Communication method, system and related devices

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a kind of communication method, system and related equipment, comprising: UE sends wake-up signal to second network element by first network element, or, UE sends wake-up signal to second network element, the wake-up signal is used to trigger first signal sent by second network element, wherein, UE does not establish RRC connection with first network element and second network element;Then, second network element sends the first signal, and, UE accesses second network element according to the first signal received, or signal quality measurement is carried out to the first signal received.Because second network element can not broadcast first signal before receiving wake-up signal, this makes second network element be able to save the energy consumption generated by broadcasting the first signal, to realize network energy saving.In addition, after receiving wake-up signal, second network element can guarantee normal network function by sending first signal, such as guaranteeing that UE can normally access second network element or can realize signal quality measurement from second network element.

Description

Communication method, system and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on February 6, 2024, with application number 202410172068.1 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] In actual application scenarios, there are often multiple network elements (such as base stations, etc.) providing communication services for user equipment (UE), and different network elements use different frequencies to communicate with the UE. In addition, the multiple network elements can support carrier aggregation (CA) to meet the UE's high bandwidth requirements. Among them, multiple network elements can share the same site, that is, co-located; or, multiple network elements can be deployed at different sites, etc. Normally, each network element can periodically send synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block, SSB), system information block 1 (system information block 1, SIB1) signals, so that UEs within the signal coverage range of the network element can perform downlink synchronization with the network element in the time domain and frequency domain and access the network element based on the received SSB signal and SIB1 signal.

[0004] As shown in Figure 1, the SSB includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and the demodulation reference signal (DMRS). Typically, one SSB occupies four orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the time domain and 240 subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0005] However, when each network element broadcasts SSB signals and SIB1 signals on one or more beams, the network element will continue to operate at high power, 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 the first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second network element. Specifically, the second network element receives a wake-up signal, which can be sent by a first network element to the second network element, or can be sent by a UE (user equipment) to the second network element. The wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal, and the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to measure the signal quality of the first signal, wherein the UE does not establish an RRC (radio resource control) connection with the first network element and the second network element; then, the second network element sends the first signal.

[0009] Since the second network element does not need to broadcast the first signal required for the UE to access the second network element or perform signal quality measurement before receiving the wake-up signal, this enables the second network element to save the energy consumption generated by broadcasting the first signal, thereby achieving network energy saving. At the same time, after receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element can ensure normal network functions by sending the first signal, such as ensuring that the UE can normally access the second network element or can measure the signal quality from the second network element. And, further, before receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element may not send SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block), or may send DRS to enable the UE to obtain downlink synchronization, which can further save the energy consumption of the second network element compared to the way the second network element sends SSB.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the second network element may further send an LP-SS (Low Power Synchronization Signal) before receiving the wake-up signal. In this case, the first signal sent by the second network element is specifically an SSB. Thus, compared to the method in which the second network element sends an SSB before receiving the wake-up signal, the power consumption generated by sending the LP-SS signal is less than the power consumption generated by sending the SSB signal, thereby further saving energy consumption of the second network element.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the second network element may send a DRS before receiving the wake-up signal. In this case, the first signal sent by the second network element may specifically be an SSB and a SIB1 (system information block), or the first signal sent by the second network element may specifically be an MIB (master information block) and SIB1. In this way, compared with the method in which the second network element sends an SSB before receiving the wake-up signal, the power consumption generated by sending a DRS is generally less than the power consumption generated by sending an SSB, thereby further saving the energy consumption of the second network element.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first signal sent by the second network element includes MIB and SIB1. Then, the second network element may further send MIB and SIB1 to the first network element so that the first network element forwards the MIB and SIB1 to the UE, thereby ensuring the energy saving effect of the second network element.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the second network element may send an SSB before receiving the wake-up signal. In this case, the first signal sent by the second network element may specifically be an SSB and SIB1, or the first signal sent by the second network element may specifically be SIB1. Compared to a method in which the second network element sends an SSB and SIB1 before receiving the wake-up signal, this method can save energy consumed by sending SIB1, thereby further achieving energy saving for the second network element.

[0014] In the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network element. Specifically, the first network element sends a second signal, which is used to instruct the UE (user equipment) to send a first time-frequency resource used by the first network element to send a demand message to the first network element, and the UE has not established an RRC (radio resource control) connection with the first network element and the second network element; then, the first network element receives a demand message from the UE, which is used to trigger the first network element to send a wake-up signal, which is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal, which is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal from the second network element; finally, the first network element sends the wake-up signal to the second network element.

[0015] In this way, when the UE sends a request message to the first network element, the first network element triggers the second network element to send the first signal by sending a wake-up signal to the second network element. This means that before receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element does not need to broadcast the first signal required for the UE to access the second network element. This allows the second network element to save energy consumption generated by the first signal, thereby achieving network energy saving. At the same time, after receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element can ensure normal network functions by sending the first signal.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first network element may also receive the MIB (master information block) and SIB (system information block) 1 corresponding to the second network element from the second network element, and send the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to the second network element, such as adding the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to the second network element to the SIB1 of the first network element for sending.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, the first time-frequency resource indicated by the first network element is a time-frequency resource on a PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), and the demand message sent by the UE is specifically a random access message.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the second signal sent by the first network element includes DCI (downlink control information) shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource. In this way, the UE can send a demand message to the first network element based on the first time-frequency resource indicated by the first network element.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network element. Specifically, the first network element sends a second signal, which is used to instruct the UE (user equipment) to send a wake-up signal to the second network element using a second time-frequency resource. The UE has not established an RRC (radio resource control) connection with the first network element and the second network element, and the wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal, which is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal.

[0020] In this way, when the UE sends a wake-up signal to the second network element, the second network element will send the first signal. This means that before receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element does not need to broadcast the first signal required for the UE to access the second network element or measure signal quality. As a result, the second network element can save energy consumption generated by the first signal, thereby achieving network energy saving. At the same time, after receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element can ensure normal network functions by sending the first signal.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the second time-frequency resource indicated by the first network element is a time-frequency resource on a PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), and the wake-up signal sent by the UE is specifically a random access message.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the second signal sent by the first network element includes DCI (downlink control information) shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the second time-frequency resource. In this way, the UE can send a wake-up signal to the second network element based on the second time-frequency resource indicated by the first network element.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a UE (user equipment). Specifically, the UE receives a second signal, which is used to indicate a first time-frequency resource used by the UE to send a demand message to the first network element, and the UE has not established an RRC (radio resource control) connection with the first network element and the second network element; then, the UE sends a demand message to the first network element through the first time-frequency resource, and the demand message is used to trigger the first network element to send a wake-up signal, and the wake-up signal is used to indicate the second network element to send a first signal, and the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to measure the signal quality of the first signal; then, the UE receives the first signal and accesses the second network element according to the first signal, or measures the signal quality of the first signal.

[0024] In this way, before the UE sends the demand message, the second network element does not need to broadcast the first signal, thereby saving the energy consumption generated by the first signal, thereby achieving network energy saving. At the same time, after receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element can ensure normal network functions by sending the first signal.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource indicated by the second signal is a time-frequency resource on a PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), and the demand message sent by the UE is a random access message.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second signal includes DCI (Downlink Control Information) shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a UE (user equipment). Specifically, the UE achieves downlink synchronization with the second network element, and the UE does not establish an RRC (radio resource control) connection with the first network element and the second network element; then, the UE receives a second signal, which is used to instruct the UE to send a wake-up signal to the second network element using a second time-frequency resource, and sends a wake-up signal to the second network element through the second time-frequency resource. The wake-up signal is used to instruct the second network element to send a first signal, and the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to measure the signal quality of the first signal; finally, the UE receives the first signal and accesses the second network element based on the first signal, or measures the signal quality of the first signal.

[0028] In this way, before the UE sends the wake-up signal to the second network element, the second network element does not need to broadcast the first signal, thereby saving the energy consumption generated by the first signal, thereby achieving network energy saving. At the same time, after receiving the wake-up signal, the second network element can ensure normal network functions by sending the first signal.

[0029] In one possible implementation, when the UE achieves downlink synchronization with the second network element, it may specifically receive LP-SS (low power synchronization signal) and achieve downlink synchronization with the second network element based on the LP-SS; or, receive DRS (discovery reference signal) and achieve downlink synchronization with the second network element based on the DRS, the DRS including PSS (primary synchronization signal) and SSS (secondary synchronization signal); or, receive SSB (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block) of the second network element and achieve downlink synchronization with the second network element based on the SSB; or, receive SSB and SIB1 (system information block) of the first network element and achieve downlink synchronization with the second network element based on the SSB and SIB1 of the first network element, and the second network element and the first network element share the same site.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the UE achieves downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the LP-SS. At this time, the wake-up signal sent by the UE is used to trigger the second network element to send the SSB, and the first signal is used for the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal. Then, when the UE sends the wake-up signal to the second network element through the second time-frequency resource, specifically, when the signal quality of the received LP-SS is less than a threshold, the wake-up signal is sent to the second network element through the second time-frequency resource.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the second time-frequency resource used by the UE to send the wake-up signal is a time-frequency resource on a PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), and the wake-up signal is a random access message.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the second signal includes DCI (Downlink Control Information) shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the second time-frequency resource.

[0033] In the sixth 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 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 fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect; the processor is used to perform other operations in the method described in the fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect except the receiving operation and the sending operation, or to perform other operations in the method described in the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect except the receiving operation and the sending operation.

[0034] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a network element, 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 second aspect or any embodiment of the second 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; 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 second aspect or any embodiment of the second 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.

[0035] In an eighth 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 fourth aspect or any embodiment of the fourth aspect, or to execute the method described in the fifth aspect or any embodiment of the fifth aspect; the network element 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 second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect, or to execute the method described in the third aspect or any embodiment of the third aspect.

[0036] In a ninth 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 fifth aspects of the present application.

[0037] In a tenth 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 fifth aspects of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of SSB;

[0039] FIG2 is a structural diagram of an exemplary communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG4 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG5a is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG5 b is a schematic structural diagram of another exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG5c is a schematic structural diagram of another exemplary DRS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] The embodiments of the present application are applied to 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.

[0056] An example of a communication system is shown in FIG2 . The communication system includes a network element 1 , a network element 2 , and a UE 3 .

[0057] 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 micro-micro 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. Network element 2 is similar to network element 1.

[0058] A base station can be configured with multiple cells, each of which can be the same component carrier (CC) or a different carrier. In this application, the term "cell" and the term "carrier" can be interchanged. A carrier can be understood as a frequency within a frequency band / band. For example, in NR, the frequency band numbered 78, namely Band n78, has a frequency range of 3300MHz-3800MHz, so the band has a bandwidth of 500MHz. If a CC occupies 100MHz bandwidth, 5 CCs can be formed based on Band n78. In addition, the base station can be configured with 3 sectors, and each sector corresponds to a cell. In the carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, carrier aggregation can be intra-band carrier aggregation or inter-band carrier aggregation. Taking the aggregation of two carriers as an example, for intra-band carrier aggregation, the aggregated carriers can be two carriers within the same band, such as two CCs occupying 100MHz bandwidth in Band n78. For inter-band carrier aggregation, the aggregated carriers can be two carriers in different frequency bands, for example, a CC in Band n78 occupying 100 MHz bandwidth and a CC in Band n41 occupying 100 MHz bandwidth. The aggregated carriers can be from the same base station, in which case they are considered co-located. The aggregated carriers can also be from different base stations, in which case they may or may not be co-located.

[0059] Network element 1 and network element 2 are used to implement different cells. In this case, network element 1 and network element 2 can be different base stations to implement different cells; alternatively, network element 1 and network element 2 can be located on the same base station, such as using different sector antennas on the same base station to implement different cells. Furthermore, network element 1 and network element 2 can also support carrier aggregation (CA) to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of UE 3.

[0060] UE3 can communicate with multiple network elements of different technologies. For example, UE3 can communicate with network elements that support LTE networks, network elements that support 5G networks, and can also establish dual connections with base stations that support LTE networks and network elements of 5G networks.

[0061] In the embodiments provided in the present application, UE3 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.

[0062] The above description uses an example in which a communication system includes network element 1, network element 2, and UE 3. In other possible implementations, the communication system may include multiple UEs or a larger number of 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 3 and network element 1 as an example.

[0063] Typically, both network element 1 and network element 2 can periodically broadcast SSBs and SIB1 on multiple beams so that when a UE (such as UE3) is within the signal coverage area, it can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on the SSBs and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1, and the UE can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the SSBs and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2. For example, each network element can send SSBs on each beam every 20ms. UEs (including UE3) within the network element signal coverage area attempt to detect SSBs and decode PSS and SSS. Once UE3 successfully detects the PSS and SSS, the UE attempts to decode the PBCH. Once UE3 successfully detects the PBCH, it decodes the master information block (MIB). Then, UE3 finds the location and SearchSpace information of CORESET0 (i.e., the CORESET for PDCCH or DCI transmitted by SIB1) based on the pdcch-ConfigSIB1 information in the MIB. UE3 blindly decodes downlink control information (DCI) 1_0 in SearchSpace. Based on DCI 1_0, UE3 detects and decodes the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying SIB1, and then decodes SIB1. If SIB1 carries information about other SIBs, UE3 can also decode other SIBs (such as SIB2, etc.). Through the above process, UE3 can obtain time and frequency synchronization with the network element and detect the ID of the network element. However, each network element in the communication system continuously sends SSBs and SIB1 on multiple beams, which will cause the multiple network elements to consume a lot of energy.

[0064] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. For network element 2, before receiving the wake-up signal, network element 2 may not send SIB1, thereby saving energy consumption of network element 2 and achieving network energy saving (NES). Furthermore, before receiving the wake-up signal, network element 2 may not send SSB, or send a discovery reference signal (DRS) for downlink synchronization with lower energy consumption, to achieve further energy saving of network element 2. Moreover, after UE3 wakes up network element 2, network element 2 can start sending SIB1 and / or SSB, so that UE3 can normally access network element 2 according to the SSB and / or SIB1.

[0065] The following describes various communication methods for achieving network energy conservation provided by this application, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, the various communication methods described below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, are illustrated using the communication system shown in FIG2 as an example. In actual application, the communication process between a network element and a UE in the communication system can also be applied to other possible communication systems, without limitation.

[0066] Referring to FIG3 , a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in FIG3 , the process of the communication method includes the following steps:

[0067] S301: Network element 1 sends a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct UE3 to send a first time-frequency resource to network element 1 for an on-demand message.

[0068] In this embodiment, UE3 can use network element 1 to trigger network element 2 to provide signals such as SSB and / or SIB1 required for accessing network element 2. Specifically, network element 1 can trigger network element 2 to provide SSB and / or SIB1 under the instruction of a demand message sent by UE3. Based on this, network element 1 can pre-instruct UE3 to use the time-frequency resource to send the demand message to network element 1. For ease of distinction and description, this is referred to as the first time-frequency resource below.

[0069] During specific implementation, network element 1 may send a second signal so as to use the second signal to indicate the first time-frequency resource.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the second signal sent by network element 1 may be, for example, SIB1 of network element 1. That is, when network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1, it may carry indication information of the first time-frequency resource in the SIB1, such as carrying an index of the first time-frequency resource. In this way, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 sent by network element 1, UE3 may decode SIB1 using the MIB carried in the SSB and obtain the indication information of the first time-frequency resource from the decoded information, thereby determining the first time-frequency resource. Furthermore, the SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 may also carry information required to access network element 1.

[0071] The first time-frequency resources include time domain resources and frequency domain resources, where the time domain resources may be, for example, time slots and OFDM symbols that can be occupied by UE3 in the time domain, and the frequency domain resources may be, for example, one or more REs that can be occupied by UE3 in the frequency domain. As some examples, the first time-frequency resources may be, for example, time-frequency resources on a physical random access channel (PRACH) that can be used by UE3 to send information to network element 1.

[0072] It can be understood that the above-mentioned implementation method of carrying the indication information of the first time-frequency resource in SIB1 is only an implementation example. In other embodiments, network element 1 can also implement the indication of the first time-frequency resource by broadcasting other types of signals, or carrying the indication information of the first time-frequency resource in other types of SIBs, etc., and there is no limitation on this.

[0073] S302: UE3 sends a demand message to network element 1 via the first time-frequency resource.

[0074] The demand message sent by UE3 can be used to trigger network element 1 to send a wake-up signal (WUS) to network element 2. The WUS is used to trigger network element 2 to broadcast a first signal. The first signal can be, for example, one or more of the SSB, SIB1, and MIB corresponding to network element 2. For ease of understanding, this embodiment is described by taking the first signal as SSB and SIB1 as an example.

[0075] In this embodiment, the demand message sent by UE3 may be implemented in any one of the following multiple implementations.

[0076] In a first possible implementation, UE3 can use the first time-frequency resource on the PRACH to send a request message. In this case, the request message can be a random access message. Accordingly, after receiving the random access message, network element 1 determines that UE3 requests the network side to provide the first signal of network element 2.

[0077] In a second 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 demand messages 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 one 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, UE3 can parse out the identifier of the first time-frequency resource that can be used by UE3, thereby determining the first time-frequency resource used to send the demand message.

[0078] In actual application, the network element 1 may also use other methods to indicate the first time-frequency resource, and this is not limited.

[0079] S303: After receiving the demand message, network element 1 sends a wake-up signal to network element 2. The wake-up signal is used to instruct network element 2 to send SSB and SIB1.

[0080] After sending the second signal, network element 1 may perform signal detection within a preset resource window to determine whether a UE has sent a request message to network element 1. Furthermore, upon detecting the request message sent by UE 3, network element 1 may generate a WUS and send the WUS to network element 2 via the Xn interface to instruct network element 2 to send the SSB and SIB1. The WUS sent by network element 1 may be implemented in the following ways.

[0081] Example 1, WUS, can be a newly defined wake-up message. For example, a new type of message can be defined in a communication standard protocol (such as release 19), and the name of the message can be, for example, "WAKEUP REQUEST". Thus, network element 1 can trigger network element 2 to broadcast SSB and SIB1 by sending the message to network element 2.

[0082] Example 2, WUS, can be implemented by defining a new information element (IE) in an existing message. For example, an IE named "Wakeup Request" can be defined in the existing "HANDOVER REQUES" T message, "XN SETUP REQUEST" message, or "CELL ACTIVATION REQUEST" message in the communication standard protocol. In this way, network element 1 can trigger network element 2's SSB and SIB1 by sending a message containing this IE to network element 2.

[0083] Example 3, WUS, can be implemented by defining a new enumeration value in an IE included in an existing message. For example, a new enumeration value "wakeup" can be defined in the "Cause" (an IE) included in the existing "HANDOVER REQUEST" message in the communication standard protocol. In this way, network element 1 can trigger network element 2 to broadcast the SSB and SIB1 by sending a message containing this enumeration value to network element 2.

[0084] In actual application, the network element 1 may also send the WUS to the network element 2 in other ways, which is not limited.

[0085] Furthermore, the WUS sent by network element 1 to network element 2 may also carry the reason for triggering network element 2 to broadcast SSB and SIB1 (or other signals). For example, the WUS sent by network element 1 to network element 2 may include a cause field, which may include one or more bits. The value of the cause field may be multiple. When the value of the cause field is a first value, it may be used to indicate that UE3 needs to access network element 2; when the value of the cause field is a second value, it may be used to indicate that UE3 needs to perform signal quality measurement on the signal from network element 2, etc. The possible values ​​of the cause field may be predefined in the communication standard protocol.

[0086] S304: After receiving the wake-up signal, network element 2 broadcasts SSB and SIB1.

[0087] In this embodiment, after receiving WUS, network element 2 can change from a state of not broadcasting SSB and SIB1 to a state of broadcasting SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption, so that UE3 can access network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0088] In the first implementation example, after receiving the WUS, the network element 2 can resume the periodic broadcasting of the SSB and SIB1, so that the UE3 can access the network element 2 according to the received SSB and SIB1.

[0089] In the second implementation example, after receiving the WUS, the network element 2 may broadcast the SSB and SIB1 within a preset number of signal broadcast cycles. For example, the network element 2 may broadcast the SSB and SIB1 in two consecutive signal broadcast cycles. After the network element 2 completes the broadcast of the SSB and SIB1 within the preset number of signal broadcast cycles, it may re-enter a state of not broadcasting the SSB and SIB1 until the network element 2 receives the WUS again and then resumes broadcasting the SSB and SIB1.

[0090] The number of times network element 2 continuously broadcasts SSB and SIB1 may be defined in a communication standard protocol. Alternatively, when network element 1 previously sends a second signal, the second signal may include the number of times network element 2 continuously broadcasts SSB and SIB1 after receiving the WUS, so that UE 3 can improve the success rate of signal decoding by continuously receiving SSB and SIB1.

[0091] In the third implementation example, network element 2 can determine whether to continue not broadcasting signals or to broadcast SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption based on the current load situation. For example, after receiving WUS, network element 2 can obtain its own load and determine whether the load is greater than the load threshold. When the load of network element 2 is greater than the load threshold, network element 2 can continue not broadcasting signals to avoid excessive load on network element 2 after UE3 accesses network element 2. When the load of network element 2 is less than or equal to the load threshold, it indicates that network element 2 has sufficient capacity to serve new UEs. Therefore, network element 2 can start broadcasting SSB and SIB1 to support UE3 (and other UEs) to access network element 2.

[0092] In this embodiment, network element 2 may not distinguish between beams when broadcasting SSB and SIB1, that is, network element 2 may only send one SSB and SIB1 in each cycle. Alternatively, network element 2 may also distinguish between beams to broadcast SSB and SIB1, so that network element 2 may send SSB and SIB1 on multiple beams after receiving WUS. That is, in each cycle, network element 2 may send multiple SSBs and SIB1 based on different beams. Alternatively, when network element 1 sends WUS to network element 2, it may also indicate the beam in which network element 2 broadcasts SSB and SIB1 (the number of specified beams may be one or more). For example, the WUS sent by network element 1 may carry a beam identifier, which is used to indicate the beam in which network element 2 broadcasts the signal. Thus, network element 2 can broadcast SSB and SIB1 on the beam indicated by network element 1.

[0093] S305: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0094] In specific implementation, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 from NE 2, UE3 can achieve downlink synchronization with NE 2 based on the PSS and SSS in the SSB. In addition, UE3 will decode the information in SIB1 based on the MIB information in the SSB to obtain the configuration information required to access NE 2, so that UE3 can access NE 2 based on the decoded configuration information.

[0095] In actual application, after accessing NE 2, UE3 can further establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with NE 2 so that UE3 can exchange data with NE 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in Figure 3. In addition, while NE 2 is broadcasting SSB and SIB1, other UEs within the signal coverage of NE 2 can also access NE 2 based on the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by NE 2.

[0096] In this embodiment, the network element 2 does not need to broadcast the SSB and SIB1 before receiving the WUS, which enables the second network element to save the energy consumption generated by broadcasting the SSB and SIB1, thereby achieving network energy saving.

[0097] In the embodiment shown in FIG3 above, UE3 triggers network element 2 to broadcast a first signal (specifically, SSB and SIB1) through network element 1 as an example for description. In other embodiments, UE3 may directly trigger network element 2 to broadcast the first signal. The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates an exemplary implementation process of UE3 directly triggering network element 2 to broadcast the first signal. For ease of understanding, this embodiment illustrates the first signal specifically being SSB and SIB1 as an example.

[0098] Referring to Figure 4, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 4 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example. As shown in Figure 4, the method may specifically include:

[0099] S401: Network element 2 broadcasts DRS, which is used for UE3 to achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2. The DRS includes PSS and SSS.

[0100] In this embodiment, network element 2 can broadcast DRS periodically, such as every 20 milliseconds (ms) or 40 ms. In this way, UE3 in idle or inactive state within the signal coverage area of ​​network element 2 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the DRS broadcast by network element 2. During this process, network element 2 does not broadcast SSB and SIB1, so as to achieve network energy saving by broadcasting DRS with lower energy consumption.

[0101] Furthermore, network element 1 may send DRSs on multiple beams. For example, network element 1 may send DRSs on 8 or 64 beams. Furthermore, network element 1 may send one DRS or multiple DRSs on each beam. Specifically, network element 1 may use different time domains when sending DRSs on different beams. Alternatively, network element 1 may send DRSs without distinguishing between beams. At this time, network element 1 may send one DRS; alternatively, network element 1 may send multiple DRSs, so that UE3 can improve the success rate of decoding DRSs based on the multiple DRSs.

[0102] Among them, the DRS sent by network element 2 can have the following three non-limiting implementation methods.

[0103] In the first implementation example, as shown in Figure 5a, the DRS may include only the PSS and the SSS. In addition, 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 SSS occupying 127 subcarriers in different time domains respectively. In this embodiment, after receiving the DRS, the UE3 specifically completes downlink synchronization based on the PSS and SSS in the DRS.

[0104] [Corrected 06.02.2025 in accordance with Rule 91] It should be noted that the subcarriers occupied by the PSS and SSS in the DRS shown in Figure 5a 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.

[0105] In the second implementation example, as shown in FIG5b , DRS may include PSS, SSS, and one or more reserved resource elements (REs). FIG5b illustrates an example of reserving multiple REs. At this time, DRS can still occupy two OFDMs in the time domain, where PSS occupies the first OFDM and SSS occupies the second OFDM. At the same time, DRS can occupy 127 subcarriers in the frequency domain, with PSS and SSS occupying 127 subcarriers in different time domains, respectively.

[0106] [Corrected 06.02.2025 according to Rule 91] It should be noted that the subcarriers occupied by the PSS, SSS, and RE shown in Figure 5b are merely examples of implementations and are not intended to be limiting. For example, in other implementations, 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 also be other subcarriers.

[0107] In the third implementation example, as shown in Figure 5c, DRS can reuse 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, 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, thereby saving the energy consumption generated by network element 1 sending data carried on PBCH. In addition, when sending DRS, network element 1 does not send SIB1.

[0108] [Corrected 06.02.2025 according to Rule 91] It should be noted that in the DRS shown in Figure 5c, the subcarriers occupied by PSS, SSS and PBCH are only used as an implementation example and are not intended to be limiting.

[0109] It is understood that the above three implementation methods are only exemplary. In other embodiments, the DRS sent by network element 1 can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the DRS can occupy 3 or 5 symbols in the time domain, etc., and this is not limited. In addition, the energy consumption of network element 2 broadcasting each of the above DRSs will be less than the energy consumption generated by network element 2 broadcasting SSB, thereby effectively improving the energy saving effect of network element 2.

[0110] Correspondingly, after receiving the DRS, UE3 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the PSS and SSS carried in the DRS.

[0111] S402: Network element 1 sends a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct UE3 to send a second time-frequency resource used by WUS to network element 2.

[0112] Different from the embodiment shown in FIG3 , in this embodiment, UE3 can send a WUS directly to network element 2. To this end, network element 1 can send a second signal to indicate the time-frequency resource used by UE3 to send the wake-up signal. For ease of distinction, the second time-frequency resource is hereinafter referred to as the second time-frequency resource, which refers to the time-frequency resource used by UE3 to communicate with network element 2.

[0113] In a first possible implementation, the second signal sent by network element 1 may be, for example, SIB1 of network element 1. That is, when network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1, it may carry indication information of the second time-frequency resource in the SIB1, such as an index of the second time-frequency resource. In this way, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 sent by network element 1, UE3 may decode SIB1 using the MIB carried in the SSB and obtain the indication information of the second time-frequency resource from the decoded information, thereby determining the second time-frequency resource. Furthermore, the SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 may also carry information required to access network element 1.

[0114] In a second possible implementation, network element 1 may also send a group common DCI, which may define the time-frequency resources that multiple UEs can use to send WUS to network element 2. 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 one 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, UE3 can parse out the identifier of the second time-frequency resource that UE3 can use, thereby determining the second time-frequency resource used to send WUS.

[0115] The second time-frequency resources include time domain resources and frequency domain resources. The time domain resources may be, for example, time slots and OFDM symbols that can be occupied by UE3 in the time domain, and the frequency domain resources may be, for example, one or more REs that can be occupied by UE3 in the frequency domain. As some examples, the second time-frequency resources may be, for example, time-frequency resources on the PRACH that can be used by UE3 to send information to network element 2, and this is not limited.

[0116] It can be understood that the above-mentioned implementation method of carrying the indication information of the second time-frequency resource in SIB1 is only an implementation example. In other embodiments, network element 1 can also indicate the second time-frequency resource by broadcasting other types of signals, or carrying the indication information of the second time-frequency resource in other SIBs, etc., and there is no limitation on this.

[0117] S403: UE3 sends a WUS to network element 2 using the second time-frequency resource. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to send the first signal.

[0118] In this embodiment, UE3 may need to access network element 2. In this case, UE3 may send a WUS to network element 2 using the second time-frequency resource indicated by network element 1, thereby triggering network element 2 to broadcast a first signal required for accessing network element 2. In this embodiment, the first signal may specifically be the SSB and SIB1 required for accessing network element 2.

[0119] As some examples, the WUS sent by UE3 on the second time-frequency resource can 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 2 can determine whether it is a specific coding sequence based on the decoded sequence. If so, network element 2 can determine that the signal is a WUS; if not, network element 2 can determine that the signal is not a WUS.

[0120] Alternatively, the WUS sent by UE3 on the second time-frequency resource can be any codeword. In this case, network element 2 can detect the energy of the signal sent via the second time-frequency resource. When the signal energy is greater than a threshold, network element 2 can determine that the signal is a WUS. Otherwise, network element 2 can determine that the signal is not a WUS. In this way, network element 2 does not need to decode the received signal, thereby simplifying the implementation logic of network element 2 for determining whether a WUS has been received and saving energy consumption caused by decoding the signal.

[0121] Alternatively, when the second time-frequency resource is specifically a time-frequency resource on a PRACH, the WUS sent by the UE3 through the first time-frequency resource on the PRACH may specifically be a random access message.

[0122] In actual application, the process of UE3 sending WUS to network element 1 can also be implemented in other ways, such as combining the above multiple implementation ways, etc., which is not limited to this.

[0123] S404: After receiving the WUS, the network element 2 broadcasts the SSB and SIB1.

[0124] Among them, SSB and SIB1 are the first signals requested by UE3 to the network side.

[0125] S405: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0126] When detecting the WUS sent by UE3, network element 2 can enter the state of broadcasting SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption from the state of broadcasting DRS with low power consumption, so that UE3 can access network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0127] For example, after receiving WUS, network element 2 can resume periodic broadcasting of SSB and SIB1, or can broadcast SSB and SIB1 within a preset number of signal broadcast cycles, or can determine whether to continue broadcasting DRS with low power consumption or broadcast SSB and SIB1 with higher power consumption based on the current load conditions.

[0128] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process of step S404 to step S405 can refer to the relevant description of step S305 to step S306 in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0129] In actual application, after accessing network element 2, UE3 may further establish an RRC connection with network element 2, so that UE3 may exchange data with network element 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in FIG4 .

[0130] It should be noted that this embodiment uses the SSB and SIB1 as the first signal for illustration. In other embodiments, the first signal may also be an SSB. For example, in other embodiments, the signal broadcast by network element 2 may also be a low power synchronization signal (LP-SS). UE3, within the signal coverage area, can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 1 based on the received LP-SS. Furthermore, when UE3 detects that the signal quality of the received LP-SS is below a threshold, this indicates that the signal sent by network element 2 will have low signal quality after being transmitted to UE3. Therefore, UE3 may send a WUS to network element 2 using the second time-frequency resource to trigger network element 2 to broadcast an SSB. UE3 can then perform signal quality measurement based on the SSB broadcast by network element 2. In this way, UE3 can detect whether the SSB broadcast by network element 2 at a higher power consumption still has low signal quality when transmitted to UE3. If so, UE3 can subsequently select another network element with better signal quality to access the network. If not, UE3 can subsequently access network element 2 to perform uplink and downlink services with the network.

[0131] In the embodiment shown in FIG4 , network element 2 broadcasts a DRS as an example. In other embodiments, network element 2 may also achieve network energy conservation by broadcasting only an SSB. That is, if no WUS is received, network element 2 does not broadcast SIB1, thereby saving the energy required to broadcast SIB1. This is described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0132] Referring to Figure 6, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 6 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example. As shown in Figure 6, the method may specifically include:

[0133] S601: Network element 2 broadcasts SSB.

[0134] In this embodiment, network element 2 can achieve network energy saving by not broadcasting SIB 1. Accordingly, after receiving SSB, UE3 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 according to the PSS and SSS carried in the SSB.

[0135] S602: Network element 1 sends a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct UE3 to send a second time-frequency resource used by WUS to network element 2.

[0136] S603: UE3 sends a WUS to network element 2 via the second time-frequency resource. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to send SSB and SIB1.

[0137] In this embodiment, description is made by taking the case where the first signal requested by UE3 to the network side is specifically SSB and SIB1 as an example.

[0138] S604: After receiving the WUS, the network element 2 broadcasts the SSB and SIB1.

[0139] S605: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0140] In this embodiment, regarding the specific implementation process of steps S602 to S605, reference may be made to the relevant description of steps S402 to S405 in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , which will not be repeated here.

[0141] In actual application, after accessing network element 2, UE3 may further establish an RRC connection with network element 2, so that UE3 may exchange data with network element 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in FIG6 .

[0142] In the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 6 above, network element 2 broadcasts SSB and SIB1 after receiving a WUS. In other embodiments, network element 2 may not broadcast SSB and SIB1 after receiving a WUS. This is described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0143] Referring to Figure 7, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 7 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example. As shown in Figure 7, the method may specifically include:

[0144] S701: Network element 2 broadcasts DRS, which is used to achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2. The DRS includes PSS and SSS.

[0145] S702: Network element 1 sends a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct UE3 to send a second time-frequency resource used by WUS to network element 2.

[0146] S703: UE3 sends a WUS to network element 2 via the second time-frequency resource. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to send MIB and SIB1.

[0147] In this embodiment, the first signal that UE3 requests from the network side is specifically the MIB and SIB1 of network element 2.

[0148] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process of steps S701 to S703 can be found in the relevant description of the embodiment shown in FIG4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0149] S704: After receiving the WUS, NE 2 sends the MIB and SIB1 of NE 2 to NE 1.

[0150] Illustratively, network element 2 may send the MIB and SIB1 of network element 2 to network element 1 through the Xn interface.

[0151] S705: NE 1 sends the MIB and SIB1 of NE 2 to UE 3.

[0152] As an implementation example, network element 1 can add the MIB and SIB1 sent by network element 2 to the SIB1 of network element 1. Then, network element 1 can broadcast the SSB and SIB1. In this way, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 sent by network element 1, UE3 can use the MIB carried in the SSB to decode the SIB1 sent by network element 1 and obtain the MIB and SIB1 information of network element 2 from the decoded information. At the same time, the SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 can also carry the information required to access network element 1.

[0153] It can be understood that the above-mentioned implementation method of carrying the MIB and SIB1 information of network element 2 in the SIB1 of network element 1 is only an implementation example. In other embodiments, network element 1 can also broadcast other types of signals, or carry the MIB and SIB1 of network element 2 in other SIBs, etc., and this is not limited.

[0154] S706: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the DRS broadcast by network element 2 and the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 sent by network element 1.

[0155] Since network element 2 can maintain the state of broadcasting DRS, UE3 can perform downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the DRS broadcast by network element 2, and after obtaining downlink synchronization, it can access network element 2 based on the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 sent by network element 1.

[0156] It should be noted that in this embodiment, UE3 directly triggers network element 2 to send the MIB and SIB1. In other embodiments, UE3 can trigger network element 2 to send the MIB and SIB1 by sending a request message to network element 1, and this is not a limitation. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the first signal requested by UE3 from the network side can also be an SSB. For example, the signal broadcast by network element 2 can specifically be LP-SS. When UE3 detects that the signal quality of the received LP-SS falls below a threshold, UE3 can send a WUS to network element 2 using the second time-frequency resource to trigger network element 2 to broadcast an SSB. UE3 can then measure the signal quality of the SSB broadcast by network element 2. This allows UE3 to detect whether the SSB broadcast by network element 2, at higher power consumption, still exhibits low signal quality when transmitted to UE3. If so, UE3 can subsequently select another network element with better signal quality to access the network. If not, UE3 can subsequently access network element 2 to perform uplink and downlink services with the network side.

[0157] In actual application, after accessing network element 2, UE3 may further establish an RRC connection with network element 2, so that UE3 may exchange data with network element 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in FIG7 .

[0158] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process of steps S701 to S705 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0159] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , network element 2 sends its MIB and SIB1 to network element 1 after receiving a WUS. In other embodiments, network element 2 may send SIB1 to network element 1 after receiving a WUS. In this case, before receiving a WUS, network element 2 may only broadcast an SSB to achieve network energy conservation (saving the energy consumed by network element 2 broadcasting SIB1). This is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0160] Referring to Figure 8, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 8 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example. As shown in Figure 8, the method may specifically include:

[0161] S801: Network element 2 broadcasts SSB.

[0162] In this embodiment, network element 2 can achieve network energy saving by not broadcasting SIB 1. Accordingly, after receiving SSB, UE3 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 according to the PSS and SSS carried in the SSB.

[0163] Furthermore, after receiving the SSB broadcast by the network element 2, the UE3 may locally save the MIB of the network element 2 in the SSB.

[0164] S802: Network element 1 sends a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct UE3 to use a first time-frequency resource to send a demand message to network element 1.

[0165] S803: UE3 sends a demand message to network element 1 via the first time-frequency resource. The demand message is used to trigger network element 1 to send a WUS to network element 2.

[0166] S804: After receiving the demand message, network element 1 sends a WUS to network element 2. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to broadcast SIB1.

[0167] In this embodiment, the SIB1 sent by the network element 2 is the first signal requested by the UE 3 to the network side.

[0168] S805: After receiving the WUS, the network element 2 sends the SIB1 to the network element 1.

[0169] Illustratively, network element 2 may send SIB1 of network element 2 to network element 1 via an Xn interface.

[0170] S806: Network element 1 sends SIB1 of network element 2 to UE3.

[0171] As an implementation example, network element 1 can add the SIB1 sent by network element 2 to the SIB1 of network element 1. Then, network element 1 can broadcast the SSB and SIB1. In this way, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 sent by network element 1, UE3 can use the MIB carried in the SSB to decode the SIB1 sent by network element 1 and obtain the SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 from the decoded information. At the same time, the SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 can also carry the information required to access network element 1.

[0172] It can be understood that the above implementation method of carrying the SIB1 of network element 2 in the SIB1 of network element 1 is only an implementation example. In other embodiments, network element 1 can also broadcast other types of signals, or carry the SIB1 of network element 2 in other SIBs, etc., and this is not limited.

[0173] S807: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the SSB broadcast by network element 2 and the SIB1 sent by network element 1.

[0174] In actual application, after accessing network element 2, UE3 may further establish an RRC connection with network element 2, so that UE3 may exchange data with network element 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in FIG8 .

[0175] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process of steps S802 to S804, and the specific implementation process of UE3 accessing network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2, can be referred to the description of steps S301 to S303 and UE3 accessing network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0176] In other embodiments, after receiving the WUS, the network element 2 may also broadcast the SIB1, so that the UE 3 can access the network element 2 according to the received SIB1 of the network element 2.

[0177] In the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 8 above, an example is provided in which network element 2 broadcasts a signal (such as SSB, DRS, or LP-SS) for UE 3 to achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 before receiving the wake-up signal. In other embodiments, network element 2 may not broadcast a signal for downlink synchronization before receiving the wake-up signal, and UE 3 may achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the signal broadcast by network element 1. Exemplary explanations are provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0178] Referring to Figure 9, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 9 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example, and network element 1 and network element 2 share the same site. As shown in Figure 9, the method may specifically include:

[0179] S901: Network element 1 broadcasts SSB and SIB1, where SIB1 includes the frequency of carrier 1 of network element 1 and the frequency of carrier 2 of network element 2, and SIB1 is also used to indicate the second time-frequency resource used by UE3 to send a wake-up signal to network element 2.

[0180] S902: UE3 achieves downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the SSB and SIB1 of network element 1.

[0181] In this embodiment, network element 2 may not broadcast SSB and SIB1 before receiving WUS, so UE3 can obtain downlink synchronization with network element 2 through the SSB sent by network element 1.

[0182] In a specific implementation, NE 1 and NE 2 are co-located. Typically, the frame headers of NE 1's carrier 1 and NE 2's carrier 2 are aligned. Based on this, UE3 can not only achieve downlink synchronization with NE 1 based on the SSB broadcast by NE 1, but also calculate downlink synchronization with NE 2 based on the frequencies of the two NE carriers carried in SIB1 and the SSB broadcast by NE 1. For example, UE3 can calculate the frequency difference between the two NE carriers and, based on this frequency difference and the SSB, achieve downlink clock synchronization with NE 2.

[0183] S903: UE3 sends a WUS to network element 2 through the second time-frequency resource indicated by network element 1. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to send SSB and SIB1.

[0184] Among them, SSB and SIB1 are the first signals requested by UE3 to the network side.

[0185] S904: After receiving the WUS, the network element 2 broadcasts the SSB and SIB1.

[0186] S905: UE3 accesses network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 2.

[0187] In actual application, after accessing the network element 2, the UE 3 may further establish a connection with the network element 2 so that the UE 3 may exchange data with the network element 2 through the connection, as shown in FIG9 .

[0188] The specific implementation process of steps S903 to S905 can be found in the description of steps S403 to S405 in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0189] In the embodiment shown in FIG9 , network element 2 broadcasts SSB and SIB1 after receiving WUS. In other embodiments, network element 2 may not broadcast SSB and SIB1 after receiving WUS. This is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0190] Referring to Figure 10, a flow chart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in Figure 10 is applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2 as an example. As shown in Figure 10, the method may specifically include:

[0191] S1001: Network element 1 sends SSB and SIB1, where SIB1 includes the frequency of carrier 1 of network element 1 and the frequency of carrier 2 of network element 2, and SIB1 is also used to indicate the second time-frequency resource used by UE3 to send a wake-up signal to network element 2.

[0192] S1002: UE3 achieves downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the SSB and SIB1 of network element 1.

[0193] S1003: UE3 sends a WUS to network element 2 via the second time-frequency resource indicated by network element 1. The WUS is used to instruct network element 2 to send MIB and SIB1.

[0194] S1004: After receiving the WUS, NE 2 sends the MIB and SIB1 of NE 2 to NE 1.

[0195] Among them, the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to the network element 2 are the first signals requested by the UE3 to the network side.

[0196] S1005: Network element 1 sends the MIB and SIB1 of network element 2 to UE3.

[0197] S1006: After UE3 obtains downlink synchronization with network element 2 according to the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1, it accesses network element 2 according to the MIB and SIB1 of network element 2.

[0198] As an implementation example, after receiving the MIB and SIB1 sent by network element 2, network element 1 can add the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 to the SIB1 broadcast by network element 1 during the next broadcast cycle of SSB and SIB1. In this way, after receiving the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1, UE3 can use the MIB carried in the SSB to decode the SIB1 sent by network element 1 and obtain information such as the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 from the decoded information. At the same time, UE3 can achieve downlink synchronization with network element 2 based on the SSB and SIB1 broadcast by network element 1. This allows UE3 to access network element 2 based on the decoded information such as the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 after completing downlink synchronization.

[0199] It can be understood that the above-mentioned implementation method of carrying the MIB and SIB1 information corresponding to network element 2 in the SIB1 of network element 1 is only an implementation example. In other embodiments, network element 1 can also broadcast other types of signals, or carry the MIB and SIB1 corresponding to network element 2 in other SIBs, etc., and this is not limited.

[0200] In actual application, after accessing network element 2, UE3 may further establish an RRC connection with network element 2, so that UE3 may exchange data with network element 2 through the RRC connection, as shown in FIG10 .

[0201] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process of steps S1001 to S1006 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0202] It should be noted that the above FIG3 refers to the embodiment shown in FIG10 , which is only used as some exemplary explanations. In actual applications, changes or steps can be made on the basis of the above embodiment, and this is not limited to this.

[0203] 11 and 12 , the hardware implementation of the network element and the UE will be further described.

[0204] Referring to Figure 11, a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a network element is shown. The network element shown in Figure 11 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.

[0205] Among them, the processor 111 shown in Figure 11 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.

[0206] 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.

[0207] 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.

[0208] 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.

[0209] 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.

[0210] Figure 12 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.

[0211] 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.

[0212] 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.

[0213] 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.

[0214] 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.

[0215] 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.

[0216] 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.

[0217] 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.

[0218] 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.

[0219] In some embodiments, the UE initiates or receives a call request via the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1 .

[0220] 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.

[0221] 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.

[0222] 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.

[0223] 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.

[0224] 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.

[0225] 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)).

[0226] 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, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second network element, and the method includes: receiving a wake-up signal, where the wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal, where the first signal is used for a user equipment UE to access the second network element or for the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal, and the UE has not established a radio resource control RRC connection with the second network element; The first signal is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before receiving the wake-up signal, the method further includes: sending a low power synchronization signal LP-SS; The first signal includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before receiving the wake-up signal, the method further includes: sending a discovery reference signal DRS, where the DRS includes a primary synchronization signal PSS and a secondary synchronization signal SSS; The first signal includes a synchronization signal, a physical broadcast channel block SSB, and a system information block SIB1, or the first signal includes a master information block MIB and the SIB1.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first signal includes the MIB and the SIB1, The method further includes: sending the MIB and the SIB1 to a first network element.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before receiving the wake-up signal, the method further includes: sending a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB; The first signal includes the SSB and the system information block SIB1, or the first signal includes the SIB1.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network element, and the method includes: Sending a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct a user equipment UE to send a first time-frequency resource to the first network element, and the UE has not established a radio resource control RRC connection with the first network element and the second network element; receiving a requirement message from the UE, where the requirement message is used to trigger the first network element to send a wake-up signal, where the wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal, where the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or for the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal; Send the wake-up signal to the second network element.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving, from the second network element, a master information block MIB and a system information block SIB1 corresponding to the second network element; Send the MIB and the SIB1 corresponding to the second network element.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The first time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource on a physical random access channel PRACH, and the demand message is a random access message.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second signal includes downlink control information DCI shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network element, and the method includes: Send a second signal, where the second signal is used to indicate the second time-frequency resource used by the user equipment UE to send a wake-up signal to the second network element. The UE has not established a radio resource control RRC connection with the first network element and the second network element. The wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send a first signal. The first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or the UE to perform signal quality measurement on the first signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource on a physical random access channel PRACH, and the wake-up signal is a random access message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second signal includes downlink control information DCI shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the second time-frequency resource.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to user equipment UE, and the method includes: receiving a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct the UE to use a first time-frequency resource to send a demand message to the first network element, and the UE has not established a radio resource control RRC connection with the first network element and the second network element; Sending a demand message to the first network element by using the first time-frequency resource, where the demand message is used to trigger the first network element to send a wake-up signal, where the wake-up signal is used to instruct the second network element to send a first signal, where the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or for the UE to measure signal quality of the first signal; receiving the first signal; Access the second network element according to the first signal, or perform signal quality measurement on the first signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource on a physical random access channel PRACH, and the demand message is a random access message.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The second signal includes downlink control information DCI shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the first time-frequency resource.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to user equipment UE, and the method includes: Achieving downlink synchronization with a second network element, wherein the UE has not established a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the second network element; receiving a second signal, where the second signal is used to instruct the UE to use a second time-frequency resource to send a wake-up signal to the second network element; Sending the wake-up signal to the second network element through the second time-frequency resource, where the wake-up signal is used to instruct the second network element to send a first signal, where the first signal is used for the UE to access the second network element or for the UE to measure signal quality of the first signal; receiving the first signal; Access the second network element according to the first signal, or perform signal quality measurement on the first signal.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The achieving downlink synchronization with the second network element includes: receiving a low power synchronization signal LP-SS, and achieving downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the LP-SS; Alternatively, receiving a discovery reference signal DRS, and achieving downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the DRS, the DRS including a primary synchronization signal PSS and a secondary synchronization signal SSS; Alternatively, receiving a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) of the second network element, and achieving downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the SSB; Alternatively, the SSB and system information block SIB1 of the first network element are received, and downlink synchronization is achieved with the second network element based on the SSB and SIB1 of the first network element, where the second network element and the first network element share the same site.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The UE achieves downlink synchronization with the second network element through the LP-SS, the wake-up signal is used to trigger the second network element to send the SSB, and the first signal is used by the UE to measure the signal quality of the first signal; The sending the wake-up signal to the second network element by using the second time-frequency resource includes: When the signal quality of the LP-SS is less than a threshold, the wake-up signal is sent to the second network element through the second time-frequency resource.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that The second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource on a physical random access channel PRACH, and the wake-up signal is a random access message.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The second signal includes downlink control information DCI shared by the user group, and the DCI shared by the user group carries an identifier of the second time-frequency resource.

21. A network element, characterized in that: include: A transceiver, configured to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; A processor, configured to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

22. A user equipment UE, characterized in that include: A transceiver, configured to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method according to any one of claims 13 to 20; A processor, configured to perform other operations except the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method according to any one of claims 13 to 20.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a user equipment UE and a network element, wherein the UE is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, and the network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

24. A computer storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed, it is used to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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