synchronization; or when the terminal completes SCell activation, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the transmission resources of the SSB include one or more of the following: an index of the SCell used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal; the subcarrier spacing of the SSB; one or more SSB cycles; the number of transmissions in the SSB cycle; the absolute radio frequency domain channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the frequency domain resources of the SSB; the time domain resources of the SSB; and the type of the SSB.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the time-domain resources of the SSB include at least one of the following: the starting position of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the length of the time-domain resources of the SSB, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the time-domain resources of the SSB, and the valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst.

[0067] In one possible implementation, where the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before sending the first indication information, sending an index of the SCell and configuration information of the SCell, wherein the index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

[0068] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0069] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0070] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0071] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0072] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0073] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite. When the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0074] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0075] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0076] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0077] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0078] Ninthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0079] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0080] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or possible implementations to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0081] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0082] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or network device.

[0083] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through twelfth can be referenced from the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two, and will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0084] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the communication system.

[0085] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the network device structure;

[0086] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 4A schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the SCell activation process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 6 Another schematic diagram of the SCell activation process provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0090] Figure 7 Another schematic diagram of the SCell activation process provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0091] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the activation of SCell provided in this application embodiment;

[0092] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of an SSB cycle provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0093] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of multiple SSB cycles provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0094] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0095] Figure 12 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0096] The technical solution provided in this application can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) communication systems, such as 4th generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, 5th generation (4G) New Radio (NR) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, LTE and NR hybrid networking systems, device-to-device (D2D) systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and other future communication systems. Alternatively, the communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, without limitation.

[0097] The communication systems described above that are applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples, and the application is not limited to these systems. This will be explained in detail here and will not be repeated below.

[0098] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 applicable to embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 100 also includes an Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (such as...). Figure 1 110a and 110b in the above), may also include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 (Referring to 120a-120j in the original text). Terminal devices connect wirelessly to wireless access network (WLAN) devices, which in turn connect to the core network via wireless or wired connections. The core network device and the WLAN device can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the WLAN device onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some core network device functions and some WLAN device functions. Terminals and WLAN devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections.

[0099] It should be understood that Figure 1 This is just an illustration; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 The text is not indicated.

[0100] Optionally, the wireless access network device in this application embodiment is an access device that allows a terminal to access the communication system wirelessly. It can also be called a network device, a device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. This network device can be a node in the wireless access network, also known as a base station, or a radio access network (RAN) node (or device). The network device can be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 1 The 110a in the text can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as...). Figure 1 The node in 110b) can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the network device. For ease of description, network device is used as a shorthand for wireless access network device, and base station is used as an example of wireless access network device.

[0101] For example, network equipment may include evolved base stations (NodeBs, eNBs, or evolutionary Node Bs, e-NodeBs) in LTE or LTE-A systems, such as traditional macro base stations (eNBs) and micro base stations (eNBs) in heterogeneous network scenarios. Alternatively, it may include next-generation node Bs (gNBs) in NR systems. It may also include transmission reception points (TRPs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved NodeBs, or home Node Bs, HNBs), base band units (BBUs), base band pools, or wireless fidelity (WiFi) access points (APs). Alternatively, it may include base stations in an NTN, which can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. In an NTN, network equipment can act as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, a DU, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the network device can be a device that implements base station functions in IoT, such as V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M) devices that implement base station functions. This application embodiment is not limited to this.

[0102] Optionally, the base station in this application embodiment may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base station, micro base station (also known as small station), relay station, access point, home base station, TRP, transmitting point (TP), mobile switching center, etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these.

[0103] Optionally, as a possible deployment form, such as Figure 2 As shown, the network device may include a central unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU). Furthermore, the network device may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). As another possible deployment configuration, the network device may include a radio unit (RU), or a device comprising CU, DU, and RU. The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), AAU, or remote radio head (RRH).

[0104] Optionally, the CU can implement some of the functions of the network device, while the DU can implement other functions. For example, the CU can handle non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU can handle physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. It should be noted that this division of protocol layers is merely an example, and it can also be applied to other protocol layers.

[0105] Optionally, the AAU can implement some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Information from the RRC layer ultimately becomes information from the PHY layer, or is derived from information from the PHY layer. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling (such as RRC layer signaling) can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by both the DU and the AAU.

[0106] Furthermore, the CU control plane (CU-CP) and user plane (CU-UP) can be separated and implemented as different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity).

[0107] Optional, in Figure 2 In the network device architecture shown, signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal via the DU, or signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the CU via the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and pass it through to the terminal or CU without parsing it.

[0108] Optionally, the terminal in this application embodiment can be a user-side device used to implement wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in the terminal. The terminal can be user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, or terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved from 5G. Access terminals can be cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices or wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. Alternatively, terminals can be communication-enabled terminals in the Internet of Things (IoT), such as terminals in V2X (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, terminals in D2D communication, or terminals in M2M communication, etc. Terminals can be mobile or fixed. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form used in the terminal.

[0109] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0110] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0111] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0112] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0113] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0114] 1. Secondary cell (SCell)

[0115] In a 5G system, after a terminal enters connected mode, it can communicate with the source network device simultaneously via multiple component carriers. The source network device will assign a primary component carrier (PCC) to the terminal through explicit configuration or according to protocol. The other component carriers are called secondary component carriers (SCCs). The serving cell on the PCC is called the primary cell (PCell), and the serving cell on the SCC is called the SCell. The SCell can only transmit data when it is active.

[0116] 2. SSB

[0117] The primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) can be collectively referred to as SSB.

[0118] For example, SSBs can be carried by SSB beams. Therefore, in this embodiment, the network device sending an SSB can also be understood as sending an SSB beam, and the terminal receiving an SSB can also be understood as receiving an SSB beam. SSBs and SSB beams can be interchanged. In the spatial domain, both the transmission and reception of SSBs are periodic scans.

[0119] A beam can be understood as a communication resource. The technology used to form a beam can be beamforming technology or other techniques. Different beams can be considered different resources.

[0120] In the protocol, beams can be specifically represented by indexes of various signals (or resources), such as resource indices of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), SSB index, sounding reference signal (SRS) resource index, and tracking reference signal (TRS) resource index.

[0121] Furthermore, the beam can also be represented in the protocol as a spatial domain filter, or a spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, or quasi-co-location (QCL) information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by the transmission configuration indication (TCI) state parameter or by the spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, the beam can also be replaced by spatial domain filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state, or spatial relation, etc. These terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam in this application can also be replaced by other beam-related terms, and this application does not limit this.

[0122] Network energy efficiency is crucial for environmental sustainability, reducing environmental impact (greenhouse gas emissions), and saving operating costs. As 5G systems become more widespread across industries and geographic regions, processing more advanced services and applications requires extremely high data rates, leading to denser networks. For example, 5G systems will utilize more antennas, greater bandwidth, and more frequency bands for network communication, resulting in increased energy consumption for current 5G systems, future 6G systems, and further evolving communication systems.

[0123] Currently, energy consumption has become a key component of operators' operating expenses (OPEX). According to a report by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), energy costs for mobile networks account for approximately 23% of operators' total costs. The majority of energy consumption comes from the radio access network, particularly the AAU, while data centers and fiber optic transmission account for a smaller share. The power consumption of radio access can be divided into two parts: dynamic and static components.

[0124] The dynamic portion is consumed during data transmission / reception, while the static portion is consumed when necessary for the wireless access device to operate, i.e., when no data is being transmitted / received. For example, if there are no terminal accesses and / or the terminal does not require radio resource management (RRM) measurements, the network device's periodic broadcasting of SSBs will prevent the network device from entering sleep mode or deep sleep mode, resulting in energy waste and hindering network energy efficiency.

[0125] Correspondingly, the terminal will periodically perform RRM measurements during movement. During measurement, the terminal can periodically measure multiple SSBs to select the SSB with the best signal quality based on the received SSBs. However, this periodic measurement of multiple SSBs also leads to energy waste for the terminal and is detrimental to network energy efficiency.

[0126] Based on this, this application provides a communication method that can reduce SSB transmission by activating or deactivating SSB transmission, enabling the device to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing resource consumption and achieving network energy saving.

[0127] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0128] It should be noted that the message names between various functions or entities or the names of information in the messages in the following embodiments of this application are just examples. In specific implementations, other names may also be used, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0129] like Figure 3 The image shows a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0130] S201, The network device obtains the first instruction information.

[0131] In other words, the network device determines the first instruction information.

[0132] The first indication information is used to activate the SSB's transmission and / or indicate the SSB's transmission resources; or, the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB's transmission. The SSB's transmission resources are used to support terminal access to network devices and communication with the network devices. Examples of SSB transmission resources are provided in the following embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0133] In one possible scenario, the first indication information used to activate SSB transmission can also be described as: the first indication information is used to indicate SSB transmission. Similarly, the first indication information used to deactivate SSB transmission can be described as: the first indication information is used to indicate stopping SSB transmission. For ease of description, this application embodiment will use the example of the first indication information being used to activate or deactivate SSB transmission.

[0134] In one possible scenario, activating SSB transmission can also be understood as activating SSB; deactivating SSB transmission can also be understood as deactivating SSB. As mentioned above, SSB can be carried by SSB beams. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, activating SSB can also be understood as activating SSB beams, and deactivating SSB can also be understood as deactivating SSB beams.

[0135] In one possible scenario, SSB transmission includes both sending and receiving, both of which are performed via beam scanning, with each SSB corresponding to a beam scanning direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, activating SSB transmission can be understood as scanning SSBs on different beams. Conversely, deactivating SSB transmission can be understood as stopping SSB scanning on different beams.

[0136] In one possible scenario, the first indication information is also used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, which includes an active or deactivated status. When the transmission status is active, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; when the transmission status is deactivated, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

[0137] The active state can also be described as "active state," which means that the transmission or reception of SSBs can be realized. The deactivated state is a concept corresponding to the active state, and can also be described as "inactive state" or "deactivated state," etc., without limitation. The deactivated state means that the transmission or reception of SSBs cannot be realized. Of course, the active and deactivated states can also include other descriptions, and this application embodiment does not limit them.

[0138] In one implementation, the first indication information can be configured by the network device; or, the first indication information can be specified by a protocol, etc., without limitation. For example, configuring the first indication information by the network device includes: the network device configuring it according to its own data transmission needs; or, the network device configuring it according to the data transmission needs of the terminal. For instance, the network device receives a buffer status reporting (BSR) report from the terminal, which indicates the amount of data that needs to be transmitted on the uplink (the signal transmission link sent by the terminal to the network device). The network device configures the first indication information based on the BSR reported by the terminal.

[0139] S202, The network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the first instruction message accordingly.

[0140] In one possible scenario, if the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the network device sends the SSB to the terminal.

[0141] In one implementation, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, the network device sends an SSB activation instruction to the terminal and sends the SSB to the terminal.

[0142] For example, the activation command can be carried in RRC signaling; or, the activation command can be carried in MAC CE; or, the activation command can be carried in DCI, etc., without limitation. In other words, the activation command can be RRC signaling; or, the activation command can be MAC CE; or, the activation command can be DCI, etc., without limitation.

[0143] In another implementation, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the network device sends an activation instruction for the SSB to the terminal and sends the SSB to the terminal according to the transmission resources of the SSB.

[0144] In another implementation, when the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the network device sends the SSB to the terminal according to the transmission resources of the SSB.

[0145] For example, a network device can transmit SSBs by beam scanning, that is, transmit multiple SSBs on different beams in a time-division multiplexing manner.

[0146] In one possible scenario, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB transmission, the network device stops sending SSBs to (or does not send SSBs to) the terminal. In one implementation, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB, the network device sends an SSB deactivation instruction to the terminal and stops sending SSBs to the terminal; or, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB, the network device sends an SSB deactivation instruction to the terminal but does not send SSBs to the terminal.

[0147] For example, the deactivation command can be carried in RRC signaling; or, the deactivation command can be carried in MAC CE; or, the deactivation command can be carried in DCI, etc., without limitation. In other words, the deactivation command can be RRC signaling; or, the deactivation command can be MAC CE; or, the deactivation command can be DCI, etc., without limitation.

[0148] Optionally, the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB transmission and indicate the SSB transmission resources. In this optional mode, the network device stops sending SSBs to (or does not send SSBs to) the terminal. For example, the network device sends an SSB deactivation instruction to the terminal and ignores the SSB transmission resources. That is, when the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB and indicate the SSB transmission resources, the network device sends an SSB deactivation instruction to the terminal, but does not send the SSB to the terminal according to the SSB transmission resources.

[0149] Optionally, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, and the transmission resources of the SSB are configured as invalid resources. That is, the network device can instruct the deactivation of SSB transmission by configuring the transmission resources of the SSB as invalid resources, i.e., stop sending SSBs to (or not send SSBs to) the terminal. For example, setting the bits occupied by the transmission resources of the SSB to "0" to instruct the deactivation of SSB transmission; or setting the bits occupied by the transmission resources of the SSB to "00" to instruct the deactivation of SSB transmission, etc., is not limited.

[0150] In one possibility, the first indication information may be carried in RRC signaling; or, the first indication information may be carried in medium access control (MAC) - control element (CE); or, the first indication information may be carried in downlink control information (DCI), etc., without limitation.

[0151] In one possible scenario, the first indication information could be RRC signaling; or, the first indication information could be MACCE; or, the first indication information could be DCI, etc., without limitation.

[0152] Optionally, the first indication information can be represented by 1 bit; when the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the transmission of the SSB is activated; when the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the transmission of the SSB is deactivated. Alternatively, the 1 bit can be 0 to indicate that the transmission of the SSB is activated; and the 1 bit can be 1 to indicate that the transmission of the SSB is deactivated, without limitation.

[0153] In one implementation, when the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, the first indication information can be carried in RRC signaling; or, the first indication information can be RRC signaling. That is, the network device can configure the transmission status of the SSB through RRC signaling.

[0154] In one implementation, if the first indication information does not indicate the transmission state of the SSB; or if the first indication information indicates the transmission state of the SSB and that transmission state is a special state, the first indication information can also be carried in the MAC CE or DCI; or, the first indication information can also be the MAC CE or DCI. That is, if the network device does not configure the transmission state of the SSB, or configures the transmission state of the SSB to be a special state, the network device can activate or deactivate the transmission of the SSB through the MAC CE or DCI indication.

[0155] Among them, a special state is a state other than an active state or a deactivated state. For example, a special state can be an intermediate state, etc., without limitation.

[0156] S203. The terminal may or may not receive the SSB from the network device according to the first instruction information.

[0157] Alternatively, the terminal determines whether to receive the SSB based on the first instruction information.

[0158] In one possible scenario, if the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the terminal receives the SSB from the network device.

[0159] In one implementation, when the first instruction information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, the terminal receives the SSB activation instruction from the network device and sends the SSB received from the network device.

[0160] In another implementation, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the terminal receives the activation instruction of the SSB from the network device and receives the SSB from the network device according to the transmission resources of the SSB.

[0161] In another implementation, when the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the terminal receives the SSB from the network device according to the transmission resources of the SSB. For example, the terminal can receive the SSB by beam scanning, that is, by receiving multiple SSBs on different beams in a time-division multiplexing manner.

[0162] In another possible scenario, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB transmission, the terminal stops receiving (or does not receive) the SSB from the network device. In one implementation, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB, the terminal receives the SSB deactivation instruction from the network device and stops receiving the SSB from the network device; or, if the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB, the terminal receives the SSB deactivation instruction from the network device but does not receive the SSB from the network device.

[0163] Optionally, the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB transmission and indicate the SSB transmission resources. In this optional mode, the terminal stops receiving (or does not receive) the SSB from the network device. For example, the terminal receives the SSB deactivation instruction from the network device, but ignores the SSB transmission resources from the network device. That is, when the first indication information is used to deactivate the SSB and indicate the SSB transmission resources, the terminal receives the SSB deactivation instruction from the network device, but does not receive the SSB from the network device according to the SSB transmission resources.

[0164] Optionally, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, and the transmission resources of the SSB are configured as invalid resources. That is, because the transmission resources of the SSB indicated by the first indication information are configured as invalid resources, the network device stops sending SSBs to (or does not send) them to the terminal, so the terminal cannot receive SSBs from the network device.

[0165] Based on the above scheme, on the one hand, the network device can reduce the amount of SSB sent to the terminal by activating and / or indicating the transmission resources of SSB through the first indication information, or by activating the transmission of SSB through the first indication information, thereby enabling the network device to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thus reducing energy consumption and achieving the purpose of network energy saving.

[0166] On the other hand, by activating and / or instructing the transmission resources of the SSB through the first indication information, or by activating the transmission of the SSB through the first indication information, the terminal can reduce the reception of the SSB, enabling the terminal to enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving the purpose of network energy saving.

[0167] In one implementation, Figure 3The method shown can be applied to carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios. CA can aggregate two or more component carriers (CCs) together to support greater transmission bandwidth, thereby meeting the demands for increased single-user peak rates and system capacity. When using CA technology, the terminal can communicate with both the PCell and SCell simultaneously.

[0168] like Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a carrier aggregation scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. When applying CA technology, cell 1 can be a PCell, and the terminal communicates with the PCell via PCC, establishing an RRC connection between the terminal and the PCell. The PCell can be the cell established when the terminal initiates an initial connection; or, the PCell can be the cell for RRC connection reconstruction; or, the PCell can be the cell specified during cell handover. Cells 2 and 3 are two different SCells used to provide additional radio resources; there is no RRC connection between the SCells and the terminal. The SCells are added / modified / released by the network device to the terminal via RRC connection reconfiguration messages after the initial security activation process. The terminal communicates with cell 2 via SCC1, and with cell 3 via SCC2. In other words, the SCell is configured by the network device for the terminal to provide additional radio resources. Optionally, the network device can configure one or more SCells for the terminal.

[0169] As described above, a SCell can only transmit data when it is active. Therefore, a terminal needs to activate the SCell before it can transmit data. Optionally, the SCell activation process includes: the network device configuring the SCell for the terminal, the network device sending an activation command to the terminal, and the terminal receiving the activation command and activating the corresponding SCell. In this SCell activation process, the network device needs to send an SSB to the terminal. The terminal can perform RRM measurements based on the received SSB to obtain the signal quality of the SCell covered by the network device. For example, the terminal can calculate (or determine) the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) of the SCell based on the received SSB to determine the signal quality of the SCell. Optionally, the terminal can select the SCell with the best signal quality and activate it. The aforementioned parameters related to the signal quality of the SCell (such as RSRP or RSRQ) are merely examples and do not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0170] One possible scenario, based on Figure 4 In the carrier aggregation scenario shown, the SCell activation process can include the following different scenario examples.

[0171] Scenario 1: The network device has configured SCell for the terminal, but the terminal has not received the activation command from the network device.

[0172] The activation command can be used to instruct the activation of a SCell. This will be explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0173] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, after the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, it transmits the SSB of each SCell on the frequency corresponding to each SCell. During movement, the terminal performs RRM measurements. During measurement, the terminal can measure the SSBs of multiple SCells to calculate the RSRP and RSPQ of each SCell. When the terminal determines that the RSRP and RSPQ meet certain conditions, it reports the RSRP and RSPQ of the SCell to the network device.

[0174] Optionally, the terminal determining that RSRP and RSPQ meet certain conditions may include: the terminal determining that RSRP and RSPQ are greater than a threshold. This threshold may be configured by the terminal device itself; or it may be configured by the network device and sent to the terminal; or it may be specified by the protocol, etc., and is not limited thereto.

[0175] Scenario 2: The network device has configured SCell for the terminal, and the terminal receives the activation command from the network device.

[0176] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, after the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal reports the RSRP and RSPQ of the SCells that meet the conditions to the network device based on the SSB of each SCell sent by the network device. When the network device determines that a certain amount of data needs to be sent by a SCell to the terminal, the network device will send an activation command to the terminal to notify the terminal that the SCell needs to be activated.

[0177] Optionally, after sending an activation command to the terminal, the network device transmits the SSB of the SCell to be activated on the frequency point of the SCell to be activated. Correspondingly, after receiving the activation command from the network device, when the terminal determines that it wants to activate the SCell, it can perform a cell search to obtain the frequency point information of the SCell to be activated, and use that frequency point information to receive the SSB sent by the network device, thereby activating the SCell.

[0178] Scenario 3: The network device configures SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives the activation command from the network device, and the terminal completes the activation of SCell.

[0179] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, after the terminal activates a SCell, the network device transmits the SSB of the activated SCell on the corresponding frequency point. During movement, the terminal performs RRM measurements. During measurement, the terminal can measure the SSB of the activated SCell to calculate the RSRP and RSPQ of the activated SCell based on the received SSB. If the terminal determines that the RSRP and RSPQ meet certain conditions, it can perform mobility management processes such as cell selection, reselection, or handover. Optionally, if the terminal determines that the RSRP and RSPQ meet certain conditions, it can report the RSRP and RSPQ, as well as the SSB resource indicator (SS / PBCH block resource indicator, SSBRI), to the network device to enable initial beam management.

[0180] On the other hand, the network device transmits the SSB of the active SCell on the corresponding frequency point of the active SCell, covering the entire active SCell through beam scanning. That is, the network device transmits beams in different directions at multiple times to cover the entire active SCell. Each beam needs to be configured with PSS, SSS, and PBCH, and must be transmitted simultaneously to ensure that the terminal is synchronized with the SCell.

[0181] Scenario 4: The network device has configured SCell for the terminal and activated SCell.

[0182] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the network device configures and activates the SCell for the terminal. In this case, the network device does not need to send an activation command to the terminal to instruct it to activate the SCell. Therefore, with the SCell already activated, the network device can send an SSB to enable the terminal to perform mobility management tasks such as cell measurement, selection, reselection, or handover. Furthermore, the network device can send an SSB to synchronize the terminal with the SCell. The specific implementation method can be found in the relevant description in Scenario 3 above, and will not be limited here.

[0183] In an alternative scenario, in scenario 4 above, the network device can activate the SCell while configuring it for the terminal in the following way.

[0184] For example, before sending the first indication information, the network device sends the SCell index and SCell configuration information (or sCellState configuration information) to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the SCell index and SCell configuration information. The SCell index indicates the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the SCell configuration information indicates the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell. In other words, scenario 4 above refers to the network device configuring the SCell for the terminal while simultaneously including the sCellState configuration information; that is, activating the SCell while configuring it. In this case, the network device implicitly indicates SCell activation and SSB transmission through the sCellState configuration information. This way, the network device does not need to separately send activation commands (indicating SCell activation) and activation instructions (indicating SSB activation) to the terminal, reducing signaling transmission and power consumption.

[0185] For example, a network device can send the SCell index and SCell configuration information to a terminal via RRC signaling. That is, the SCell index and SCell configuration information are carried in the RRC signaling; or in other words, the SCell index and SCell configuration information are RRC signaling.

[0186] Optionally, an SCell index may include multiple SCell indexes, each of which corresponds to one SCell, and different SCells correspond to different SCell indexes.

[0187] Based on the descriptions of scenarios 1-4 above, it can be understood that during and after SCell activation, the network device needs to send an SSB to the terminal. The terminal receives the SSB sent by the network device and then completes measurement and synchronization. Therefore, in this embodiment, the network device can activate or deactivate SSB transmission when there is an SSB transmission requirement, thus achieving on-demand SSB transmission. Compared to the network device continuously broadcasting SSBs (or periodically sending SSBs), this reduces SSB transmission, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving network energy saving.

[0188] In one implementation, under scenarios 1-4 above, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB. That is, under scenarios 1-4 above, the network device can send an SSB to the terminal by activating the transmission of the SSB and / or indicating the transmission resources of the SSB. The terminal, based on the received SSB, activates the corresponding SCell and completes measurement and synchronization.

[0189] For example, network devices can activate SSB transport and / or indicate SSB transport resources via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0190] In one implementation, under scenario 4 above, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB. That is, if the network device has configured and activated the SCell for the terminal, the terminal does not need to receive an activation command from the network device to activate the corresponding SCell. Thus, the network device can send the SSB to the terminal according to the transmission resources indicated by the first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the SSB from the network device according to the transmission resources indicated by the first indication information, completing measurement and synchronization. In this scenario, the network device does not need to activate the SSB transmission through the first indication information, which reduces signaling interaction, further reduces energy consumption, and achieves network energy saving.

[0191] For example, a network device can indicate the transmission resources of the SSB through RRC signaling reconfiguration; or, a network device can indicate the transmission resources of the SSB through MAC CE or DCI.

[0192] In one implementation, when the terminal completes measurement and synchronization, or when the terminal activates the SCell, the first indication information is used to deactivate SSB transmission. That is, when the terminal completes measurement and synchronization, or when the terminal activates the SCell, the network device uses the first indication information to deactivate SSB transmission, stopping (or not sending) SSBs to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information to deactivate SSB transmission and stops receiving (or not receiving) SSBs from the network device, thereby reducing SSB transmission, lowering energy consumption, and achieving network energy saving.

[0193] For example, a network device can activate SSB transmission through RRC signaling reconfiguration; or, a network device can activate SSB transmission through MAC CE or DCI.

[0194] In one possible scenario, the SSB's transport resources include one or more of the following AHs:

[0195] a: The index of the SCell. The index of the SCell indicates the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal.

[0196] Optionally, an SCell index may include multiple SCell indexes, each of which corresponds to one SCell, and different SCells correspond to different SCell indexes.

[0197] b: Subcarrier space (SCS) of SSB.

[0198] Subcarrier spacing refers to the frequency distance between adjacent subcarriers. Subcarrier spacing determines the number of subcarriers and the bandwidth of each subcarrier. In multicarrier communication, the time interval between different subcarriers is also called the subcarrier interval time.

[0199] It should be understood that the subcarrier spacing can be configured independently by the network device according to the actual scenario or predefined, and this application does not impose any restrictions. Generally, the smaller the subcarrier spacing, the more subcarriers can be accommodated, and the smaller the bandwidth, thereby reducing the data transmission rate.

[0200] c: Absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB.

[0201] ARFCN is a code used to identify the transmit and receive reference frequencies.

[0202] d: Frequency domain resources of SSB.

[0203] In one possibility, the frequency domain resources of the SSB can be the specific frequency domain resources used for SSB transmission; or, the frequency domain resources of the SSB can be the location of the frequency domain resources used for SSB transmission. That is to say, the first indication information can indicate a specific frequency domain resource or the location of the frequency domain resource.

[0204] In one possibility, the location of the frequency domain resources of the SSB can be indicated by the global synchronization channel number (GSCN) or the ARFCN.

[0205] e: Time-domain resources of SSB.

[0206] In one possible scenario, the time-domain resources of the SSB can be the specific time-domain resources used by the SSB transmission. For example, the time-domain resources of the SSB may include at least one of the following: the start position of the SSB's time-domain resources, the length of the SSB's time-domain resources, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the SSB's time-domain resources, and valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst, etc., without limitation. Optionally, the time-domain resources of the SSB may also include the end position of the SSB's time-domain resources, the end position and length of the SSB's time-domain resources, the start position and length of the SSB's time-domain resources, etc., without limitation.

[0207] The starting position of the time-domain resources of the SSB can be an absolute position, or it can be a relative position relative to a certain reference time. For example, the reference time can be the time when the reception of the first indication information is completed; or it can be the time when the transmission of the first indication information is completed, etc., without limitation.

[0208] One possible scenario is that the time-domain resources of an SSB can be represented by time slots and / or time-domain symbols. A time slot is the smallest scheduling unit for time-domain resources. For example, in NR, a time slot may include 14 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, each with a normal cyclic prefix (CP); or, a time slot may include 12 OFDM symbols, each with an extended CP; or, a time slot may include 7 OFDM symbols, each with a normal CP. It should be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative and should not constitute any limitation on this application. For forward compatibility reasons, the time slot format is not limited to the above examples.

[0209] In NR, for different subcarrier spacings, 1 millisecond (ms) can include different numbers of time slots. For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 15 kilohertz (kHz), 1 ms includes 1 time slot, which occupies 1 ms; when the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz, 1 ms includes 2 time slots, each occupying 0.5 ms.

[0210] In this application, a time-domain symbol is the smallest unit of time-domain resources. The length of a time-domain symbol is not limited in this embodiment. For example, the length of a time-domain symbol may vary for different subcarriers. For example, a time-domain symbol can be an uplink symbol or a downlink symbol. This is an example, not a limitation. An uplink symbol can be, for example, a single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol or an OFDM symbol; a downlink symbol can be, for example, an OFDM symbol.

[0211] In one possibility, the starting position of the SSB's time-domain resources can be in units of time slots and / or time-domain symbols. For example, the starting position of the SSB's time-domain resources can be the starting time slot and / or the starting time-domain symbol. Optionally, the starting position of the SSB's time-domain resources can also be the offset of the starting time-domain symbol relative to a reference time, which can be in units of time slots.

[0212] The length of the time-domain resource of the SSB can be used to indicate the number of time-domain symbols occupied by the SSB on the time-domain resource. For example, the SSB occupies 4 time-domain symbols (such as OFDM symbols) on the time-domain resource. That is, the length of the time-domain resource of the SSB is 4 OFDM symbols.

[0213] In one possibility, the time-domain offset value of the SSB can be an offset time-domain symbol or an offset time slot between two consecutive SSB opportunities, without limitation.

[0214] The time-domain resource pattern of the SSB can be configured independently by network devices according to the actual scenario or defined by the protocol. When the time-domain resource pattern of the SSB is defined by the protocol, it can include case A, case B, case C, case D, case E, case F, case G, and case H (specific details can be found in the target protocol), as well as other cases introduced in future evolution systems, without limitation. The distribution of the SSB's time-domain resource pattern in the time domain is determined based on different subcarrier spacings and frequency bands. Different patterns ensure the effective distribution of the SSB in the time domain to adapt to different communication needs and optimize network performance.

[0215] In this context, a single SSB (or the time-frequency resources occupied by an SSB) can be called an SSB burst. An SSB burst contains multiple SSB opportunities, and each SSB opportunity corresponds to one SSB transmission. The valid SSB opportunities within an SSB burst can be understood as the SSB opportunities used to transmit the corresponding SSB within the SSB burst. For example, SSB opportunities can be indicated using a bitmap. For instance, an SSB opportunity can be indicated by 1 bit; if the 1 bit is 1, it indicates a valid SSB opportunity; or, if the 1 bit is 0, it indicates a valid SSB opportunity. Alternatively, an SSB opportunity can also be indicated by 2 bits; for instance, if the 2 bits are 11, it indicates a valid SSB opportunity; or, if the 2 bits are 00, it indicates a valid SSB opportunity.

[0216] f: The type of SSB.

[0217] One possibility is that the SSB type can be a non-cell-defining SS block (NRNCD-SSB) or a cell-defining SS block (NRCD-SSB), or it can be the type of SSB defined in the future evolution system, without limitation.

[0218] g: One or more SSB cycles.

[0219] In one possible scenario, if the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, the SSB can be transmitted according to that SSB cycle. For example, if the first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, the network device can send an SSB to the terminal according to that SSB cycle; correspondingly, the terminal can receive an SSB according to that SSB cycle. For instance, taking an SSB cycle of 20ms as an example, the network device can send an SSB to the terminal every 20ms; correspondingly, the terminal can receive an SSB every 20ms.

[0220] Optionally, when the first indication information indicates multiple SSB cycles, SSBs can be transmitted according to multiple SSB cycles. For example, when the first indication information indicates multiple SSB cycles, the network device can send SSBs to the terminal according to multiple SSB cycles; correspondingly, the terminal can receive SSBs according to multiple SSB cycles. For instance, taking multiple SSB cycles including 20ms and 160ms as an example, the network device can send SSBs to the terminal every 20ms and every 160ms; correspondingly, the terminal can receive SSBs every 20ms and every 160ms.

[0221] h: Number of transmissions in the SSB cycle.

[0222] The number of transmissions in an SSB cycle can be understood as the number of times an SSB is transmitted repeatedly.

[0223] In one example, such as Figure 9 As shown, when the first indication information is used to indicate one SSB cycle, the number of SSB cycle transmissions is N, where N is a positive integer. Wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, the number of SSB cycle transmissions is N, indicating the transmission of an SSB for N SSB cycles.

[0224] For example, when N=4 and the SSB period is 20ms, the first indication information is used to indicate one SSB period. The number of transmissions in the SSB period is N, which can be understood as: transmitting 4 20ms SSBs.

[0225] Optionally, after transmitting N SSB cycles of SSB, the transmission of SSB can be activated or deactivated via a first indication message. For example, the activation or deactivation of SSB transmission can be performed via MAC CE or DCI.

[0226] In another example, when the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, the number of SSB cycle transmissions is infinite. Here, "infinitely many" indicates that SSBs are transmitted according to the SSB cycle. For example, the network device continuously sends SSBs to the terminal according to the SSB cycle; correspondingly, the terminal continuously receives SSBs from the network device according to the SSB cycle. Alternatively, the network device continuously sends SSBs to the terminal according to the SSB cycle, and the terminal ignores the SSBs from the network device after completing measurement and synchronization.

[0227] For example, when the SSB period is 20ms, the first indication information is used to indicate one SSB period. The infinite number of transmissions in an SSB period can be understood as: transmitting SSBs every 20ms. That is, the network device continuously transmits SSBs every 20ms, and the terminal continuously receives SSBs from the network device every 20ms. In one implementation, the first indication information can be used to activate, stop (or not) transmit SSBs.

[0228] Optionally, if the number of transmissions in an SSB cycle is infinite, the network device can activate the SSB transmission through RRC signaling reconfiguration to end the current SSB transmission; or, the network device can configure the SSB transmission status to be deactivated to indicate the deactivation of the SSB transmission and end the current SSB transmission.

[0229] In another example, such as Figure 10 As shown, when the first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, the multiple SSB cycles include a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle. Specifically, when the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after transmitting an SSB according to the first SSB cycle, the transmission switches to transmitting an SSB according to the second SSB cycle. For example, when the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after the network device sends an SSB according to the first SSB cycle, it switches to sending an SSB according to the second SSB cycle; correspondingly, after the terminal receives an SSB according to the first SSB cycle, it switches to receiving an SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

[0230] Optional, such as Figure 10 As shown, the number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite. When the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after transmitting N SSB cycles of the first SSB cycle, the system switches to transmitting SSBs according to the second SSB cycle. For example, when the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after the network device sends N SSB cycles of the first SSB cycle to the terminal, it switches to sending SSBs to the terminal according to the second SSB cycle; correspondingly, after the terminal receives N SSB cycles of the first SSB cycle from the network device, it switches to receiving SSBs from the network device according to the second SSB cycle.

[0231] For example, assuming N=4, the first SSB period is 20ms, and the second SSB period is 160ms, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of SSB, after the network device sends four 20ms SSBs to the terminal, it switches to sending SSBs to the terminal at 160ms intervals; correspondingly, after the terminal receives four 20ms SSBs from the network device, it switches to receiving SSBs from the network device at 160ms intervals.

[0232] Optionally, if the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after transmitting N first SSB cycles of SSB, the network device can activate SSB transmission via MAC CE or DCI to switch to transmitting SSB according to the second SSB cycle. Alternatively, if the first indication information is used to activate SSB transmission, after transmitting N first SSB cycles of SSB, the device can switch to transmitting SSB according to the second SSB cycle after the terminal completes measurement and synchronization.

[0233] Optionally, when switching to transmitting SSBs according to the second SSB cycle, the network device can activate the transmission of the SSB through RRC signaling reconfiguration to end the transmission of the current SSB; or, the network device can configure the transmission status of the SSB to be deactivated to indicate the deactivation of the SSB transmission to end the transmission of the current SSB.

[0234] It should be noted that the above description of one or more SSB cycles and the number of transmissions per SSB cycle is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation on this application. Furthermore, the aforementioned one or more SSB cycles and the number of transmissions per SSB cycle can be independently configured by the network device according to the actual scenario or stipulated by the protocol, and are not limited thereto.

[0235] Based on the solutions in this application embodiment, on the one hand, the network device activates the transmission of SSB and / or indicates the transmission resources of SSB through the first indication information; or, the network device activates the transmission of SSB through the first indication information, and can send SSB to the terminal according to the transmission requirements of SSB, thereby reducing the number of SSBs sent to the terminal, so that the network device can enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving the purpose of network energy saving.

[0236] On the other hand, the terminal activates the transmission of SSB and / or indicates the transmission resources of SSB by receiving the first indication information from the network device; or, the terminal activates the transmission of SSB by receiving the first indication information from the network device, and can receive SSB from the network device according to the transmission requirements of SSB, thereby reducing the number of SSBs received by the terminal, and thus reducing the measurement of SSB, so that the terminal can enter sleep mode or deep sleep mode, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving the purpose of network energy saving.

[0237] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or in combination, without limitation. Unless otherwise specified or in conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the different embodiments provided in this application are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0238] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the various steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0239] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions provided in this application from the perspective of device-to-device interaction. It is understood that each device, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0240] This application embodiment can divide each device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0241] When dividing each function into modules according to its corresponding function. Figure 11 A communication device 110 is shown, which can perform the above-described... Figure 3 The actions performed by any device among the terminal and network devices in the method shown, and all related content of each step involved in the above method embodiments, can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module. The technical effects that can be obtained can be referred to the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0242] The communication device 110 may include a transceiver module 1101 and a processing module 1102. Exemplarily, the communication device 110 may be a communication equipment, or a chip or other combination device or component having the aforementioned communication device functions. When the communication device 110 is a communication equipment, the transceiver module 1101 may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits; the processing module 1102 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor, which may include one or more CPUs. When the communication device 110 is a component having the aforementioned communication device functions, the transceiver module 1101 may be a radio frequency unit; the processing module 1102 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor. When the communication device 110 is a chip system, the transceiver module 1101 may be an input / output interface of a chip (e.g., a baseband chip); the processing module 1102 may be a processor (or processing circuit) of the chip system, and may include one or more central processing units. It should be understood that the transceiver module 1101 in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components; the processing module 1102 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as processing circuit).

[0243] For example, transceiver module 1101 can be used to perform... Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, all transmit and receive operations performed by the communication device, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein; the processing module 1102 can be used to perform Figure 3 The embodiments shown include all operations performed by the communication device other than the transmit and receive operations, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0244] As another feasible approach Figure 11 The transceiver module 1101 can be replaced by a transceiver unit, which can integrate the functions of the transceiver module 1101; the processing module 1102 can be replaced by a processor, which can integrate the functions of the processing module 1102. Furthermore, Figure 11 The communication device 110 shown may also include a memory.

[0245] As another feasible approach Figure 11 The transceiver module 1101 can be replaced by a transceiver unit, which can integrate the functions of the transceiver module 1101; the processing module 1102 can be replaced by a processor, which can integrate the functions of the processing module 1102.

[0246] This application embodiment also provides a method such as Figure 12The communication device 120 shown can be a terminal device or a chip or system-on-a-chip (SoC) within a terminal device; it can also be a network device or a chip or SoC within a network device; or it can be a core network device or a chip or SoC within a core network device. Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 120 includes a processor 1201, a transceiver 1202, and a communication line 1203.

[0247] Furthermore, the communication device 120 may also include a memory 1204. The processor 1201, the memory 1204, and the transceiver 1302 can be connected via a communication line 1203.

[0248] The processor 1201 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 1901 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0249] Transceiver 1202 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. These other communication networks can be Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 1202 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of enabling communication.

[0250] Communication line 1203 is used to transmit information between the components included in communication device 120.

[0251] Memory 1204 is used to store instructions. These instructions can be computer programs.

[0252] The memory 1204 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions; it can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions; it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0253] It should be noted that the memory 1204 can exist independently of the processor 1201 or can be integrated with the processor 1201. The memory 1204 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data, etc. The memory 1204 can be located inside or outside the communication device 120, without limitation. The processor 1201 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1204 to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0254] In one example, processor 1201 may include one or more CPUs, for example Figure 12 CPU0 and CPU1 in the CPU.

[0255] As an optional implementation, the communication device 120 includes multiple processors, for example, besides Figure 12 In addition to processor 1201, it may also include processor 1207.

[0256] As an optional implementation, the communication device 120 also includes an output device 1205 and an input device 1206. For example, the input device 1206 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or joystick, and the output device 1205 is a device such as a display screen or speaker.

[0257] It should be noted that the communication device 120 can be a desktop computer, laptop computer, network server, mobile phone, tablet computer, wireless terminal, embedded device, chip system, or other device. Figure 10 Equipment with a similar structure. Furthermore... Figure 12 The structural composition shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except... Figure 10 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0258] In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0259] Furthermore, the actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referenced interchangeably without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages exchanged between the various devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations without limitation.

[0260] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0261] This application also provides a computer program that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0262] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the terminal (including a data sending end and / or a data receiving end) of any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the terminal's hard disk or memory. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the terminal, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both the terminal's internal storage unit and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0263] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. "First" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0264] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0265] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more. "More than one" means two or more. "At least two (items)" means two or three or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) 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 (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Both "...when" and "if" indicate that a corresponding action will be taken under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require a judgment action to be taken when the action is taken, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0266] 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 the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0267] In this application, "sending information to...(terminal device)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal device. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal device. "Receiving information from...(terminal device)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal device, and can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source.

[0268] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0269] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or 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 device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0270] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0271] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0272] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application embodiment, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor 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, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0273] The above description is intended to illustrate the technical solutions of this application only, and not to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. However, these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: Receive the first instruction information from the network device. Wherein, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, or the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first indication information is also used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, the transmission status including an active status or a deactivated status; When the transmission state is the active state, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; When the transmission state is the deactivated state, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the SSB is received; If the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB, then the reception of the SSB is stopped.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first indication information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; or, The first indication information is carried in the Media Access Control-Control Unit (MAC CE); or, The first indication information is carried in the downlink control information (DCI).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, When the network device configures a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal and the terminal does not receive an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal and the terminal receives an activation command from the network device; or when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives an activation command from the network device, and the terminal has completed the activation of the SCell, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; wherein, the activation command is used to indicate the activation of the SCell; When the network device has configured the SCell for the terminal and activated the SCell, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; When the terminal completes measurement and synchronization, or when the terminal completes SCell activation, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before receiving the first indication information from the network device: The system receives an index of the SCell and configuration information of the SCell from the network device. The index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transmission resources of the SSB include one or more of the following: The index of the SCell, which is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal; The subcarrier spacing of the SSB; One or more SSB cycles; Number of transmissions in an SSB cycle; The absolute radio frequency domain channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB; The frequency domain resources of the SSB; The time-domain resources of the SSB; The type of SSB.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The time-domain resources of the SSB include at least one of the following: The starting position of the time-domain resource of the SSB, the length of the time-domain resource of the SSB, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the time-domain resource of the SSB, and the valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, wherein the number of transmissions in the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; Wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, the transmission number of the SSB cycle is N to indicate receiving the SSB for N SSB cycles, and the transmission number of the SSB cycle is infinite to indicate receiving the SSB according to the SSB cycle.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, the multiple SSB cycles including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; Wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB according to the first SSB cycle, the system switches to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; the step of receiving the SSB according to the first SSB cycle and then switching to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle after receiving the SSB according to the first SSB cycle when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB includes: When the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after receiving the SSB for N first SSB cycles, the system switches to receiving the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: Send a first indication message, which is used to activate the transmission of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, or the first indication message is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first indication information is also used to indicate the transmission status of the SSB, the transmission status including an active status or a deactivated status; When the transmission state is the active state, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB; When the transmission state is the deactivated state, the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the SSB is sent; If the first indication information is used to deactivate the transmission of the SSB, the transmission of the SSB shall be stopped.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first indication information is carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; or, The first indication information is carried in the Media Access Control-Control Unit (MAC CE); or, The first indication information is carried in the downlink control information (DCI).

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that, When the network device configures a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal, and the terminal does not receive an activation command from the network device; or, when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, and the terminal receives an activation command from the network device; or, when the network device configures a SCell for the terminal, the terminal receives an activation command from the network device, and the terminal has completed the activation of the SCell, the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB and / or indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; wherein, the activation command is used to indicate the activation of the SCell; When the network device has configured the SCell for the terminal and activated the SCell, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB; When the terminal completes measurement and synchronization, or when the terminal completes SCell activation, the first indication information is used to indicate deactivation of the SSB transmission.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, When the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission resources of the SSB, the method further includes, before sending the first indication information: Send the index of the SCell and the configuration information of the SCell. The index of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal, and the configuration information of the SCell is used to indicate the SCell corresponding to the index of the activated SCell.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The transmission resources of the SSB include one or more of the following: The index of the SCell, which is used to indicate the SCell configured by the network device for the terminal; The subcarrier spacing of the SSB; One or more SSB cycles; Number of transmissions in an SSB cycle; The absolute radio frequency domain channel number (ARFCN) corresponding to the frequency domain resources of the SSB; The frequency domain resources of the SSB; The time-domain resources of the SSB; The type of SSB.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The time-domain resources of the SSB include at least one of the following: The starting position of the time-domain resource of the SSB, the length of the time-domain resource of the SSB, the time-domain offset value of the SSB, the pattern of the time-domain resource of the SSB, and the valid SSB opportunities within the SSB burst.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The first indication information is used to indicate an SSB cycle, wherein the number of transmissions in the SSB cycle is N or infinite, where N is a positive integer; Wherein, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, the transmission number of the SSB cycle is N to indicate the transmission of the SSB for N SSB cycles; the transmission number of the SSB cycle is infinite to indicate the transmission of the SSB according to the SSB cycle.

21. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The first indication information is used to indicate multiple SSB cycles, the multiple SSB cycles including a first SSB cycle and a second SSB cycle; Specifically, when the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after the SSB is transmitted according to the first SSB cycle, the transmission is switched to the second SSB cycle.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The number of transmissions in the first SSB cycle is N, and the number of transmissions in the second SSB cycle is infinite; the step of switching from transmitting the SSB according to the second SSB cycle after transmitting the SSB according to the first SSB cycle when the first indication is used to activate SSB transmission includes: When the first indication information is used to activate the transmission of the SSB, after sending the SSB for N first SSB cycles, the system switches to sending the SSB according to the second SSB cycle.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit, and is used to execute a program or instructions for the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the memory storing a method for performing the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or any one of claims 12 to 22.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in claim 23.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when run, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 or 12 to 22 to be performed.

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