Communication method, system and related equipment

Abstract

Provided in an embodiment of the present application are a communication method, system and related device, comprising: a UE acquiring a DRS, the DRS being used for synchronizing with a network element; then, the UE sends a wake-up signal, and the wake-up signal is used for waking up the network element to send at least one of the SSB and the SIB1; and then, the UE acquires at least one of the SSB and the SIB1, and accesses the network element according to the acquired at least one of the SSB and the SIB1. Before the wake-up signal is acquired, the UE can realize synchronization with the network element by acquiring the DRS sent by the network element, so that the network element does not need to send an SSB or an SIB1, and information carried in the DRS is generally less than information carried in the SSB / SIB1, so that the network element can save energy consumption generated by sending the SIB1, and energy conservation is realized.

Description

Communication method, system and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 18, 2024, with application number 202410075292.9 and invention name “Communication Methods, Systems and Related Equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, system and related equipment. Background Art

[0003] Currently, as shown in Figure 1a, network elements (such as base stations) periodically send synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs), as well as system information block 1 (SIB1) on multiple beams, so that user equipment (UE) within the signal coverage of the network element can synchronize with the network element in the time domain and access the network element based on the received SSBs and SIB1s.

[0004] As shown in Figure 1b, the SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). As shown in Figure 1b, the SSB occupies four orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the time domain and 240 subcarriers in the frequency domain. The UE can use the PSS and SSS to synchronize with the network element in the time domain, and can use the system information carried on the PBCH, such as the master information block (MIB), to decode the SIB1 broadcast by the network element to obtain the basic configuration information required to access the network element. After the UE is synchronized with the network element, it can use the basic configuration information obtained by decoding to access the network element.

[0005] Normally, a network element broadcasts SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams, which causes the network element to be continuously in a state of high-power broadcast signals, causing the energy consumption of the network element to remain at a high level for a long time. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, system and related equipment, the purpose of which is to reduce the energy consumption of network elements and achieve network energy saving.

[0007] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a UE, and the method includes: the UE obtains a DRS (discovery reference signal), such as receiving a DRS broadcast by a network element, and the DRS is used to synchronize with the network element, specifically, it can be downlink synchronization with the network element; then, the UE sends a wake-up signal (WUS), such as sending a wake-up signal to the network element, the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to send at least one of an SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block) and an SIB (system information block) 1; then, the UE obtains at least one of the SSB and SIB1, such as obtaining the SSB and / or SIB1 broadcast by the network element, and accesses the network element based on the obtained SSB and SIB1. After receiving the WUS, the network element may broadcast the SSB and SIB1; or, the network element may only broadcast the SSB, so that the UE can access the network element based on the locally stored SIB1 and the SSB broadcast by the network element; or, the network element may only broadcast the SIB1, so that the UE can access the network element based on the locally stored SSB and the SIB1 broadcast by the network element.

[0009] Because before receiving the wake-up signal, the UE can achieve synchronization with the network element by obtaining the DRS sent by the network element, which makes the network element not need to send SSB or SIB1, so the network element can save the energy consumption generated by sending SIB1, thereby achieving energy saving. Moreover, in actual application scenarios, the information carried in the DRS sent by the network element can usually be less than the information carried in the SSB. For example, DRS can only occupy 2 OFDM symbols in the time domain. This means that before receiving the wake-up signal, the energy consumption generated by the network element sending DRS will be less than the energy consumption generated by sending SSB, so the network element can further achieve energy saving.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the UE may send a wake-up signal based on the first time-frequency resource. The UE may also determine an identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the DRS broadcast by the network element. In this way, the UE may enable the network element to send a wake-up signal based on the first time-frequency resource indicated by network element 1 via the DRS to wake up the network element broadcast SSB and / or SIB1.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the DRS broadcast by the network element also includes at least one RE (resource element). Then, when the UE determines the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the DRS, it may specifically parse at least one RE in the DRS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. In this way, the network element can use the RE in the DRS to carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource to configure the time-frequency resource used by the UE when sending the wake-up signal, so as to successfully trigger the network element to broadcast SSB and / or SIB1.

[0012] In a possible implementation, when the UE determines the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the DRS, it may specifically parse the coding sequence of the DRS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource, and the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is used as a generation parameter of the coding sequence of the DRS. In this way, the network element can use the identifier of the first time-frequency resource as a generation parameter of the coding sequence of the DRS to configure the time-frequency resource used by the UE when sending a wake-up signal using the DRS, so as to successfully trigger the network element to broadcast SSB and / or SIB1.

[0013] In a possible implementation, when the UE obtains the DRS, it may specifically obtain at least one DRS within a signal broadcast period, so that when the UE determines the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the DRS, it may specifically determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the time distribution of at least one DRS within the signal broadcast period. In this way, the network element can configure the time-frequency resources used by the UE to send a wake-up signal by broadcasting the DRS within a signal broadcast period, so as to successfully trigger the network element to broadcast SSB and / or SIB1.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the UE may send a wake-up signal based on the first time-frequency resource. The UE may also randomly select a time-frequency resource from a plurality of predefined time-frequency resources as the first time-frequency resource. In this way, the UE may randomly select a time-frequency resource as the first time-frequency resource to enable the network element to send a wake-up signal, thereby waking up the network element to broadcast the SSB and / or SIB1.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the UE can send a wake-up signal based on the first time-frequency resource. Then, the UE can also determine at least one time-frequency resource associated with the UE, and determine the first time-frequency resource from the at least one time-frequency resource. In this way, the UE can randomly select a time-frequency resource as the first time-frequency resource to enable the network element to send a wake-up signal to wake up the network element to broadcast SSB and / or SIB1. At the same time, the network element can determine the relevant information of the UE, such as determining the group to which the UE belongs, by transmitting the first time-frequency resource used for the wake-up signal (the time-frequency resources that can be used by the UE in each group to send the wake-up signal are fixed one or more time-frequency resources).

[0016] In one possible implementation, the UE can send a wake-up signal based on the first time-frequency resource. Then, the UE can also obtain the group common DCI (downlink control information shared by the user group) sent by the network element, so that the UE can parse out the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from the group common DCI, so as to send a wake-up signal according to the first video resource indicated by the network element. In actual application, the group common DCI may include identifiers of time-frequency resources that can be used by multiple UEs to send wake-up signals to the network element, so that each UE that receives the group common DCI can parse out the identifiers of the time-frequency resources it needs.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the DRS includes a PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal) and an SSS (Secondary Synchronization Signal). In this way, the energy consumption generated by the network element broadcasting the DRS is less than the energy consumption generated by broadcasting the SSB, thereby enabling the network element to achieve energy saving.

[0018] In one possible implementation, when the UE obtains a DRS, it may specifically obtain multiple DRSs, each of the multiple DRSs corresponds to a beam, and different DRSs correspond to different beams, so that when the UE sends a wake-up signal, it can determine the first beam and send the wake-up signal on the first beam (using the resources associated with the first beam to send the wake-up signal), wherein the signal quality of the DRS located on the first beam among the multiple DRSs is the highest. In this way, the network element can broadcast SSB and / or SIB1 only on the first beam, and may not broadcast signals on other beams, thereby achieving further energy saving of the network element.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence, such as a low peak-to-average ratio code or a pseudo-random code. Alternatively, when the UE sends the wake-up signal, it may specifically send the wake-up signal on a RACH (random access channel). In this way, the network element can determine that the UE has sent the wake-up signal upon detecting a specific coding sequence or a signal on a specific channel, thereby triggering the network element to send an SSB and / or SIB1.

[0020] In one possible implementation, DRS occupies 2 OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols) in the time domain, the PSS in the DRS occupies the first OFDM, and the SSS in the DRS occupies the second OFDM; or, DRS occupies 4 OFDM in the time domain, the PSS in the DRS occupies the first OFDM, and the SSS in the DRS occupies the third OFDM.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the DRS sent by the network element is specifically LP-SS (low power synchronization signal). Then, after receiving the LP-SS, the UE can not only obtain downlink synchronization based on the LP-SS, but also measure the signal quality of the LP-SS. Moreover, when the signal quality of the received LP-SS is less than a threshold, the UE may send a wake-up signal to the network element. At this time, the wake-up signal sent by the UE to the network element is used to wake up the network element to send SSB, wherein SIB1 may be sent together with the SSB or may not be sent together with the SSB. In this way, when the signal quality of the received LP-SS is low, the UE can request the network element to broadcast the SSB and measure the signal reception quality of the UE under the signal coverage of the network element, so that when the signal reception quality (that is, the signal quality of the received SSB) is low, the network element to which the UE accesses can be switched.

[0022] On the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a network element, which may be, for example, a base station, etc. Specifically, the network element sends a DRS (discovery reference signal), such as periodically broadcasting a DRS, etc., and the DRS is used to provide synchronization for the UE, specifically to provide downlink synchronization; then, the network element obtains a wake-up signal, such as receiving a wake-up signal sent by the UE, and the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to send at least one of SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block) and SIB (system information block) 1, so that the network element sends at least one of SSB and SIB1 based on the wake-up signal, and SSB and SIB1 are used for UE to access the network element.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is transmitted based on the first time-frequency resource, and the DRS further includes at least one RE (resource element), and the at least one RE is used to indicate the first time-frequency resource.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is transmitted based on the first time-frequency resource, and the generation parameters of the DRS coding sequence include an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0025] In one possible embodiment, the wake-up signal is transmitted based on the first time-frequency resource, and a discovery reference signal DRS is sent, including: sending at least one DRS within the signal broadcast period, and the time distribution of at least one DRS within the signal broadcast period is used to indicate the first time-frequency resource.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is transmitted based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: sending downlink control information (group common DCI) based on user group common, wherein the DCI based on user group common carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the DRS includes a PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal) and an SSS (Secondary Synchronization Signal).

[0028] In a possible implementation, the network element sends a DRS, including: sending multiple DRSs, each of the multiple DRSs corresponds to a beam, and different DRSs correspond to different beams; the network element obtains a wake-up signal, including: obtaining a wake-up signal on a first beam, wherein the signal quality of the DRS located on the first beam among the multiple DRSs transmitted to the UE is the highest.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the energy of the wake-up signal is greater than a threshold; or, the coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; or, the network element obtains the wake-up signal, specifically by detecting the wake-up signal on the RACH (random access channel) within the resource window.

[0030] In one possible implementation, DRS occupies 2 OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols) in the time domain, PSS occupies the first OFDM, and SSS occupies the second OFDM; or, DRS occupies 4 OFDM symbols in the time domain, PSS occupies the first OFDM, and SSS occupies the third OFDM.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the DRS includes a LP-SS (Low Power Synchronization Signal), and the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to send an SSB.

[0032] The communication method provided in the second aspect corresponds to the communication method provided in the first aspect. Therefore, the technical effects of any implementation method in the second aspect can refer to the technical effects of the corresponding implementation method in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] On the third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to UE (user equipment). Specifically, the UE obtains SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block); then, the UE sends a wake-up signal, which is used to wake up the network element to send SIB (system information block) 1; then, the UE can obtain SIB1 and access the network element based on the SIB1. In this way, before the network element obtains the WUS, the UE can achieve downlink synchronization by obtaining the SSB sent by the network element, which makes it unnecessary for the network element to send SIB1, so that the network element can save the energy consumption generated by sending SIB, thereby achieving energy saving. In addition, when the UE needs to access the network element, the UE can wake up the network element broadcast SIB1 by sending a wake-up signal, so that the UE can access the network element based on the SSB and the SIB1.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; or sending the wake-up signal includes: sending the wake-up signal on a random access channel RACH.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: parsing at least one resource element RE in the SSB to obtain an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: obtaining downlink control information DCI shared by the user group; and parsing an identifier of the first time-frequency resource from the DCI shared by the user group.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: randomly selecting a time-frequency resource from a plurality of predefined time-frequency resources as the first time-frequency resource.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: determining at least one time-frequency resource associated with the UE; and determining the first time-frequency resource from the at least one time-frequency resource.

[0039] Fourthly, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a network element, specifically, sending an SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block); then, the network element obtains a wake-up signal, which is used to wake up the network element to send SIB (system information block) 1, so that the network element can send SIB1 based on the wake-up signal, and SIB1 is used for UE to access the network element. In this way, before the network element obtains the WUS, the UE can achieve downlink synchronization by obtaining the SSB sent by the network element, which makes it unnecessary for the network element to send SIB1, so that the network element can save the energy consumption generated by sending SIB, thereby achieving energy saving. In addition, when the UE needs to access the network element, the UE can wake up the network element broadcast SIB1 by sending a wake-up signal, so that the UE can access the network element based on the SSB and the SIB1.

[0040] In a possible implementation, energy of the wake-up signal is greater than a threshold; or a coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; or obtaining the wake-up signal includes: detecting the wake-up signal on a random access channel RACH within a resource window.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is transmitted based on the first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: sending downlink control information DCI shared by the user group, wherein the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on the first time-frequency resource, and at least one resource element RE in the SSB is used to indicate an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a UE (user equipment), and includes: the UE obtaining an LP-SS (low power synchronization signal), which is used for synchronization with a network element, specifically for downlink synchronization with the network element; and when the signal quality of the LP-SS is less than a threshold, sending a wake-up signal, which is used to wake up the network element to send an SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB); then, the UE obtains the SSB. In this way, when the signal quality of the LP-SS received by the UE is low, the UE can request the network element to send an SSB by sending a wake-up signal to the network element. In this way, the UE can determine whether to subsequently access the network element based on the signal quality of the SSB received by the network element. For example, when the signal quality of the SSB received by the UE is low, the UE can subsequently switch to a network element to be accessed, such as to a network element with higher signal quality of the SSB received, so as to improve the communication quality between the UE and the network element after accessing the network element.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the UE obtaining SIB1; and the UE accessing the network element according to the SSB and the SIB1.

[0045] In a possible implementation, when the UE accesses the network element, specifically: when the signal quality of the SSB is greater than the threshold, the UE accesses the network element according to the SSB and the SIB1.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: when the signal quality of the SSB is less than the threshold, the UE switches the network element to be accessed.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a network element, and the method includes: the network element sends LP-SS, and the LP-SS is used to provide synchronization for the UE (user equipment), specifically providing downlink synchronization; the network element obtains a wake-up signal, and the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to send SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block); based on the wake-up signal, the SSB is sent.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the network element sending SIB1, where the SSB and the SIB1 are used for the UE to access the network element.

[0049] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a UE (user equipment), which includes a transceiver and a processor; wherein the transceiver is used to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, or perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, or perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the fifth aspect; the processor is used to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, or perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, or perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the fifth aspect.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a network element comprising a transceiver and a processor; wherein the transceiver is used to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, or to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the sixth aspect; the processor is used to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, or to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0051] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a UE (user equipment) and a network element, wherein the UE is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, or to execute the method described in the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect, or to execute the method described in the fifth aspect; the network element is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, or to execute the method described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or to execute the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0052] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed, it is used to implement any communication method provided in the first to sixth aspects of the present application.

[0053] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one computing device, enables the at least one computing device to implement any communication method provided in the first to sixth aspects of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG1a is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system;

[0055] Figure 1b is a schematic structural diagram of SSB;

[0056] FIG2a is a schematic diagram of the configuration fields of the time-frequency domain resources used when the UE requests SI from the network element;

[0057] FIG2 b is a schematic diagram of periodically broadcasting SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG2c is a structural diagram of an exemplary communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG2 d is a schematic diagram showing that network element 1 adjusts the broadcast signals to SSB and SIB1 after receiving WUS;

[0060] FIG2e is a schematic diagram of network element 1 adjusting the broadcast signal to SSB after receiving WUS;

[0061] FIG2 f is a schematic diagram showing that network element 1 adjusts the broadcast signal to SIB1 after receiving WUS;

[0062] Figure 2g is a schematic diagram of network element 1 broadcasting SIB1 after receiving WUS;

[0063] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG4a is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG4 b is a schematic structural diagram of another exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG4c is a schematic structural diagram of another exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG5a is a schematic diagram showing that network element 1 indicates the identifier of the first time-frequency resource by using the time distribution of sending DRS;

[0068] FIG5b is a schematic diagram showing that network element 1 indicates the identifier of the first time-frequency resource by using the time distribution of sending DRS;

[0069] FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the network energy saving effect of broadcasting only DRS or broadcasting only SSB;

[0070] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in the specification and appended claims of the present application, the singular expressions "one", "a kind of", "said", "above", "the" and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more", unless there is a clear contrary indication in the context. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "one or more" refers to one, two or more; "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, 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.

[0076] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in yet other embodiments" appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more but not all embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0077] The "multiple" involved in the embodiments of the present application means greater than or equal to two. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0078] In the system information (SI) of a network element, except for SIB1, the network element can provide the remaining system information to the UE on demand. For example, the standard can adopt the configuration shown in Figure 2a to define the time-frequency domain resources used when the UE requests SI from the network element. To this end, the network element periodically broadcasts the SSBs and SIB1 required for the UE to access the network element. The period for broadcasting SSBs and SIB1 by the network element can be, for example, 20 milliseconds (ms), or other periods. As shown in Figure 2b, the network element typically broadcasts SSBs and SIB1 periodically across multiple beams (Figure 2b uses the example of broadcasting SSBs across four beams). In this way, the UE can synchronize with the network element based on the received SSBs, specifically downlink synchronization, which includes clock synchronization, radio frame synchronization, symbol synchronization, and obtaining the network element (cell) identity. The UE can then decode the received SIB1 based on the MIB carried by the PBCH in the SSB to obtain the basic configuration information required to access the network element. However, network element 1 continuously transmits SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams, which causes network element 1 to generate large power consumption.

[0079] To this end, the present application provides a communication system, which may be a fifth generation (5G) communication system, or a hybrid architecture of LTE and 5G, or a 5G New Radio (5G NR) system, as well as new communication systems that will emerge in future communication developments.

[0080] An example of a communication system is shown in FIG2c , which includes a network element 1 and a UE 2 .

[0081] In the embodiments provided in the present application, network element 1 can be any device located on the network side and having wireless transceiver functions, including but not limited to: a base station (gNodeB or gNB) or a transmission receiving point (transmission receiving point / transmission reception point, TRP) in new radio (NR), etc. Network element 1 can be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, or a balloon station, etc. Network element 1 can include one or more co-site or non-co-site transmission points (Transmission Reception Point, TRP). Network element 1 can also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Network element 1 can communicate with a terminal device, or communicate with a terminal device through a relay station.

[0082] UE2 can communicate with multiple base stations of different technologies. For example, UE2 can communicate with a base station that supports the LTE network, or a base station that supports the 5G network, or a base station of a 3G or 2G network, or a base station of a higher standard such as 6G, and can also establish dual connections with a base station that supports the LTE network and a base station of the 5G network.

[0083] In the embodiments provided in the present application, UE2 can be in various forms, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal device, etc. UE can also sometimes be referred to as a terminal device, an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE terminal device, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE device, etc. A terminal can also be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal.

[0084] The above description uses an example of a communication system including network element 1 and UE 2. In other possible implementations, the communication system may include multiple UEs or multiple network elements. Alternatively, in other possible implementations, network element 1 in the communication system may be replaced with other network elements, without limitation. For ease of understanding, the following description still uses the interaction between UE 2 and network element 1 as an example.

[0085] In the communication system shown in Figure 2c, network element 1 can periodically broadcast a discovery reference signal (DRS) for downlink synchronization with low power consumption. The broadcast DRS is used for synchronization between UE and network element, thereby reducing the power consumption of network element 1 and achieving network energy saving (NES). In addition, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can send a wake-up signal (WUS) to network element 1, so that network element 1 can start broadcasting SSB and SIB1 after receiving WUS, so that UE2 can normally access network element 1 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1. Here, the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 can be sent directionally to UE2 device, thereby saving energy consumption, as shown in Figure 2c. As shown in Figure 2d, a timing diagram is described in which network element 1 broadcasts DRS during the signal broadcast period, and after UE2 sends WUS, network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1.

[0086] In actual application, in the communication system shown in FIG2c, in addition to the implementation corresponding to the timing diagram in FIG2d, other implementations may also be possible. Some exemplary descriptions are given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] In implementation 1, NE 1 can periodically broadcast DRS (without SSB and SIB1) and, after receiving WUS from UE2, broadcast only SSB. Figure 2e shows a timing diagram of NE 1 broadcasting DRS during the signal broadcast period and, after UE2 sends WUS, broadcasting only SSB.

[0088] In implementation 2, NE 1 can periodically broadcast DRS (without broadcasting SSB and SIB1) and, after receiving WUS from UE2, broadcast only SIB1. Figure 2f shows a timing diagram of NE 1 broadcasting DRS during the signal broadcast period and then broadcasting SIB1 after UE2 sends WUS.

[0089] In implementation three, NE 1 can periodically broadcast SSB (without broadcasting SIB1) and then broadcast SIB1 after receiving WUS from UE2. Figure 2g shows a timing diagram in which NE 1 broadcasts SSB first and then broadcasts SIB1 after UE2 sends WUS.

[0090] Referring to FIG3 , a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication method shown in FIG3 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG2c , or can be applied to other possible communication systems. For ease of understanding and explanation, the following description is based on the application to the communication system shown in FIG2c . As shown in FIG3 , the process of the communication method includes the following steps:

[0091] S301: Network element 1 broadcasts a DRS, which is used for synchronization between UE2 and network element 1.

[0092] In this embodiment, network element 1 can send DRS with low power consumption, specifically broadcast DRS. In this way, UE2 that is idle or inactive within the signal coverage of network element 1 can use the DRS to synchronize with network element 1, specifically for downlink synchronization.

[0093] Among them, the DRS sent by network element 1 can have the following three non-limiting implementation methods.

[0094] In the first implementation example, as shown in FIG4a , the DRS may include only the PSS and the SSS. Furthermore, the DRS may occupy two OFDMs in the time domain, wherein the PSS occupies the first OFDM and the SSS occupies the second OFDM. At the same time, the DRS may occupy 127 subcarriers in the frequency domain, with the PSS and the SSS occupying 127 subcarriers in different time domains, respectively. In this embodiment, after receiving the DRS, the UE2 completes downlink synchronization specifically based on the PSS and SSS in the DRS.

[0095] It should be noted that the subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS in the DRS shown in Figure 4a are only used as an implementation example and are not intended to be limiting. For example, in other implementation examples, the number of subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS may be other numbers, and the subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS in the frequency domain may also be other subcarriers.

[0096] In the second implementation example, as shown in FIG4b , the DRS may include a PSS, an SSS, and one or more reserved resource elements (REs). FIG4b illustrates an example of reserving multiple REs. At this time, the DRS can still occupy two OFDMs in the time domain, where the PSS occupies the first OFDM and the SSS occupies the second OFDM. At the same time, the DRS can occupy 127 subcarriers in the frequency domain, with the PSS and SSS occupying 127 subcarriers in different time domains, respectively.

[0097] It should be noted that the PSS, SSS, and subcarriers occupied by REs shown in Figure 4b are only an implementation example and are not intended to be limiting. For example, in other implementation examples, the number of subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS may be other numbers, and the subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS in the frequency domain may also be other subcarriers. In addition, the number of subcarriers occupied by REs may be other numbers, and the subcarriers occupied in the frequency domain may be other subcarriers.

[0098] In the third implementation example, as shown in Figure 4c, DRS can multiplex the structure of SSB, which can include not only PSS and SSS, but also PBCH. At this time, DRS can occupy 4 OFDMs in the time domain, of which PSS occupies the first OFDM and SSS occupies the third OFDM. At the same time, DRS can occupy 240 subcarriers in the frequency domain, and PSS and SSS occupy 127 subcarriers respectively in different time domains. Among them, when network element 1 sends DRS, it can carry MIB information in PBCH in the same way as sending SSB. Alternatively, in the DRS sent by network element 1, PBCH may not carry any information, for example, the RE where the PBCH is located is zero power, so as to save the energy consumption generated by network element 1 sending data carried on PBCH. In addition, network element 1 does not send SIB1 when sending DRS.

[0099] It should be noted that, in the DRS shown in FIG4 c , the subcarriers occupied by the PSS, SSS, and PBCH are only used as an implementation example and are not intended to be limiting.

[0100] In a fourth implementation example, the DRS may also be a low power synchronization signal (LP-SS), and the UE2 located within the signal coverage area may achieve downlink synchronization with the network element 1 based on the received LP-SS.

[0101] It can be understood that the above four implementation methods are only some exemplary explanations. In other embodiments, the DRS sent by network element 1 can also be implemented in other ways. For example, DRS can occupy 3 or 5 symbols in the time domain, etc., and there is no limitation on this.

[0102] In actual application, the network element 1 may broadcast the DRS periodically, and the period may be, for example, 20 milliseconds (ms) or 40 ms, etc., which is not limited. For ease of description, the period during which the network element 1 sends a signal is referred to as a signal broadcast period.

[0103] In one possible implementation, within each signal broadcast period, network element 1 may transmit DRSs on multiple beams. For example, network element 1 may transmit DRSs on 8 or 64 beams. Furthermore, network element 1 may transmit one DRS or multiple DRSs on each beam. When network element 1 transmits DRSs on different beams, it may use different time domains.

[0104] Alternatively, in each signal broadcast cycle, network element 1 may send DRS regardless of beam. In this case, network element 1 may send one DRS; or, network element 1 may send multiple DRSs, so that UE2 can improve the success rate of decoding DRS based on the multiple DRSs.

[0105] S302: UE2 sends a wake-up signal to network element 1, where the wake-up signal is used to wake up network element 1 to send SSB and SIB1.

[0106] In actual application scenarios, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can send a wake-up signal to network element 1 to request network element 1 to send the access configuration information required for UE2 to access network element 1, that is, the information carried in SSB and SIB1.

[0107] Specifically, UE2 can use the received DRS to obtain downlink synchronization, and can further determine the time-frequency resources for sending WUS to network element 1. For the sake of distinction, the time-frequency resources are referred to as first time-frequency resources below. The first time-frequency resources include time domain resources and frequency domain resources, where the time domain resources can be, for example, time slots and OFDM symbols that can be occupied by UE2 in the time domain, and the frequency domain resources can be, for example, one or more REs that can be occupied by UE2 in the frequency domain.

[0108] In this embodiment, the following exemplary implementation methods for determining the first time-frequency resource are provided.

[0109] In a first possible implementation manner, UE2 may determine the first time-frequency resource used when sending the WUS based on one or more received DRSs, and specifically may determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0110] In specific implementation, one or more time-frequency resources that the UE can use to send WUS can be defined in the standard (such as release 19, etc.). For example, a table can be defined in the standard, which can record the indexes of multiple time-frequency resources, and each index is used to identify one or more time-frequency resources. Accordingly, when broadcasting DRS, network element 1 can incorporate the identifier of the first time-frequency resource into the DRS.

[0111] Example 1: When broadcasting DRS, network element 1 can send one or more DRSs within a signal broadcast period according to the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. Accordingly, UE2 can determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the time distribution of the received DRS within a single signal broadcast period. At this time, the DRS broadcast by network element 1 can be, for example, the DRS shown in Figure 4a (which can only include PSS and SSS).

[0112] For example, assume that a table including indexes of 15 time-frequency resources can be defined in the standard, and the indexes of the 15 time-frequency resources are 0001, ..., 1111. Then, a signal broadcast cycle can include 4 opportunities for sending DRS, and network element 1 can indicate 4 bits of information, that is, the index of the first time-frequency resource, by sending or not sending DRS on these 4 opportunities.

[0113] As shown in Figure 5a, assuming that the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is "0101", network element 1 may not send DRS at the first and third opportunities within a signal broadcast cycle, and accordingly, the values ​​of the first and third bits are 0; and may send DRS at the second and fourth opportunities, and accordingly, the values ​​of the second and fourth bits are 1. In this way, UE2 can determine that the index of the first time-frequency resource is "0101" based on the temporal distribution of the received DRS.

[0114] As shown in Figure 5b, assuming the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is "1111", network element 1 can send a DRS at every opportunity within a signal broadcast period. UE2 can then determine, based on the temporal distribution of the received DRS, that the values ​​of all four bits are 1, i.e., that the index of the first time-frequency resource is "1111". In this way, UE2 can send a WUS to network element 1 on the first time-frequency resource indicated by "0101" or "1111".

[0115] Example 2: When generating DRS, network element 1 may add the identifier of the first time-frequency resource to the DRS. Specifically, it may be to use one or more REs reserved in the DRS to carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. For example, the DRS generated by network element 1 may be as shown in Figure 4b, then network element 1 may use the RE on the first OFDM symbol or the second OFDM symbol to carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource; or, the DRS generated by network element 1 may be as shown in Figure 4c, then network element 1 may use at least one RE on the PBCH to carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. In this way, after receiving the DRS, UE2 can parse the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from at least one RE included in the DRS.

[0116] Example three, when generating DRS, network element 1 can use the identifier of the first time-frequency resource as a generation parameter of the coding sequence of DRS. For example, when the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is identified by 4 bits, network element 1 can use the value of the 4 bits as the value of the Cinit parameter for generating the initial value of the scrambling sequence of PSS and / or SSS. Accordingly, after receiving the DRS, UE2 decodes the DRS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. For example, assuming that the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is indicated by a 4-bit value, UE2 can traverse all value combinations of the 4 bits and determine the coding sequence of the DRS corresponding to each value combination of the 4 bits. Then, UE2 can match the coding sequence of the DRS corresponding to each value combination with the coding sequence of the received DRS. When the DRS coding sequence corresponding to one of the value combinations matches the DRS coding sequence received by UE2, UE2 can determine the 4-bit value combination as the identifier for indicating the first time-frequency resource.

[0117] In actual application, UE2 may also use other methods to determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to the received DRS, and there is no limitation on this.

[0118] The first time-frequency resource indicated by network 1 may be, for example, a resource on a random access channel (RACH). Specifically, the first time-frequency resource includes one or more random access channel occasions (ROs), so that UE 2 can use the RACH to send a WUS signal to network element 1 based on the ROs. In actual applications, the first time-frequency resource may be other applicable resources besides RACH resources, and this is not limited to this.

[0119] Furthermore, when the first time-frequency resource is a RACH resource, the identifier used to indicate the first time-frequency resource may also be used to instruct UE2 to use the RACH resource to send a candidate preamble code of the WUS.

[0120] In a second possible implementation, UE2 may also independently determine the first time-frequency resource used to send the WUS without intervention by network element 1.

[0121] In example 1, one or more time-frequency resources that the UE can use to send the WUS can be defined in a standard (such as release 19). In this way, UE2 can select a time-frequency resource from the predefined multiple time-frequency resources to send the WUS. For example, UE2 can randomly select a first time-frequency resource for sending the WUS from multiple time-frequency resources. Alternatively, UE2 can perform calculations based on the UE2 identifier, such as hashing or modulo the UE2 identifier, and then select the first time-frequency resource from multiple time-frequency resources based on the calculation result, etc., and this is not limited.

[0122] Example 2: A variety of time-frequency resources that can be used by the UE to send WUS can be defined in the standard (such as release 19, etc.). When determining the first time-frequency resource, UE2 can first determine at least one time-frequency resource associated with UE2. For example, the various time-frequency resources defined in the standard can be divided into multiple groups according to the UE's identifier, and each group includes at least one time-frequency resource, so that UE2 can determine the group where UE2 is located according to its own identifier, and the time-frequency resources in the group are also a time-frequency resource associated with UE2. Then, UE2 can determine the first time-frequency resource for sending WUS from at least one time-frequency resource associated with UE2, such as determining the first time-frequency resource by random selection.

[0123] The first time-frequency resource determined by UE2 may be, for example, a resource on RACH, or may be other applicable resources, which is not limited.

[0124] In a third possible implementation, network element 1 may also send group-common downlink control information (DCI), in which the group common DCI may define the time-frequency resources that multiple UEs can use to send WUS to network element 1. The group common DCI may include multiple bits, a continuous portion of the multiple bits is used to indicate the time-frequency resources that can be used by a UE, and different portions of the multiple bits are used to indicate the time-frequency resources that can be used by different UEs. In this way, after receiving the group common DCI, UE2 can parse out the identifier of the first time-frequency resource that UE2 can use, thereby determining the first time-frequency resource used to send WUS.

[0125] In actual application, UE2 may also use other methods to determine the first time-frequency resource, and this is not limited.

[0126] When UE2 sends a WUS via a 2-step RACH (2-step-RACH) or a 4-step RACH (4-step-RACH), the first time-frequency resource may be one or more ROs defined in the standard. Accordingly, network element 1 may detect the RACH within a preset resource window to determine whether there is a signal on the RACH. The length of the resource window in the time domain may be determined based on the signal coverage range of network element 1. For example, the larger the signal coverage range, the larger the length of the resource window in the time domain. After network element 1 determines that a signal has been received by detecting the RACH within the resource window, it may identify the signal as a WUS based on the preamble on the RO.

[0127] Alternatively, the WUS sent by UE2 on the first time-frequency resource may be a specific coding sequence, such as a low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) code or a pseudo-random code. Accordingly, after decoding the received signal, network element 1 may determine, based on the decoded sequence, whether it is a specific coding sequence. If so, network element 1 may determine that the signal is a WUS; if not, network element 1 may determine that the signal is not a WUS.

[0128] Alternatively, the WUS sent by UE2 on the first time-frequency resource can be any codeword. In this case, network element 1 can detect the energy of the signal sent via the first time-frequency resource. When the signal energy is greater than a threshold, network element 1 can determine that the signal is a WUS. Otherwise, network element 1 can determine that the signal is not a WUS. In this way, network element 1 does not need to decode the received signal, thereby simplifying the implementation logic of network element 1 for determining whether a WUS has been received and saving energy consumption generated by decoding the signal.

[0129] In actual application, the process of UE2 sending WUS to network element 1 can also be implemented in other ways, such as combining the above multiple implementation methods, etc., which is not limited to this.

[0130] In actual application, in addition to sending a WUS to the network element 1 when the UE 2 needs to access the network element 1, the UE 2 may also send a wake-up signal to the network element 1 in other scenarios.

[0131] Exemplarily, when the DRS broadcast by network element 1 is specifically LP-SS, UE2 can detect the signal quality of the received LP-SS, and when it is detected that the signal quality of the LP-SS is low, UE2 can send a WUS to network element 1. At this time, network element 1 can broadcast an SSB after receiving the WUS so that UE2 can receive the SSB and detect whether the signal quality of the received SSB meets the requirements. For example, when the signal quality of the SSB received by UE2 is also low, UE2 can switch the network element to be accessed, such as switching to a network element with higher signal quality. Furthermore, after broadcasting the SSB, network element 1 can further broadcast SIB1, so that UE2 can access network element 1 based on the SSB and SIB1. For example, when the signal quality of the SSB received by UE2 is high, UE2 can determine to access network element 1 and can access network element 1 based on the received SSB and SIB1.

[0132] In addition, when UE2 detects that the signal quality of the LP-SS is low, UE2 may not send a WUS to the network element 1, and maintain downlink synchronization with the network element 1 according to the received LP-SS.

[0133] Among them, when the DRS broadcast by network element 1 is specifically LP-SS, UE2 can refer to the above-mentioned method of determining the first time-frequency resource to determine the first time-frequency resource for sending WUS, which will not be repeated here.

[0134] S303: Network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1.

[0135] In this process, network element 1 broadcasts the SSB and SIB1 signals based on the received wake-up signal, and the number of times the SSB and SIB1 are broadcast is limited, such as twice. Network element 1 broadcasts the SSB and SIB1 signals based on the received wake-up signal; broadcasting the SSB and SIB1 a limited number of times allows UE2 to access the network to receive the SSB and SIB1. This saves energy compared to the prior art where the base station / network element 1 periodically (default 20ms) sends the SSB and SI signals.

[0136] Furthermore, network element 1 broadcasts an SSB signal a limited number of times, for example, twice. After receiving the SSB signal, UE2 accesses network element 1 based on the SSB signal. Alternatively, network element 1 broadcasts an SIB1 signal a limited number of times, for example, twice. After receiving the SIB1 signal, UE2 accesses network element 1 based on the SIB1 signal.

[0137] S304: UE2 accesses network element 1 according to SSB and SIB1.

[0138] When network element 1 determines that there is a UE sending a WUS, it indicates that there is currently a UE that needs to access network element 1. Therefore, network element 1 changes from the state of broadcasting DRS with low power consumption to the state of broadcasting signals with higher power consumption, specifically the state of broadcasting SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption.

[0139] In this way, after receiving SSB and SIB1, UE2 can not only continue to maintain downlink synchronization according to the PSS and SSS in the SSB, but also decode the information in SIB1 according to the MIB information in the SSB to obtain the configuration information required to access network element 1, so that UE2 can access network element 1 according to the decoded configuration information, and can further establish a connection with network element 1, such as a radio resource control (RRC) connection.

[0140] In the first implementation example, after receiving WUS, network element 1 can resume periodic broadcasting of SSB and SIB1, so that one or more UEs (including UE2) within the signal coverage range of network element 1 can access network element 1 based on the received SSB and SIB1.

[0141] In the second implementation example, after receiving WUS, network element 1 can broadcast SSB and SIB1 within a preset number of signal broadcast cycles. For example, network element 1 can broadcast SSB and SIB1 continuously within 2 signal broadcast cycles. After network element 1 completes the broadcast of SSB and SIB1 within the preset number of signal broadcast cycles, it can re-enter the state of broadcasting DRS with low power consumption until network element 1 receives WUS again and then resumes broadcasting SSB and SIB1.

[0142] Among them, the number of times that network element 1 continuously broadcasts SSB and SIB1 can be defined in the standard. Alternatively, when network element 1 previously broadcasts DRS, the number of times network element 1 continuously broadcasts SSB and SIB1 after receiving WUS can be carried in the DRS, so that UE2 can improve the success rate of signal decoding by continuously receiving SSB and SIB1. Among them, the implementation method of carrying the number of times SSB and SIB1 are continuously broadcast in DRS is similar to the implementation method of carrying the identifier of the first time-frequency resource in DRS, which can be referred to the aforementioned related description and will not be repeated here.

[0143] In the third implementation example, network element 1 can determine whether to continue broadcasting DRS at low power consumption or broadcast SSB and SIB1 at higher power consumption based on the current load situation. For example, after receiving WUS, network element 1 can obtain its own load and determine whether the load is greater than the load threshold. When the load of network element 1 is greater than the load threshold, network element 1 can continue to broadcast DRS at low power consumption to avoid excessive load on network element 1 after UE2 accesses network element 1. When the load of network element 1 is less than or equal to the load threshold, it indicates that network element 1 has sufficient capacity to serve new UEs. Therefore, network element 1 can start broadcasting SSB and SIB1 to support UE2 (and other UEs) to access network element 1.

[0144] It should be noted that since UE2 can complete downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on SSB, network element 1 does not need to send DRS signals during the process of network element 1 broadcasting SSB and SIB1. Similarly, network element 1 does not send SSB and SIB1 during the DRS process.

[0145] In this embodiment, network element 1 may not distinguish beams during the process of broadcasting SSB and SIB1, that is, in each signal broadcast cycle, network element 1 may only send one SSB and SIB1.

[0146] Alternatively, the network element 1 may also distinguish between beam broadcast SSB and SIB1, so that after receiving the WUS, the network element 1 may send SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams respectively. That is, in each signal broadcast period, the network element 1 may send multiple SSBs and multiple SIB1s.

[0147] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the example in which UE2 wakes up network element 1 to send SSB and SIB1 according to the DRS broadcast by network element 1 is used for explanation. In actual application, the signal coverage of network element 1 may also include other UEs, and after receiving the DRS, other UEs may also obtain downlink synchronization according to the DRS and use the second time-frequency resource to send WUS to network element 1. Alternatively, after UE2 wakes up network element 1 to send SSB and SIB1, other UEs within the signal coverage of network element 1 may achieve downlink synchronization and access network element 1 according to the received SSB and SIB1.

[0148] In this embodiment, before network element 1 obtains WUS, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization by obtaining DRS including PSS and SSS sent by network element 1, which makes network element 1 do not need to send SSB or SIB1, so that network element 1 can save the energy consumption generated by sending SIB1, thereby achieving energy saving.

[0149] Moreover, in actual application scenarios, DRS can be, for example, the DRS shown in Figure 4a or Figure 4b. At this time, the information carried in DRS can usually be less than the information carried in SSB. For example, DRS can occupy only 2 OFDM symbols in the time domain. This makes it possible for the energy consumption generated by network element 1 sending DRS before obtaining the wake-up signal to be less than the energy consumption generated by sending SSB, so that network element 1 can further achieve energy saving, as shown in Figure 6 (i.e., the energy saving effect corresponding to energy saving method 1).

[0150] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the example in which network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1 after UE2 sends WUS is used for explanation. In other embodiments, network element 1 may only broadcast SSB or only broadcast SIB1 after receiving WUS, and UE2 may access network element 1 according to the SSB or SIB1 broadcast by network element 1. This is exemplified below.

[0151] In a first implementation manner, after receiving WUS, network element 1 may only broadcast SSB.

[0152] In specific implementation, UE2 can save the SIB1 information of network element 1 locally in advance. For example, when UE2 resides in network element 1, UE2 can receive the signal broadcast by network element 1. Before UE2 expects to access network element 1, network element 1 may broadcast SIB1 (and SSB) within a certain period of time. For example, network element 1 may broadcast SSB and SIB1 once at a longer interval (such as every 10 seconds). At this time, although UE2 has no need to access network element 1, it can save the SIB1 information broadcast by network element 1 locally in advance. In this way, when network element 1 is in a state of periodically broadcasting DRS, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can send WUS to network element 1 based on the DRS broadcast by network element 1 to trigger network element 1 to broadcast SSB. In this way, UE2 can not only obtain downlink synchronization of network element 1 based on the SSB broadcast by network element 1, but also obtain the MIB carried in the SSB. Then, UE2 may decode the locally stored SIB1 information according to the MIB, obtain the access configuration information required for accessing network element 1, and further access network element 1 according to the access configuration information.

[0153] Of course, UE2 may also save the SIB1 information locally in advance in other ways, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0154] In a second implementation manner, after receiving the WUS, the network element 1 may only broadcast SIB1.

[0155] In specific implementation, UE2 can save the MIB information required to decode the SIB1 of network element 1 locally in advance. For example, when UE2 resides in network element 1, UE2 can receive the signal broadcast by network element 1. Before UE2 expects to access network element 1, network element 1 may broadcast SSB (and SIB1) within a certain period of time. For example, network element 1 may broadcast SSB and SIB1 once every longer period (such as every 10 seconds). At this time, although UE2 has no need to access network element 1, it can save the MIB information carried in the SSB broadcast by network element 1 locally in advance. In this way, when network element 1 is in a state of periodically broadcasting DRS, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can send WUS to network element 1 based on the DRS broadcast by network element 1 to trigger network element 1 to broadcast SIB1. In this way, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on the DRS broadcast by network element 1, and can decode SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 based on the locally stored MIB information to obtain the access configuration information required to access network element 1, so that UE2 can further access network element 1 based on the access configuration information.

[0156] Of course, UE2 may also save the MIB information locally in advance in other ways, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0157] In the embodiment shown in FIG3 above, after receiving the WUS, network element 1 may broadcast the SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams. In other embodiments, network element 1 may broadcast the SSB and SIB1 on a designated first beam and not broadcast the SSB and SIB1 on other beams. This is described in detail below with reference to FIG7 .

[0158] Referring to Figure 7 , a flow chart of another communication method is shown. As shown in Figure 7 , the flow of the communication method includes the following steps.

[0159] S701: Network element 1 broadcasts DRS on multiple beams. The DRS is used for synchronization between UE2 and network element 1.

[0160] S702: UE2 determines the first beam where the DRS with the best signal quality is located based on the signal quality of the received DRS.

[0161] In specific implementation, the DRS broadcast by network element 1 can carry the DRS identifier, such as the DRS identifier can be used as a generation parameter of the DRS coding sequence so that the DRS carries its identifier; or, the DRS can be the DRS shown in Figure 4b, so that some REs in the DRS can carry the DRS identifier.

[0162] After receiving the DRS on multiple beams, UE2 can determine the DRS with the best signal quality through signal measurement and parse the DRS identifier from the DRS. Then, UE2 can determine the beam used to carry the DRS based on the identifier of the parsed DRS. For ease of distinction, this embodiment refers to it as the first beam. For example, UE2 can determine the first beam corresponding to the DRS identifier based on the correspondence between the DRS identifier and the beam identifier (which can be predefined in the standard).

[0163] S703: UE2 uses the time-frequency resources on the first beam to send WUS to network element 1. The WUS is used to wake up network element 1 to send SSB and SIB1.

[0164] Among them, the way in which UE2 determines the time-frequency resources on the first beam can be referred to the description of the relevant parts of determining the first time-frequency resources in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0165] S704: After receiving the WUS, network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1 on the first beam.

[0166] In actual application, network element 1 can detect whether there is a WUS on each beam, and determine the beam where the WUS is detected as the first beam. Accordingly, network element 1 can determine that the signal broadcast on the first beam can achieve the best signal quality when it is transmitted to UE2. In this way, network element 1 can broadcast SSB and SIB1 on the first beam, and not broadcast SSB and SIB1 on other beams (DRS can continue to be broadcast). In this way, while ensuring the success rate of UE2 decoding SSB and SIB1, network element 1 does not need to broadcast SSB and SIB1 on other beams in a high power consumption state, thereby achieving further energy saving of network element 1.

[0167] S705: UE2 accesses network element 1 according to the SSB and SIB1 on the first beam.

[0168] In this embodiment, the specific implementation of step S705 can be found in the relevant description of the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0169] Similarly, for other UEs within the signal coverage of network element 1, a similar process can be used to send WUS to network element 1 using time-frequency resources on other beams (such as the second beam, etc.) to trigger network element 1 to broadcast SSB and SIB1, etc. on other beams.

[0170] Moreover, in other embodiments, after receiving the WUS sent on the first beam, the network element 1 can broadcast only the SSB or only the SIB1 on the first beam, and the UE2 can access the network element 1 based on the SSB or only the SIB1 broadcast by the network element 1. The specific implementation method can be found in the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0171] In the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 7 above, network element 1 achieves network energy saving (NES) by broadcasting DRS. In other embodiments, network element 1 may also achieve network energy saving by not broadcasting SIB1. This will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 8.

[0172] Referring to Figure 8 , a schematic flow diagram of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 8 can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2c , or it can be applied to other possible communication systems. For ease of understanding and illustration, the following description uses the communication system shown in Figure 2c as an example. As shown in Figure 8 , the communication method includes the following steps.

[0173] S801: Network element 1 broadcasts SSB.

[0174] In this embodiment, NE 1 does not periodically broadcast SSB and SIB1, but only broadcasts SSB. That is, NE 1 does not need to send SIB1, thereby saving energy consumption generated by sending SIB1. Moreover, SSB includes PSS and SSS, so UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization based on SSB sent by NE 1.

[0175] The network element 1 may broadcast the SSB periodically, and the period may be, for example, 20 ms or 40 ms, etc., which is not limited. For ease of description, the period during which the network element 1 sends a signal is referred to as a signal broadcast period.

[0176] In one possible implementation, within each signal broadcast period, network element 1 may transmit SSBs on multiple beams. For example, network element 1 may transmit SSBs on 8 or 64 beams. Furthermore, network element 1 may transmit one SSB or multiple SSBs on each beam. When network element 1 transmits SSBs on different beams, it may use different time domain resources.

[0177] Alternatively, in each signal broadcast period, network element 1 may transmit SSBs without distinguishing beams. In this case, network element 1 may transmit one SSB; or, network element 1 may transmit multiple SSBs, so that UE2 can improve the success rate of decoding the SSBs based on the multiple SSBs.

[0178] S802: UE2 sends a WUS to network element 1. The WUS is used to wake up network element 1 to send SIB1.

[0179] In actual application scenarios, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can send a wake-up signal (WUS) to network element 1 to request network element 1 to send access configuration information required for UE2 to access network element 1, that is, the information carried in SIB1.

[0180] In specific implementation, after obtaining downlink synchronization, UE2 can further determine the first time-frequency resource for sending WUS to network element 1, and the first time-frequency resource includes time domain resources and frequency domain resources, wherein the time domain resource can be, for example, the time slot and OFDM symbol that UE2 can occupy in the time domain, and the frequency domain resource can be, for example, one or more REs that UE2 can occupy in the frequency domain. For example, at least one RE in the SSB broadcast by network element 1 can carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource, so that UE2 can obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource by parsing the RE in the SSB to determine the first time-frequency resource for sending WUS. Alternatively, network element 1 can send group common DCI, so that UE2 can parse the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from the received group common DCI to determine the first time-frequency resource for sending WUS. Then, UE2 can use the determined first time-frequency resource to send WUS to network element 1. The coding sequence of the WUS sent by UE2 can be a preset coding sequence; or, UE2 can send WUS on RACH, etc.

[0181] Accordingly, network element 1 can detect whether the coding sequence of the received signal is a preset coding sequence. If so, it determines that the WUS sent by UE2 is received; or, network element 1 can detect whether there is a signal on the random access channel RACH within the resource window. If so, it determines that the WUS sent by UE2 is received; or, network element 1 can detect whether there is a signal with energy greater than a threshold on the first time-frequency resource. If so, it determines that the WUS sent by UE2 is received, etc.

[0182] In this embodiment, the implementation methods of UE2 determining the first time-frequency resource, UE2 sending WUS, and network element 1 indicating the first time-frequency resource and determining that WUS is received can be referred to the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0183] S803: Network element 1 broadcasts SIB1.

[0184] S804: UE2 accesses network element 1 according to SIB1.

[0185] In this embodiment, after receiving the WUS, the network element 1 may broadcast the SIB1, so that the UE2 can access the network element 1 according to the SIB1.

[0186] In this embodiment, after receiving the WUS sent by UE2, network element 1 may broadcast only SIB1, or may broadcast SSB and SIB1 at the same time.

[0187] In a first implementation manner, network element 1 only broadcasts SIB1 after receiving WUS.

[0188] At this point, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization with NE 1 based on the SSB broadcast by NE 1 before receiving the WUS, parse the MIB information from the SSB, and save the MIB information locally. In this way, after receiving the WUS, NE 1 can only broadcast SIB1. Accordingly, when UE2 achieves downlink synchronization, it decodes the SIB1 broadcast by NE 1 based on the saved MIB information and obtains the access configuration information required to access NE 1. UE2 can then further access NE 1 based on this access configuration information.

[0189] For example, network element 1 broadcasts the SSB, receives the WUS, and broadcasts the SIB1 within the same signal broadcast period. For example, when the signal broadcast period is long, network element 1 may first broadcast the SSB, receive the WUS sent by UE2 within the same signal broadcast period, and further complete the broadcast of SIB1 within the same signal broadcast period. In this way, UE2 can access network element 1 based on the SSB and SIB1 broadcasted by network element 1 in the same signal broadcast period.

[0190] In the second implementation, network element 1 may broadcast SSB and SIB1 together after receiving WUS.

[0191] For example, before network element 1 receives WUS, it can only broadcast SSB, which is referred to as the first SSB below for easy distinction. Then, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on the received first SSB and send WUS to network element 1. After receiving WUS, network element 1 can broadcast the second SSB and SIB1 in the next signal broadcast cycle. In this way, UE2 can access network element 1 based on the second SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 in the same signal broadcast cycle. In this way, when UE2 needs to access network element 1, UE2 can obtain SSB and SIB1 in the same signal broadcast cycle, thereby improving the efficiency of UE2 accessing network element 1.

[0192] In this embodiment, before network element 1 obtains WUS, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization by obtaining SSB sent by network element 1. At this time, network element 1 does not need to send SIB1, so network element 1 can save the energy consumption generated by sending SIB1, thereby achieving energy saving, as shown in Figure 6 (that is, the energy saving effect corresponding to energy saving method 2).

[0193] Referring to Figure 9 , a schematic flow diagram of yet another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 9 can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2c , or it can be applied to other possible communication systems. For ease of understanding and illustration, the following description uses the communication system shown in Figure 2c as an example. As shown in Figure 9 , the communication method includes the following steps.

[0194] S901: Network element 1 broadcasts LP-SS.

[0195] Here, LP-SS refers to low power synchronization signal.

[0196] In this embodiment, NE 1 can transmit LP-SS signals with low power consumption, specifically broadcast LP-SS signals. In this way, UE 2 that is idle or inactive within the signal coverage area of ​​NE 1 can use the DRS to synchronize with NE 1, specifically for downlink synchronization.

[0197] In actual application, the network element 1 can broadcast LP-SS periodically, and the period can be, for example, 20 milliseconds (ms) or 40 ms, etc., which is not limited. For ease of description, the period of the network element 1 sending the signal is referred to as the signal broadcast period below.

[0198] In one possible implementation, network element 1 can transmit LP-SS signals on multiple beams during each signal broadcast period. For example, network element 1 can transmit LP-SS signals on 8 or 64 beams. Furthermore, network element 1 can transmit one LP-SS signal on each beam, or multiple LP-SS signals. When network element 1 transmits LP-SS signals on different beams, it can use different time domains.

[0199] Alternatively, during each signal broadcast period, network element 1 may transmit LP-SS signals without distinguishing beams. In this case, network element 1 may transmit one LP-SS signal; alternatively, network element 1 may transmit multiple LP-SS signals, so that UE 2 can improve the success rate of decoding the LP-SS signals based on the multiple LP-SS signals.

[0200] S902: UE2 measures the signal quality of the received LP-SS.

[0201] It can be understood that since the distance between UE2 and network element 1 is not fixed, for the LP-SS broadcast by network element 1, when the distance between UE2 and network element 1 is relatively close, the signal quality of the LP-SS received by UE2 is relatively high. However, when the distance between UE2 and network element 1 is relatively far, the LP-SS signal attenuates during transmission from network element 1 to UE2, resulting in relatively low signal quality of the LP-SS received by UE2.

[0202] Therefore, while receiving the LP-SS signal, UE2 may measure the signal quality of the received LP-SS signal to determine the signal quality of the received LP-SS signal. In this embodiment, whether the signal quality is high or low may be determined by comparing the signal quality with a threshold. That is, when the measured signal quality is greater than or equal to the threshold, the signal quality of the LP-SS signal received by UE2 is high; and when the measured signal quality is less than the threshold, the signal quality of the LP-SS signal received by UE2 is low.

[0203] S903: When the signal quality of the received LP-SS is less than the threshold, UE2 sends a wake-up signal to network element 1. The wake-up signal is used to wake up network element 1 to send SSB.

[0204] In this embodiment, when UE2 measures the signal quality of the LP-SS signal and determines that it is less than a threshold, it indicates that the signal quality of the signal sent by network element 1 is too low after being transmitted to UE2. Because network element 1 transmits to the LP-SS signal at low power consumption, UE2 can request network element 1 to transmit an SSB. This allows UE2 to detect whether the signal broadcast by network element 1 at higher power consumption still has low signal quality when being transmitted to UE2.

[0205] In specific implementation, when the signal quality of the received LP-SS is less than the threshold, UE2 can first achieve downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on the received LP-SS, and can further determine the first time-frequency resource for sending a signal to the network element, so that UE2 can send a wake-up signal (WUS) to network element 1 based on the determined first time-frequency resource. The WUS is used to wake up network element 1 to send SSB.

[0206] In this embodiment, the following exemplary implementation methods for determining the first time-frequency resource are provided.

[0207] In a first possible implementation manner, UE2 may determine the first time-frequency resource used when sending the WUS according to one or more received LP-SSs, and specifically may determine an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0208] In specific implementations, one or more time-frequency resources that a UE can use to send a WUS can be defined in a standard (such as Release 19). For example, the standard can define a table that records the indexes of multiple time-frequency resources, with each index identifying a time-frequency resource. Accordingly, when broadcasting an LP-SS signal, network element 1 can incorporate the identifier of the first time-frequency resource into the LP-SS signal.

[0209] In Example 1, when broadcasting an LP-SS signal, network element 1 can send one or more LP-SS signals within a signal broadcast period based on the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. Accordingly, UE 2 can determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource based on the time distribution of the received LP-SS signals within a single signal broadcast period.

[0210] In Example 2, when generating an LP-SS, network element 1 may add the identifier of the first time-frequency resource to the LP-SS. Specifically, one or more reserved REs in the LP-SS may be used to carry the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. In this way, after receiving the LP-SS, UE2 may parse the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from at least one RE included in the LP-SS.

[0211] Example 3: When generating the LP-SS, network element 1 may use the identifier of the first time-frequency resource as a generation parameter for the LP-SS coding sequence. Accordingly, after receiving the LP-SS, UE2 decodes the LP-SS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource. For example, assuming that the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is indicated by a 4-bit value, UE2 may traverse all value combinations of the 4 bits and determine the LP-SS coding sequence corresponding to each value combination of the 4 bits. UE2 may then match the LP-SS coding sequence corresponding to each value combination with the received LP-SS coding sequence. When the LP-SS coding sequence corresponding to one of the value combinations matches the LP-SS coding sequence received by UE2, UE2 may determine the 4-bit value combination as the identifier for indicating the first time-frequency resource.

[0212] In actual application, UE2 may also determine the identifier of the first time-frequency resource in other ways according to the received LP-SS, and this is not limited.

[0213] The first time-frequency resource indicated by network 1 may be, for example, a resource on a random access channel (RACH). Specifically, the first time-frequency resource includes one or more random access channel occasions (ROs), so that UE 2 can use the RACH to send a WUS signal to network element 1 based on the ROs. In actual applications, the first time-frequency resource may be other applicable resources besides RACH resources, and this is not limited to this.

[0214] Furthermore, when the first time-frequency resource is a RACH resource, the identifier used to indicate the first time-frequency resource may also be used to instruct UE2 to use the RACH resource to send a candidate preamble code of the WUS.

[0215] In a second possible implementation, UE2 may also independently determine the first time-frequency resource used to send the WUS without intervention by network element 1.

[0216] Example 1: One or more time-frequency resources that the UE can use to send WUS can be defined in a standard (such as release 19). In this way, UE2 can select one time-frequency resource from the predefined multiple time-frequency resources to send WUS.

[0217] Example 2: Multiple time-frequency resources that can be used by the UE to send the WUS can be defined in a standard (such as release 19, etc.). When determining the first time-frequency resource, UE2 can first determine at least one time-frequency resource associated with UE2. Then, UE2 can determine the first time-frequency resource for sending the WUS from the at least one time-frequency resource associated with UE2, such as determining the first time-frequency resource by random selection. The first time-frequency resource determined by UE2 can be, for example, a resource on a random access channel (RACH), or other applicable resources, and this is not limited.

[0218] In a third possible implementation, network element 1 may also send group-common downlink control information (DCI), in which the group common DCI may define the time-frequency resources that multiple UEs can use to send WUS to network element 1. The group common DCI may include multiple bits, a continuous portion of the multiple bits is used to indicate the time-frequency resources that can be used by a UE, and different portions of the multiple bits are used to indicate the time-frequency resources that can be used by different UEs. In this way, after receiving the group common DCI, UE2 can parse out the identifier of the first time-frequency resource that UE2 can use, thereby determining the first time-frequency resource used to send WUS.

[0219] In actual application, UE2 may also use other methods to determine the first time-frequency resource, and this is not limited.

[0220] When UE2 sends a WUS via a 2-step RACH or a 4-step RACH, the first time-frequency resource may be one or more ROs defined in the standard. Accordingly, network element 1 may detect the RACH within a preset resource window to determine whether a signal exists on the RACH. After network element 1 detects the RACH within the resource window and determines that a signal has been received, it may identify the signal as a WUS based on the preamble on the RO.

[0221] Alternatively, the WUS sent by UE2 on the first time-frequency resource may be a specific coding sequence, such as a low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) code or a pseudo-random code. Accordingly, after decoding the received signal, network element 1 may determine, based on the decoded sequence, whether it is a specific coding sequence. If so, network element 1 may determine that the signal is a WUS; if not, network element 1 may determine that the signal is not a WUS.

[0222] Alternatively, the WUS sent by UE2 on the first time-frequency resource can be any codeword. In this case, network element 1 can detect the energy of the signal sent via the first time-frequency resource. When the signal energy is greater than a threshold, network element 1 can determine that the signal is a WUS. Otherwise, network element 1 can determine that the signal is not a WUS. In this way, network element 1 does not need to decode the received signal, thereby simplifying the implementation logic of network element 1 for determining whether a WUS has been received and saving energy consumption generated by decoding the signal.

[0223] In actual application, the process of UE2 sending WUS to network element 1 can also be implemented in other ways, such as combining the above multiple implementation methods, etc., which is not limited to this.

[0224] S904: Network element 1 broadcasts SSB.

[0225] When NE 1 determines that a UE is sending a WUS, it indicates that the UE currently requires NE 1 to send an SSB. Therefore, NE 1 switches from broadcasting LP-SS at low power consumption to broadcasting SSB at higher power consumption. In this way, UE 2 can obtain the SSB it requested.

[0226] In the first implementation example, after receiving the WUS, the network element 1 can resume the periodic broadcast of the SSB.

[0227] In the second implementation example, after receiving the WUS, the network element 1 may broadcast the SSB within a preset number of signal broadcast cycles. For example, the network element 1 may broadcast the SSB and SIB1 in two consecutive signal broadcast cycles. After the network element 1 completes the broadcast of the SSB within the preset number of signal broadcast cycles, it may re-enter the state of broadcasting LP-SS in low power consumption until the network element 1 receives the WUS again and then resumes broadcasting the SSB.

[0228] Furthermore, network element 1 may not distinguish between beams when broadcasting SSBs. That is, network element 1 may only send one SSB in each signal broadcast period. Alternatively, network element 1 may distinguish between beams when broadcasting SSBs. Thus, after receiving a WUS, network element 1 may send SSBs on multiple beams. That is, network element 1 may send multiple SSBs in each signal broadcast period.

[0229] It should be noted that this embodiment uses the example of UE2 waking up network element 1 to send an SSB based on the LP-SS broadcast by network element 1. In actual applications, the signal coverage of network element 1 may also include other UEs. After receiving the LP-SS, other UEs can also obtain downlink synchronization based on the LP-SS and use the second time-frequency resource to send a WUS to network element 1.

[0230] In this embodiment, before network element 1 obtains WUS, UE2 can achieve downlink synchronization by obtaining LP-SS sent by network element 1, which makes it unnecessary for network element 1 to broadcast SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption, so that network element 1 can save the energy consumption generated by sending SSB and SIB1, thereby achieving energy saving.

[0231] In this embodiment, after receiving the SSB, UE2 can not only continue to maintain downlink synchronization according to the SSB, but also measure the signal quality of the SSB to determine whether the signal quality of the SSB is high after the SSB broadcast by the network element 1 with higher power consumption is transmitted to UE2. If the signal quality of the SSB transmitted to UE2 is high (i.e., greater than the threshold), it indicates that UE2 can maintain normal communication with network element 1 after accessing network element 1. If the signal quality of the SSB transmitted to UE2 is low, it indicates that after UE2 accesses network element 1, the signal quality sent by network element 1 to UE2 is too low, resulting in UE2 failing to successfully receive the data sent by network element 1, thereby affecting the communication between network element 1 and UE2.

[0232] Furthermore, after receiving the WUS, network element 1 can broadcast not only the SSB but also SIB1. Thus, when the signal quality of the SSB transmitted to UE2 is high, UE2 can access network element 1 based on the received SSB and SIB1, thereby subsequently establishing a connection and communicating with network element 1. Of course, in other implementations, network element 1 may also broadcast only the SSB, and this is not limited to this.

[0233] In actual application, after UE2 measures the signal quality of the received SSB, it finds that the signal quality of the SSB is low, specifically, the signal quality may be less than a threshold, which indicates that the communication quality between UE2 and network element 1 is poor. At this time, UE2 can switch to the network element to be accessed subsequently. For example, UE2 can measure the LP-SS or SSB sent by other network elements, and when the signal quality of the LP-SS or SSB received from other network elements is greater than a threshold, UE2 can subsequently access the other network element, establish a connection with the other network element, and communicate with the other network element. In this way, it can be ensured that after UE2 accesses the network element, it can avoid the impact of poor signal quality on communication between the network element and the UE2.

[0234] 10 and 11 , the hardware implementation of the network element and the UE will be further described.

[0235] Referring to Figure 10, a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a network element is shown. The network element shown in Figure 10 includes at least one processor 111, at least one memory 112, at least one transceiver 113, at least one network interface 114 and one or more antennas 115. The processor 111, the memory 112, the transceiver 113 and the network interface 114 are connected, for example, via a bus. In the embodiment of the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. The antenna 115 is connected to the transceiver 113. The network interface 114 is used to connect the network element to other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 114 may include a network interface between the network element and the network element in the core network, such as an S1 interface. The network interface may include a network interface between the network element and other network elements, such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0236] Among them, the processor 111 shown in Figure 10 can specifically complete the network element processing actions in the above method, the memory 112 can complete the storage actions in the above method, the transceiver 113 and the antenna 115 can perform the sending and receiving actions on the air interface in the above method, and the network interface 114 can complete the actions of interacting with the network element or other network elements in the above method.

[0237] The processor in the embodiments of the present application, such as processor 111, may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., which are various types of computing devices that run software. Each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform operations or processing. The processor can be a separate semiconductor chip or integrated into a semiconductor chip together with other circuits. For example, it can form an SoC (system on chip) with other circuits (such as a codec circuit, a hardware acceleration circuit, or various bus and interface circuits), or it can be integrated into the ASIC as a built-in processor of the ASIC. The ASIC with the integrated processor can be packaged separately or with other circuits. In addition to the core for executing software instructions to perform operations or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a PLD (programmable logic device), or a logic circuit that implements dedicated logic operations.

[0238] The memory in the embodiments of the present application may include at least one of the following types: read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). In some scenarios, the memory may also be a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this.

[0239] The memory 112 can be independent and connected to the processor 111. Optionally, the memory 112 can be integrated with the processor 111, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 112 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 111. The various computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers for the processor 111. For example, the processor 111 is used to execute the computer program codes stored in the memory 112, thereby implementing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0240] The transceiver 113 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the network element and other devices. The transceiver 113 can be connected to the antenna 115. The transceiver 113 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 115 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of the transceiver 113 is used to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna, convert the radio frequency signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 111 so that the processor 111 can further process the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 113 is also used to receive a modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 111, convert the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal, and send the radio frequency signal through one or more antennas 115. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal. The order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal. The order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processes is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal may be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0241] Figure 11 shows an example of the components of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application. The UE may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart wearable device (such as a smartwatch), etc. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the UE may include a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display 330, a camera 340, antenna 1, antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360.

[0242] It should be understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the UE. In other embodiments, the UE may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined or separated, or arranged differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0243] The processor 310 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 310 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a time-frequency codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU). The different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0244] It is understood that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in this embodiment is only for illustrative purposes and does not constitute a structural limitation on the UE. In other embodiments of the present application, the UE may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0245] The external memory interface 320 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the UE's storage capacity. The external memory card communicates with the processor 310 via the external memory interface 320 to implement data storage. For example, files such as music and time and frequency files can be stored on the external memory card.

[0246] The internal memory 321 can be used to store computer executable program codes, and the executable program codes include instructions. The processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the UE by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321. The internal memory 321 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the UE (such as time-frequency stream data), etc. In addition, the internal memory 321 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc. The processor 310 executes various functions and data processing of the UE by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321, and / or the instructions stored in the memory provided in the processor.

[0247] The wireless communication function of the UE can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 350, wireless communication module 360, modem processor and baseband processor.

[0248] Antenna 1 and Antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the UE can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0249] The mobile communication module 350 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G applied on the UE. The mobile communication module 350 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 can be set in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 310.

[0250] In some embodiments, the UE initiates or receives a call request via the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1 .

[0251] Furthermore, an operating system runs on the above-mentioned components. Examples include the iOS operating system, the Android operating system, and the Windows operating system. Applications can be installed and run on the operating system. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for ease of description and brevity, the explanation and beneficial effects of the relevant contents of any of the above-mentioned UEs can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be further elaborated here.

[0252] In addition, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices execute the communication method described in the above embodiment.

[0253] In addition, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product. When the computer program product is executed by one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices perform any of the aforementioned communication methods. The computer program product may be a software installation package. When any of the aforementioned communication methods is required, the computer program product may be downloaded and executed on a computer.

[0254] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general hardware, and of course can also be implemented by special hardware including application-specific integrated circuits, special CPUs, special memories, special components, etc. In general, all functions performed by computer programs can be easily implemented with corresponding hardware, and the specific hardware structures used to implement the same function can also be diverse, such as analog circuits, digital circuits or special circuits, etc. However, for the present application, software program implementation is a better implementation method in most cases. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a computer's floppy disk, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, training equipment, or network equipment, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0255] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product.

[0256] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, a computer, a training device or a data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, a computer, a training device or a data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a training device, a data center, etc. that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0257] The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method being applied to a user equipment UE, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining a Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) for synchronizing with a network element; Sending a wake-up signal for waking up the network element to send at least one of a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel block (SSB) and a System Information Block (SIB1); Obtaining at least one of the SSB and the SIB1; Accessing the network element according to at least one of the SSB and the SIB1.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Determining an identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to the DRS.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The DRS further includes at least one Resource Element (RE), and determining the identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to the DRS includes: Parsing the at least one RE in the DRS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Determining the identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to the DRS includes: Parsing a coding sequence of the DRS to obtain the identifier of the first time-frequency resource, where the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is used as a generation parameter of the coding sequence of the DRS.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein The obtaining of the Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) includes: Obtaining at least one DRS within a signal broadcast period; The determining of the identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to the DRS includes: Determining the identifier of the first time-frequency resource according to a time distribution of the at least one DRS within the signal broadcast period.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Randomly selecting one time-frequency resource from multiple predefined time-frequency resources as the first time-frequency resource.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Determining at least one time-frequency resource associated with the UE; Determining the first time-frequency resource from the at least one time-frequency resource.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Obtaining Downlink Control Information (DCI) shared by a user group; Parsing the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from the DCI shared by the user group.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The DRS includes a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The obtaining of the Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) includes: Obtaining multiple DRSs, where each DRS in the multiple DRSs corresponds to a beam, and different DRSs correspond to different beams; The sending of the wake-up signal includes: Determining a first beam on which the DRS with the highest signal quality among the multiple DRSs is located; Sending the wake-up signal on the first beam.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, A coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; Alternatively, the sending of the wake-up signal includes: Sending the wake-up signal on a Random Access Channel (RACH).

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The DRS occupies 2 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the time domain, the PSS occupies the first OFDM symbol, and the SSS occupies the second OFDM symbol; Alternatively, the DRS occupies 4 OFDM symbols in the time domain, the PSS occupies the first OFDM symbol, and the SSS occupies the third OFDM symbol.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The DRS includes a low-power synchronization signal LP-SS. The wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to transmit the SSB. Sending the wake-up signal includes: When the signal quality of the LP-SS is less than a threshold, sending the wake-up signal.

14. A communication method, the method is applied to a network element, characterized in that, The method includes: Sending a discovery reference signal DRS, where the DRS is used to provide synchronization for a user equipment UE; Obtaining a wake-up signal, where the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to transmit at least one of a synchronization signal, a physical broadcast channel block SSB, and a system information block SIB1; Based on the wake-up signal, transmitting at least one of the SSB and the SIB1, where the SSB and the SIB1 are used for the UE to access the network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The wake-up signal is transmitted based on a first time-frequency resource. The DRS further includes at least one resource element RE, and the at least one RE is used to indicate the first time-frequency resource.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is transmitted based on a first time-frequency resource. Generation parameters of the coding sequence of the DRS include an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein The wake-up signal is transmitted based on a first time-frequency resource. Sending the discovery reference signal DRS includes: Sending at least one DRS within a signal broadcast period, and a time distribution of the at least one DRS within the signal broadcast period is used to indicate the first time-frequency resource.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein The wake-up signal is transmitted based on a first time-frequency resource. The method further includes: Sending downlink control information DCI shared by a user group, where the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that, The DRS includes a primary synchronization signal PSS and a secondary synchronization signal SSS.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, Sending the discovery reference signal DRS includes: Sending a plurality of DRSs, where each DRS in the plurality of DRSs corresponds to a beam, and different DRSs correspond to different beams; Obtaining the wake-up signal includes: Obtaining the wake-up signal on the first beam, where, among the plurality of DRSs transmitted to the UE, the DRS located on the first beam has the highest signal quality.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that The energy of the wake-up signal is greater than a threshold; Or, the coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; Or, obtaining the wake-up signal includes: Detecting the wake-up signal located on a random access channel RACH within a resource window.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, characterized in that, The DRS occupies 2 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols OFDM in the time domain. The PSS occupies the first OFDM, and the SSS occupies the second OFDM; Or, the DRS occupies 4 OFDM symbols in the time domain. The PSS occupies the first OFDM, and the SSS occupies the third OFDM.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that, The DRS includes a low-power synchronization signal LP-SS. The wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to transmit the SSB.

24. A communication method, the method being applied to a user equipment UE, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB; Sending a wake-up signal, where the wake-up signal is used to wake up the network element to transmit a system information block SIB1; Obtaining the SIB1; Accessing the network element according to the SIB1.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; Alternatively, the sending of the wake-up signal includes: Sending the wake-up signal on a random access channel (RACH).

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Parsing at least one resource element (RE) in the SSB to obtain an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

27. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Obtaining downlink control information (DCI) shared by a user group; Parsing the identifier of the first time-frequency resource from the DCI shared by the user group.

28. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Randomly selecting one time-frequency resource from multiple predefined time-frequency resources as the first time-frequency resource.

29. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Determining at least one time-frequency resource associated with the UE; Determining the first time-frequency resource from the at least one time-frequency resource.

30. A communication method, the method being applied to a network element, characterized in that, The method includes: Sending a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB); Obtaining a wake-up signal for waking up the network element to send a system information block (SIB1); Based on the wake-up signal, sending the SIB1, where the SIB1 is used for the UE to access the network element.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The energy of the wake-up signal is greater than a threshold; Alternatively, the coding sequence of the wake-up signal is a preset coding sequence; Alternatively, the obtaining of the wake-up signal includes: Detecting the wake-up signal located on the RACH within a resource window.

32. The method according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is transmitted based on a first time-frequency resource, and the method further includes: Sending DCI shared by a user group, where the identifier of the first time-frequency resource is carried in the DCI shared by the user group.

33. The method according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that, The wake-up signal is sent based on a first time-frequency resource, and at least one RE in the SSB is used to indicate the identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

34. A user equipment UE, characterized in that, Includes: A transceiver for performing receiving and sending operations in the method according to any one of claims 1-13, 24-29; A processor for performing other operations in the method according to any one of claims 1-13, 24-29 except the receiving and sending operations.

35. A network element, characterized in that, Includes: A transceiver for performing receiving and sending operations in the method according to any one of claims 14-23, 30-33; A processor for performing other operations in the method according to any one of claims 14-23, 30-33 except the receiving and sending operations.

36. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a user equipment (UE) and a network element, where the UE is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13, 24-29, and the network element is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 14-23, 30-33.

37. A computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which when executed, is used to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 33.

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