A communication method, a communication device, and a program product and a storage medium

Abstract

This application discloses a communication method, communication device, program product, and storage medium, applicable to the field of wireless communication technology. A network device sends first information to a terminal device, enabling the terminal device to determine that a first control channel resource is active based on the first information. Subsequently, the network device can send control channels to the terminal device on the active first control channel resource, thereby reducing the number of control channels that the terminal device needs to blindly detect, lowering the complexity and overhead of blind detection of control channels, and ultimately reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, specifically to a communication method, communication device, program product, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Current communication systems can use carrier aggregation (CA) to combine multiple spectrums for communication, thereby improving spectrum utilization efficiency. However, CA results in a large number of serving cells, complex network management, and high complexity for blind detection of control channels on multiple carriers by terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method, communication device, program product, and storage medium to reduce the complexity of blind detection control channels in terminal devices.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by, for example, a second communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the second communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The method includes: receiving first information; determining, based on the first information, the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources, wherein the state is either active or deactivated, the at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, the control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource include a first control channel resource, and the state of the first control channel resource is active; and receiving a control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0006] In the above scheme, the first communication device (e.g., a network device) sends first information to the second communication device (e.g., a terminal device), so that the terminal device can determine the state of the first control channel resource as active based on the first information. Then, the network device can send control channels to the terminal device on the active first control channel resource, thereby reducing the number of control channels that the terminal device needs to blindly detect, reducing the complexity and overhead of the terminal device's blind detection of control channels, and thus reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0007] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes information about the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource; or, the first information includes an identifier of the activated control channel resource corresponding to the first time unit, and the activated control channel resource includes the first control channel resource.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for connection control. The first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, which is in an active state. In the above scheme, the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for the second communication device to access the first communication device. The second communication device can determine by default that the states of multiple control channel resources of the first frequency domain resource are all in an active state. The second communication device does not need to receive signaling from the first communication device to determine that the first control channel resource is in an active state, thereby reducing the communication overhead between the first and second communication devices.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes information on the frame structure of at least two frequency domain resources; the method further includes: determining, based on the information on the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources, that the state of the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is active.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, at least two frequency domain resources further include a second frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and there is a control channel resource in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an inactive state in the fourth time unit.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second communication device detects a control channel on a first control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource; the second communication device receives control information on the control channel of the first control channel resource.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes a first field; the first field is used to indicate the identifier of an active control channel resource and / or an inactive control channel resource in at least two frequency domain resources; and / or, the first field is used to indicate the identifier of a first frequency domain resource in at least two frequency domain resources.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the number of bits in the first domain is determined based on the number of frequency domain resources in at least two frequency domain resources; and / or, the number of bits in the first domain is determined based on the number of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first control channel resource is an anchor control channel resource, and the second control channel resource is a capacity control channel resource.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a first communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources, the state including an active state or a deactivated state, the at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource, the control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource including a first control channel resource, the state of the first control channel resource being an active state; and transmitting a control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes information about the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource; or, the first information includes an identifier of the activated control channel resource corresponding to the first time unit, and the activated control channel resource includes the first control channel resource.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for connection control, and the first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, the second control channel resource being in an active state.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes information about the frame structure of at least two frequency domain resources.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, at least two frequency domain resources further include a second frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and there is a control channel resource in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an inactive state in the fourth time unit.

[0020] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that has the function of implementing any one of the first to second aspects above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit corresponding to the operation involved in the method described in any one of the first to second aspects above. The module or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0021] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in any one of the first to second aspects. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods described in any one of the first to second aspects. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0022] In one possible embodiment, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0023] In one possible embodiment, the communication device may further include the memory.

[0024] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication / processing module within a terminal, or a chip within a terminal responsible for communication functions. Alternatively, the aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within an access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0025] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system including a terminal and an access network device. The terminal can perform the method described in the first aspect above, and the access network device can perform the method described in the second aspect above.

[0026] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0027] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when the signaling is executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the first to second aspects described above. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction process between a first communication device and a second communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a unified carrier including a sub-band or bandwidth portion or a carrier, provided for embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figures 4a to 4d This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of the control channel resources in the frequency domain as either active or deactivated, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation or deactivation state of a control channel resource as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the activation state of control channel resources provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation or deactivation state of a control channel resource as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation or deactivation state of a control channel resource as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation or deactivation state of a control channel resource as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation or deactivation state of a control channel resource as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating a unified carrier including a sub-band or bandwidth portion or a carrier, provided for embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 12 This application provides a schematic diagram of the interaction process between a network device and a terminal device.

[0040] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110, may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 1 RAN100, denoted as RAN120a-120j, is collectively referred to as RAN120. RAN100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 1000 may also include core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 1000 may also include Internet 300.

[0043] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), or it can be a WiFi system. RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0044] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN nodes can also be macro base stations (such as...) Figure 1 110a in the text), can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as... Figure 1 110b in the middle can also be a relay node or a donor node.

[0045] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0046] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0047] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0048] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0049] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 110a and 110b can be referred to as the first communication device with base station function. Figure 1 120a-120j can be referred to as a second communication device with terminal function. In the following embodiments, the first communication device and the second communication device are used as examples for illustration.

[0050] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0051] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0052] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also susceptible to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0053] In the embodiments of this application, the time-domain symbol can be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. Unless otherwise specified, the symbols in the embodiments of this application refer to time-domain symbols.

[0054] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is only an example of a downlink control channel. In different systems and different scenarios, the data channel and the control channel may have different names, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0055] The following explanations of some terms involved in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. This explanation is for the purpose of understanding only and should not be regarded as a disclosure or specific limitation of the technical solution of this application.

[0056] I. Bandwidth Part (BWP)

[0057] A BWP (Block Buffer) is defined as a contiguous set of resource blocks (RBs) within a single carrier. The concept of BWP was introduced primarily to allow terminals to better utilize large carrier bandwidths. For a large carrier bandwidth, such as 100MHz, the bandwidth required by a terminal is often limited. If the terminal were to perform real-time full-bandwidth detection and maintenance, energy consumption would pose a significant challenge. The introduction of the BWP concept allocates a portion of the bandwidth within the entire large carrier for terminal access and data transmission. The terminal only needs to perform operations within the bandwidth configured by the system.

[0058] II. CA

[0059] Carrier aggregation (CA) provides greater bandwidth to a single terminal by aggregating multiple component carriers (CCs). Component carriers can also be called carrier units, or simply carriers. In this way, the terminal can enjoy a bandwidth equal to the total bandwidth of all CCs, thus significantly improving the peak rate. Carrier aggregation combines two or more carriers together. Based on whether the CCs belong to the same frequency band and are continuous in the frequency domain, CA can be divided into the following categories: (1) Intra-band contiguous CA, where CCs belong to the same frequency band and are continuous in the frequency domain; (2) Intra-band non-contiguous CA, where CCs belong to the same frequency band but are not continuous in the frequency domain; (3) Inter-band CA, where CCs belong to different frequency bands, in which case the CCs are usually not continuous in the frequency domain.

[0060] III. Uni-carrier

[0061] Multiple carriers aggregated by CA are managed through multiple control channels, leading to increased complexity in blind detection of control channels, increased overhead of downlink control information, and longer carrier activation times. To address these issues, the concept of a unified carrier is proposed. The unified carrier discussed in this application can be referred to as a frequency domain resource set, aggregated carrier, joint carrier, carrier group, or other names defined by the future network. For example, a frequency domain resource set may include one or more carriers within the same frequency band, or multiple carriers within multiple frequency bands. A unified carrier comprises multiple frequency domain resources, which can be co-located or non-co-located. For example, these multiple frequency domain resources can be multiple carriers, multiple BWPs, multiple frequency domain resources within a single frequency band, or frequency domain resources within multiple frequency bands. These multiple frequency domain resources can be continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain. The frequency band in this application can be the operating band defined by the NR protocol, or it can be a portion of the frequency domain resources within the operating band. A frequency band can refer to a segment of frequency domain resources, which can include continuous or discontinuous resources. Multiple frequency domain resources within the same unified carrier are equivalent to a single logical carrier. For example, frequency domain resources within the same unified carrier can share a single radio frequency channel, and / or the signals carried by frequency domain resources within the same unified carrier can undergo Fast Fourier Transform operations together. This allows for unified management of multiple frequency domain resources by managing a single carrier.

[0062] Optionally, a unified carrier can be divided / configured according to frequency bands or frequency domain ranges. A unified carrier can be divided into downlink unified carriers and uplink unified carriers. Alternatively, a unified carrier can include both downlink and uplink frequency domain resources. A unified carrier can also be divided into transmit and receive unified carriers. For example, a unified carrier can support frequency domain resources across multiple frequency bands within a cell, enabling flexible bandwidth scheduling and flexible uplink / downlink configuration, thus achieving uplink / downlink decoupling.

[0063] The following explains spectrum aggregation based on a unified carrier. A unified carrier comprises multiple carriers (CCs). These multiple CCs can be viewed as a virtual single-carrier component CC (or a logically single-carrier component CC), for example, sharing a single radio frequency channel, and / or performing a large-scale Fast Fourier Transform operation during signal transmission. For example, ... Figure 3As shown, the access network equipment can configure three unified carriers for the terminal: unified carrier 0, unified carrier 1, and unified carrier 2. One unified carrier can correspond to a carrier group (CC group), which includes one or more carriers. Multiple carriers in frequency range 1 (FR1) form unified carrier 0, multiple carriers in frequency range 2 (FR2) form unified carrier 1, and multiple carriers in FR3 form unified carrier 2. This unified carrier division method is only for illustration; in actual implementation, the same unified carrier can also include carriers from different frequency ranges, or it can include some carriers from the same frequency range. Optionally, multiple CCs within a unified carrier can be co-located or non-co-located. Co-location refers to the construction and deployment of multiple communication systems or equipment at the same site to save resources, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

[0064] Optionally, a unified carrier may include anchor frequency domain resources and capacity frequency domain resources. The functions of anchor frequency domain resources may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: camping, receiving paging messages / low-power wake-up signals (LP-WUS), and sending uplink wake-up signals (ULWUS). Anchor frequency domain resources can also be called coverage frequency domain resources, or anchor point frequency domain resources; that is, anchor frequency domain resources are frequency domain resources that guarantee the basic coverage performance of the terminal. Capacity frequency domain resources may include, but are not limited to, communication functions, such as sending and receiving service data. For a single terminal, the anchor frequency domain resources and capacity frequency domain resources may come from one access network device or multiple access network devices. A unified carrier includes anchor carriers and capacity carriers. A UE's multiple carriers may include anchor carriers (i.e., anchor CC) and capacity carriers (i.e., capacity CC). For a single UE, the anchor CC and capacity CC may come from one base station or multiple base stations. An anchor carrier, also known as a connection control carrier or coverage carrier (CC), is the carrier component that ensures the basic coverage performance of the UE. The anchor carrier is primarily used to implement connection control functions, or to carry messages for connection control, such as control plane messages or control plane signaling. The capacity carrier (CC) can include communication functions, such as sending and receiving service data. The capacity carrier can also be called a data transmission carrier. For example, the capacity carrier can be used to carry service data.

[0065] IV. Control Resource Set (CORESET)

[0066] In 5G NR, CORESET is called the control resource set, also known as the control channel resource set. A CORESET is a set of physical resources within a specific area of ​​the downlink resource grid, used to carry the PDCCH carrying DCI (Distributed Control Channel Information). A CORESET includes a set of Resource Blocks (RBs) and a set of OFDM symbols located on those RBs. These parameters can be configured through the corresponding PDCCH search space, involving frequency and time domains. A control resource set can include control channel resources on one or more time units. Different control channel resources can be used on different time units.

[0067] The NR system encapsulates information such as the frequency band occupied by the PDCCH in the frequency domain and the number of OFDM symbols occupied in the time domain within a CORESET. Information such as the starting OFDM symbol number of the PDCCH and the PDCCH monitoring period are encapsulated within a search space. Each search space is associated with a CORESET; the PDCCH configuration is determined by binding a CORESET to a search space. NR supports configuring multiple CORESETs. If CORESET0 is included, a maximum of 3 CORESETs can be configured within each BWP. If search space 0 is included, a maximum of 10 search spaces can be configured. Since each UE can configure a maximum of 4 BWPs per cell, each UE can configure a maximum of 12 CORESETs and 40 search spaces per cell. For example, the CORESET identifier (ID) can range from 0 to 11, and the search space can range from 0 to 39.

[0068] Currently, in CA scenarios where multiple CCs are configured with CORESET simultaneously, and where the uplink and downlink carrier ratios are the same in a single cell, the following problems arise because CA corresponds to multiple carriers:

[0069] 1) Blind detection (BD) of PDCCH on multiple carriers increases the complexity of blind detection. For example, if a terminal blindly detects the PDCCH of multiple CCs' cores sequentially according to priority and the number of blind detections, the terminal's blind detection complexity is high. The relationship between the scheduled carrier and the scheduling carrier is configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the number of the scheduled carrier under the scheduling carrier is also configured by RRC signaling. Updates require reconfiguration of RRC signaling, resulting in significant latency.

[0070] 2) Transmitting downlink control information (DCI) on multiple carriers increases DCI overhead.

[0071] 3) The status of the secondary cell can include active and deactivated states, resulting in a long CC activation time.

[0072] 4) The channel state information (CSI) measurement configurations differ across multiple cells, resulting in complex measurement intervals.

[0073] 5) UL symbols in the time division duplex (TDD) band only at certain times result in increased latency in the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback on UL symbols.

[0074] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the technical solution provided in this application embodiment involves a network device sending first information to a terminal device, enabling the terminal device to determine that the state of the first control channel resource is active based on the first information. Consequently, the network device can send control channels to the terminal device on the active first control channel resource, thereby reducing the number of control channels that the terminal device needs to blindly detect, reducing the complexity and overhead of blindly detecting control channels, and ultimately reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0075] The communication method and communication device will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the embodiments of this application use a first communication device and a second communication device as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but the embodiments of this application do not limit the execution of the interaction. For example, the first communication device can be a network device or a chip used in a network device. The second communication device can be a terminal device or a module / chip used in a terminal device. It is understood that the embodiments of this application can also be used in D2D scenes, where the first communication device is a terminal device or a module / chip used in a terminal device. Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The interaction process between the first communication device and the second communication device mainly includes the following:

[0076] 201. The first communication device sends first information. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information.

[0077] The first information is used to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. The state of the control channel resources includes an active state or a deactivated state. The at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource. The control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource include a first control channel resource. The state of the first control channel resource is an active state.

[0078] In this application embodiment, at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, which is any one of the at least two frequency domain resources.

[0079] In the embodiments of this application, at least two frequency domain resources belong to a single carrier. For example, these at least two frequency domain resources are one or more sub-bands, and / or one or more bandwidth portions (BWPs), and / or one or more carriers. The at least two frequency domain resources are multiple frequency domain resources within a single frequency band or frequency domain resources within multiple frequency bands. These multiple frequency domain resources may be continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain. Figure 3 As shown, a unified carrier includes one or more sub-bands or BWPs or CCs. For example, a unified carrier includes a sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0, a sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, a sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and a sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3. The unified carrier includes an anchor carrier and / or a capacity carrier. The anchor carrier can also be called an anchor point carrier or a coverage carrier. Sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0 is a coverage carrier, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1 to sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3 are capacity carriers.

[0080] In the embodiments of this application, at least two frequency domain resources are control channel resources used to carry control channels, and the control channels can be transmitted on these control channel resources. For example, the control channels can be used to carry control information, which is transmitted on the control channels. For example, the control channels can be used to carry downlink control information. The downlink control information can be used to schedule the transmission of data channels. For example, the downlink control information includes scheduling information for data channels.

[0081] The type of control channel resource is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, the control channel resource is CORESET. For example, at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, and the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource includes a first control channel resource. The first control channel resource is one or more control channel resources among the multiple control channel resources included in the first frequency domain resource.

[0082] In this embodiment, the first information can be used to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. For example, the first information can be used by a first communication device to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. This embodiment does not limit the number of control channel resources whose state the first information can be used to determine. For example, the first information can be used to indicate the state of one control channel resource in at least two frequency domain resources. Furthermore, the first information can be used to indicate the state of multiple control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. For instance, the first information can be used to indicate the state of a first control channel resource.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first information can indicate the state of the control channel resource. The state of the control channel resource includes an active state or a deactivated state. This embodiment does not limit the meaning of "active state" or "deactivated state" for the control channel resource. For example, taking an active state as an example, an active control channel resource can also be called a control channel resource in an active state, or an activated control channel resource, or an activated control channel resource, etc. An active state can also be called an available state. Similarly, taking a deactivated state as an example, a deactivated control channel resource can also be called a control channel resource in a deactivated state, or a deactivated control channel resource can also be called a deactivated control channel resource, or a deactivated control channel resource can also be called an inactive control channel resource, etc. A deactivated state can also be called an unavailable state.

[0084] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device can send first information, for example, the first information can be used to determine that the state of the first control channel resource is active. The first information can be used to determine that the state of the control channel resource in at least two frequency domain resources is active, or the first information can be used to determine that the state of the control channel resource in at least two frequency domain resources is deactivated, or the first information can be used to determine that the state of the control channel resource in one frequency domain resource is active and the state of the control channel resource in another frequency domain resource is deactivated.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first information is information sent from the first communication device to the second communication device. The type and implementation of the first information are not limited in this embodiment. The first information is physical layer signaling or higher-layer signaling. For example, the first information is at least one of the following: DCI, medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, RRC signaling, etc.

[0086] 202. The second communication device determines the status of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources based on the first information.

[0087] The control channel resource is either active or deactivated. At least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource. The control channel resource within the first frequency domain resource is a first control channel resource, which is one of the control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource. The first control channel resource is active.

[0088] In this embodiment of the application, the second communication device can parse the first information, thereby determining the state of the control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources based on the first information. For the description of frequency domain resources, control channel resources and states, please refer to the description in the aforementioned step 201, which will not be repeated here.

[0089] 203. The first communication device transmits a control channel on the first control channel resource. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives a control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0090] In this embodiment, the second communication device can determine that the state of the first control channel resource is active by parsing the first information. The second communication device can then transmit a control channel on the active first control channel resource; for example, this control channel can carry downlink control information (DCI). Alternatively, the second communication device can receive control channels on the active first control channel resource. For example, the second communication device can perform blind detection of control channels only on the active control channel resource. Compared to the second communication device sequentially blindly detecting multiple control channels according to priority and number of blind detections, this embodiment reduces the number of control channels the second communication device needs to blindly detect, lowers the complexity and overhead of blindly detecting control channels, and thus reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0091] In some embodiments of this application, the first information includes information about the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource; or, the first information includes the identifier of the activated control channel resource corresponding to the first time unit, and the activated control channel resource includes the first control channel resource.

[0092] The active time unit refers to the information of the time unit corresponding to the first control channel that is in an active state. An active time unit can also be called an active time unit, an activated time unit, or an available time unit. This application does not limit the implementation method of the time unit. For example, the time unit can be at least one of the following: subframe, time slot, sub-time slot, micro-time slot, symbol group, symbol, or other time unit. The implementation method of the time unit is not limited in this application embodiment. The meanings of subframe, time slot, sub-time slot, micro-time slot, symbol group, and symbol can be found in the corresponding wireless communication standard protocol, and will not be elaborated here.

[0093] In this embodiment, the number of activation time units included in the first information is not limited. For example, the first information may include one activation time unit, and the second communication device can determine that the first control channel resource is in an active state based on the information of that one activation time unit. Alternatively, the first information may include multiple activation time units, and the second communication device can determine that the first control channel resource is in an active state based on the information of those multiple activation time units.

[0094] Taking the first frequency domain resource as an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC as an example, the first communication device can configure the state of the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC to be active or deactivated. Then, the first communication device can send first information to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can determine the state of the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC to be active or deactivated based on the received first information. The second communication device can receive the control channel on the active CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC.

[0095] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device can configure the activation time unit of the control channel resource from the perspective of the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource. For example, the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, the first information including the information of the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource. Then the second communication device determines the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource according to the first information, thereby determining that the first control channel resource is in an active state.

[0096] For example, taking a control channel resource as a CORESET, the base station can indicate the activation time unit corresponding to one or more control channel resource identifiers (such as CORESET identifiers, IDs). This activation time unit is an activation time domain pattern, also known as an activation time domain style or activation time domain type. The base station can determine the activation time unit and the deactivation time unit, and can also determine the activation time unit corresponding to each CORESET. The base station can send first information to the terminal device, indicating the activation time unit corresponding to one or more CORESET IDs through the first information. The terminal device receives the first information from the base station and determines the activation time unit corresponding to one or more CORESET IDs through the first information. For example, the base station can indicate the activation or deactivation time domain pattern of a CORESET through RRC signaling. For example, a control resource set, such as a CORESET, can be configured on each downlink time unit. The base station can indicate the time domain pattern corresponding to the CORESET ID.

[0097] For example, the first information indicates that the time-domain pattern of the control channel resource set includes a period and an offset. Alternatively, the first information indicates the bitmap of the active time unit corresponding to the control channel resource set. The control channel resource identifier can also be called a control channel resource number, control channel resource index, or control channel resource label, etc. The control channel resource identifier is used to identify control channel resources.

[0098] In some embodiments of this application, the base station may instruct one or more CORESET IDs to activate the time domain pattern, and / or deactivate the time domain pattern.

[0099] Examples are given below, such as Figure 4a As shown, the time units corresponding to the control channel resource set include time units 0 to 3, and the control channel resource set includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. For example, Figure 4a The period of the time-domain pattern of the active time unit is 1 time unit, and the offset of the time-domain pattern of the active time unit is 0 time units, that is, control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3 and control channel resource 4 are active control channel resources.

[0100] like Figure 4a As shown, taking frequency domain resources as sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs as an example, control channel resources are configured on the sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs, corresponding to time-frequency resources in four time units. The base station can indicate the active time-domain pattern of the control channel resources; for example, all time units in the four time units can be active time units, i.e., time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3 are all active time units. In this context, time units can be subframes, time slots, sub-time slots, micro-time slots, symbol groups, symbols, etc.

[0101] like Figure 4b As shown, the time units corresponding to the control channel resource set include time units 0 to 3, and the control channel resource set includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. Figure 4b The period of the time domain pattern of the active time unit is 4 time units, and the offset of the time domain pattern of the active time unit is 0 time units, 2 time units and 3 time units. That is, the active control channel resources are the offsets of 0 time units, 2 time units and 3 time units, that is, control channel resource 1, control channel resource 3 and control channel resource 4 are active control channel resources. Figure 4bThe period of the time-domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 4 time units, and the offset of the time-domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 1 time unit, that is, control channel resource 2 is the deactivated control channel resource.

[0102] like Figure 4b As shown, taking frequency domain resources as sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs as an example, control channel resources are configured on the sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs, corresponding to time-frequency resources in four time units. The base station can indicate the deactivation time-domain pattern of control channel resource 2. For example, the third time unit in the four time units is the deactivation time unit, that is, time unit 2 is the deactivation time unit, and the other three time units are the activation time units, that is, time unit 0, time unit 1, and time unit 3 are the activation time units.

[0103] like Figure 4c As shown, the time units corresponding to the control channel resource set include time units 0 to 3, and the control channel resource set includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. Figure 4c The period of the time-domain pattern of the active time unit is 4 time units, and the offset of the time-domain pattern of the active time unit is 0 time units and 3 time units, respectively. That is, control channel resource 1 and control channel resource 4 are the active control channel resources. Figure 4c The period of the time-domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 4 time units, and the offset of the time-domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 1 time unit. 2 time units, i.e., control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3 is the deactivated control channel resource.

[0104] like Figure 4c As shown, taking frequency domain resources as sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs as an example, control channel resources are configured on the sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs, corresponding to time-frequency resources in four time units. The base station can indicate the active time domain pattern and / or deactivate the deactivate time domain pattern of the control channel resources. For example, the first and fourth time units in the four time units are both active time units, that is, time units 0 and 3 are active time units, and the second and third time units in the four time units are both deactivate time units, that is, time units 1 and 2 are deactivate time units.

[0105] like Figure 4d As shown, the time units corresponding to the control channel resource set include time units 0 to 3, and the control channel resource set includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. Figure 4dThe period of the time domain pattern of the active time unit is 4 time units. The offset of the time domain pattern of the active time unit is 0 time units, which is the active control channel resource, i.e., control channel resource 1 is the active control channel resource. The period of the time domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 4 time units. The offset of the time domain pattern of the deactivation time unit is 1 time unit, 2 time units, and 3 time units, which is the deactivation control channel resource, i.e., control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4 are the deactivation control channel resources.

[0106] like Figure 4d As shown, taking frequency domain resources as sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs as an example, control channel resources are configured on the sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs, corresponding to time-frequency resources in four time units. The base station can indicate the active time domain pattern of the control channel resources. For example, the first time unit in the four time units is the active time unit, that is, time unit 0 is the active time unit, and the time units other than the first time unit are all deactivated time units, that is, time units 1, 2, and 3 are deactivated time units.

[0107] In this embodiment of the application, the first information may further include the identifier of the activated control channel resource, and / or the identifier of the deactivated control channel resource.

[0108] For example, the first information includes one or more time units. The first communication device configures an active control channel resource within this time unit. The first communication device sends the first information to the second communication device, allowing the second communication device to obtain the identifier of the active control channel resource based on the first information. Since the active control channel resource includes the first control channel resource, the second communication device can determine that the first control channel resource is active based on the identifier of the active control channel resource. Alternatively, the first information may include one or more time units. The first communication device can configure a deactivated control channel resource within this time unit. The first communication device sends the first information to the second communication device, allowing the second communication device to obtain the identifier of the deactivated control channel resource based on the first information. Since the deactivated control channel resource does not include the first control channel resource, the second communication device can determine that the first control channel resource is active based on the identifier of the deactivated control channel resource.

[0109] Examples are given below, such as Figure 5As shown, taking at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1), and the third frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2), the time units corresponding to the control channel resource set include time units 0 to 3. Control channel resource set 0 includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. Control channel resource set 1 includes control channel resource 5. Control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 4, and control channel resource 5 are active control channel resources, and control channel resource 3 is a deactivated control channel resource. The first information sent by the first communication device is deactivation indication information. The deactivation indication information indicates that the control channel resource in time unit 2 corresponding to the coverage carrier is a deactivated control channel resource, that is, control channel resource 3 is a deactivated control channel resource. Accordingly, the control channel resources in time unit 2 corresponding to the capacity carrier are active control channel resources, that is, control channel resource 5 is an active control channel resource.

[0110] For example, taking control channel resources as CORESET, the base station can indicate the CORESETID of the active CORESET. The base station can configure a CORESET for each time unit, obtain the corresponding active CORESET ID for each time unit, and send first information to the terminal device, indicating the active CORESET ID through the first information. The terminal device can determine the active CORESET based on the active CORESET ID. Here, an active CORESET can be simply referred to as an active CORESET, and a deactivated CORESET can be simply referred to as a deactivated CORESET.

[0111] like Figure 5 As shown, the base station can send deactivation indication information, where the CORESET of the third time unit on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., coverage carrier) is the deactivated CORESET. For example, the deactivation indication information indicates that the control channel set in the first frequency domain resource (e.g., coverage carrier) of the third downlink time unit is the deactivated control channel resource set, such as control channel resource set 0 being the deactivated control channel resource set. Correspondingly, the control channel set in the second frequency domain resource (e.g., capacity carrier) of the third downlink time unit is the activated control channel resource set, such as control channel resource set 1 being the activated control channel resource set.

[0112] like Figure 6As shown, taking at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, or an anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), the second frequency domain resource being a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1), and the third frequency domain resource being a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2), the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC can be either an active control channel resource set or a deactivated control channel resource set. Taking four time units as time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3 as an example, the control channel resource set on the first frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 0, which includes control channel resource 1 and control channel resource 2. The active time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 0 includes time unit 0 and time unit 1. The control channel resource set on the second frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 1, which includes control channel resource 3. The active time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 1 includes time unit 2. The control channel resource set on the third frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 2, which includes control channel resource 4. The active time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 2 includes time unit 3.

[0113] In other embodiments of this application, the base station may indicate the CORESET ID that activates the CORESET. For example... Figure 5 The base station configures CORESET 1 (e.g., control channel resource 1), CORESET 2 (e.g., control channel resource 2), CORESET 3 (e.g., control channel resource 3), and CORESET 4 (e.g., control channel resource 4) on the covered carrier. CORESET 1 is in time unit 0, CORESET 2 in time unit 1, CORESET 3 in time unit 2, and CORESET 4 in time unit 3. The base station can indicate that CORESET 1, CORESET 2, and CORESET 4 are active CORESETs, and CORESET 3 is deactivated CORESET. For example, the base station indicates that CORESET ID 3 is deactivated, or the base station indicates that CORESET IDs 1, 2, and 4 are active.

[0114] Based on the above Figure 5 and Figure 6 As can be seen from the examples, the embodiments of this application can realize dynamic CORESET activation or deactivation based on the control channel resources of a unified carrier. That is, it can flexibly transmit DCI on multiple subbands, BWPs, or CCs as needed, reduce the complexity of blind DCI detection, avoid blind DCI detection on multiple carriers at the same time, and improve communication performance.

[0115] In some embodiments of this application, the first information is used to indicate that the first time unit corresponds to at least one active control channel resource. Specifically, the first communication device can be configured to have the first time unit correspond to at least one active control channel resource. The first communication device indicates to the second communication device, via the first information, that the first time unit corresponds to at least one active control channel resource. The second communication device determines, based on the first information, that the first time unit corresponds to at least one active control channel resource, thereby determining that the first control channel resource is in an active state. Blind detection is then performed on the control channel on the active first control channel resource, thereby reducing the complexity of blind detection by the second communication device.

[0116] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, for each time unit, the activated control channel resource set is defined as follows: for example, time unit 0 and 1 correspond to control channel resource set 0, which includes control channel resource 1 and control channel resource 2; time unit 2 corresponds to control channel resource set 1, which includes control channel resource 3; and time unit 3 corresponds to control channel resource set 2, which includes control channel resource 4. Therefore, the second communication device can determine that the activated control channel resource is control channel resource set 0 based on time unit 0 or 1, control channel resource set 1 based on time unit 2, and control channel resource set 2 based on time unit 3.

[0117] like Figure 6 As shown, taking at least two frequency domain resources, including a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, or an anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1), and the third frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2), and taking four time units as time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3, the activated control channel resource corresponding to time unit 0 is control channel resource 1, the activated control channel resource corresponding to time unit 1 is control channel resource 2, the activated control channel resource corresponding to time unit 2 is control channel resource 3, and the activated control channel resource corresponding to time unit 3 is control channel resource 4.

[0118] In some embodiments of this application, the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for connection control. The first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, which is in an active state. For example, if the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for a second communication device to access a first communication device, then the first frequency domain resource may include both the first and second control channel resources. The second control channel resource is in an active state. The first frequency domain resource may include multiple control channel resources, all of which are in an active state. The first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource in a default active state, meaning a frequency domain resource that remains active. Therefore, the first communication device transmits control channels on the multiple active control channel resources of the first frequency domain resource, and the second communication device receives control channels on the multiple active control channel resources of the first frequency domain resource. The second communication device uses a default method to determine that the status of multiple control channel resources of the first frequency domain resource is active. The second communication device does not need to receive signaling from the first communication device to determine that the first control channel resource is active, thus avoiding signaling indication, reducing the communication overhead between the first and second communication devices, reducing the complexity and overhead of the second communication device in blind detection of the control channel, and thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0119] For example, taking the control channel resource CORESET as an example, if the terminal device defaults to the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC being active, then the terminal device does not need to receive signaling sent by the base station to perform blind detection on the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC. Using the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC for PDCCH blind detection reduces the communication overhead between the terminal device and the base station, reduces the complexity and overhead of the terminal device in blind detection of the control channel, and thus reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0120] The following example illustrates this. Taking the control channel resource CORESET as an example, within a unified carrier, the base station can dynamically determine the frequency domain resource as the scheduled subband, BWP, or CC. For instance, the frequency domain resource could be an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC, or a coverage subband, coverage BWP, or coverage CC. The base station can configure the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC as the default scheduled subband, BWP, or CC, or the base station can configure the coverage subband, coverage BWP, or coverage CC as the default scheduled subband, BWP, or CC. In this case, the CORESET on the terminal device's default anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC is always active, and the terminal device can prioritize detecting the PDCCH channel of the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC.

[0121] In some embodiments of this application, the first information includes frame structure information of at least two frequency domain resources; the second communication device determines the state of the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource as active based on the frame structure information of the at least two frequency domain resources. The frame structure information is used to indicate the uplink time unit and / or downlink time unit of the frequency domain resource. The second communication device receives the first information sent by the first communication device, for example, the first information may be carried on RRC signaling, and the second communication device can determine the frame structure information of at least two frequency domain resources and determine the state of the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource as active based on the frame structure information of the at least two frequency domain resources.

[0122] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, at least two frequency domain resources also include a second frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit; or, the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and there is a control channel resource in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an inactive state in the fourth time unit.

[0123] In this configuration, at least two frequency domain resources may include both a first frequency domain resource and a second frequency domain resource. The first communication device configures multiple control channel resources in the first and second frequency domain resources to be in an active state, and configures these active control channel resources in different time units. This allows the second communication device to determine multiple active control channel resources and blindly detect only those in an active state in the same time unit, thereby reducing the complexity and overhead of blindly detecting control channels and ultimately reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0124] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit. The first communication device can configure the frame structure information of the first and second frequency domain resources. The first communication device indicates the frame structure information of the first and second frequency domain resources to the second communication device. The second communication device can determine that the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit. The second communication device determines that the control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit based on the frame structure information. Since the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource and cannot be used to configure the control channel resource, when the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource and a control channel resource is configured in the first frequency domain resource, the control channel resource is in an active state. Therefore, the second communication device can determine that the control channel resources in the first frequency domain resources are in an active state. The second communication device blindly detects the control channel resources of the first frequency domain resources in an active state in the second time unit, thereby reducing the complexity and overhead of the second communication device in blindly detecting the control channel, and thus reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. In addition, it can also quickly perform data scheduling and data transmission, reducing scheduling latency.

[0125] like Figure 6 As shown, taking at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1), and the third frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2), time unit 2 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC is the uplink time unit. Figure 6 In this context, U represents a time unit 2 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., coverage carrier) where no control channel resources are configured. Time unit 2 on the capacity subband, BWP, or CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1) is a downlink time unit. Figure 6 In the case of D, the terminal device can determine the state of the control channel resource configured on time unit 2 of the capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC as active based on the information of the frame structure. That is, the control channel resource 3 in capacity carrier 1 is an active control channel resource, or the state of the control channel resource 3 in capacity carrier 1 is active.

[0126] like Figure 7As shown, taking at least two frequency domain resources, including a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1), and the third frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2), and taking four time units as time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3, the control channel resource set on the first frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 0, and the control channel resource set... Set 0 includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, and control channel resource 3. The time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 0 includes time unit 0 and time unit 1. The control channel resource set in the second frequency domain is control channel resource set 1, which includes control channel resource 4. The time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 1 includes time unit 2. The control channel resource set in the third frequency domain is control channel resource set 2, which includes control channel resource 5. The time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 2 includes time unit 3. Time unit 2 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., covering carrier) is the uplink time unit. Figure 7 In this context, U represents a time unit 2 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., coverage carrier) where no control channel resources are configured. Time unit 2 on the capacity subband, BWP, or CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1) is a downlink time unit. Figure 7 In this context, D represents the state of the control channel resource configured on time unit 2 of the capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC, which can be determined to be active based on the frame structure information. That is, control channel resource 4 in capacity carrier 1 is an active control channel resource, or the state of control channel resource 4 in capacity carrier 1 is active.

[0127] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, if the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit. The first communication device configures the frame structure information of the first and second frequency domain resources, and the first communication device indicates the frame structure information of the first and second frequency domain resources to the second communication device. The second communication device can determine that the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit. Based on the frame structure information, the second communication device determines that the control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit. Since no control channel resource is configured on the third frequency domain resource, when the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource and a control channel resource is configured in the first frequency domain resource, the control channel resource is in an active state. Therefore, the second communication device can determine that the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state. The second communication device blindly detects the control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource in an active state in the third time unit, thereby reducing the complexity and overhead of the second communication device in blindly detecting the control channel, and thus reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. In addition, it can also quickly perform data scheduling and data transmission, reducing scheduling latency.

[0128] like Figure 6 As shown, time unit 3 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., covering carrier) is the downlink time unit. Figure 6 In this context, D represents a time unit 3 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., coverage carrier) where no control channel resources are configured. Time unit 3 on the capacity subband, BWP, or CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2) is a downlink time unit. Figure 6 In the case of D, the terminal device can determine the state of the control channel resource configured on the time unit 3 of the capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC as active based on the information of the frame structure. That is, the control channel resource 4 in the capacity carrier 2 is an active control channel resource, or the state of the control channel resource 4 in the capacity carrier 2 is active.

[0129] Optionally, in some embodiments of this application, if the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and a control channel resource exists in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is inactive in the fourth time unit. For the fourth time unit, if the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource and a control channel resource exists in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource, then the control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource is inactive in the fourth time unit. If both the second and first frequency domain resources are downlink transmission resources and are in the same time unit, and the second frequency domain resource contains a control channel resource, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is inactive. Since the second frequency domain resource already contains activated control channel resources, using too many activated control channel resources in the fourth time unit avoids reducing the complexity of blind detection of the control channel by the terminal.

[0130] like Figure 7 As shown, time unit 3 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., covering carrier) is the downlink time unit. Figure 7 In this context, D represents the time unit 3 on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., coverage carrier), where control channel resources are configured. Time unit 3 on the capacity subband, BWP, or CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2) is the downlink time unit. Figure 7 In this context, D represents the state of the control channel resource configured on time unit 3 of the capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC, which can be determined to be inactive based on the frame structure information. That is, control channel resource 5 in capacity carrier 2 is either inactive or in a deactivated state.

[0131] pass Figure 6 and Figure 7 The scheme shown allows for active control channel resources in a greater number of time units, such as active control channel resources for each time unit. This means that terminal devices can be scheduled for data transmission across more time units. When data transmission is needed, terminal devices can be scheduled for data transmission as quickly as possible, reducing data transmission latency and improving communication performance. Furthermore, it minimizes the number (e.g., one or two) active control channel resources in the same time unit (e.g., one or two subbands, BWPs, or CCs) to avoid terminal devices performing PDCCH blind detection on multiple subbands, BWPs, or CCs. This reduces the complexity and overhead of the PDCCH blind detection control channel, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal devices.

[0132] For example, taking a first frequency domain resource as a subband, BWP, or CC0, and a second frequency domain resource as a subband, BWP, or CC2, or a subband, BWP, or CC3, and a control channel resource as a CORESET, if the third time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC0 is an uplink symbol (U), meaning a CORESET cannot be configured in the third time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC0, but a CORESET is configured in the third time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC2, then the CORESET in the third time unit of that subband, BWP, or CC2 is an active CORESET. Similarly, if the fourth time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC0 is a downlink symbol (D), and no CORESET is configured in the fourth time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC0, but a CORESET is configured in the fourth time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC2, then the CORESET in the fourth time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC2 is an active CORESET. For example, if the fourth time unit of a subband, BWP, or CC0 is a downlink symbol (D), then a CORESET is configured on the fourth time unit of the subband, BWP, or CC0. If a CORESET is configured on the fourth time unit of the subband, BWP, or CC3, then the CORESET on the fourth time unit of the subband, BWP, or CC3 is a deactivated CORESET.

[0133] In some embodiments of this application, step 203, in which the second communication device receives the control channel on the first control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource, includes A1 and A2: A1. The second communication device detects the control channel on the first control channel resource of the first frequency domain resource; A2. The second communication device receives control information on the control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0134] In this system, the first information is used to determine that the first control channel is active. The second communication device determines that the state of the first control channel resource is active. The first communication device can transmit control channels on the active first control channel resource. The second communication device performs blind detection of the control channel on the first control channel of the first frequency domain resource. The second communication device receives control information, such as downlink control information, on the active first control channel resource. This reduces the number of control channels that the second communication device needs to blindly detect, lowers the complexity and overhead of blind detection of control channels, and consequently reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0135] In some embodiments of this application, the first information includes a first field; the first field is used to indicate the identifier of an active control channel resource and / or an inactive control channel resource among at least two frequency domain resources; and / or, the first field is used to indicate the identifier of a first frequency domain resource among at least two frequency domain resources. The first field can be used to determine that the first control channel resource is active. The first field can be implemented in various ways. For example, the first field can indicate the identifier of an active control channel resource and / or an inactive control channel resource among at least two frequency domain resources. Therefore, the second communication device determines the identifier of the active control channel resource based on the first field in the first information, and the active control channel resource includes the first control channel resource. Alternatively, the second communication device can determine the inactive control channel resource based on the first field in the first information. Then, the second communication device excludes the inactive control channel resource from the entire set of control channel resources, and then the second communication device can determine that the first control channel resource is active based on the remaining control channel resources. For example, if the second communication device can determine the identifier of the first frequency domain resource based on the first field, then the first information includes the identifier of the first frequency domain resource, and the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state. For instance, the first information is DCI, and the first field included in the first information is used to indicate the identifier of the active control channel resource; for example, the first field is the CORESET activeID field.

[0136] In some embodiments of this application, the number of bits in the first field is determined based on the number of frequency domain resources in at least two frequency domain resources; and / or, the number of bits in the first field is determined based on the number of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. For example, the first communication device determines the number of bits in the first field based on the number of frequency domain resources in at least two frequency domain resources, or, as another example, the first communication device determines the number of bits in the first field based on the number of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. The method for determining the number of bits in the first field is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, taking a sub-band, BWP, or CC as the first frequency domain resource, and a CORESET as the control channel resource, the first communication device determines the number of bits in the sub-band identifier field, BWP identifier field, or CC ID field based on the number of sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs configured with a CORESET.

[0137] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, the number of bits in the first field is determined based on the number of control channel resources in the frequency domain resources corresponding to the frequency domain resources with the most control channel resources configured among at least two frequency domain resources. The first communication device can configure the first field in various ways. For example, the first communication device can determine the number of bits in the first field based on the number of control channel resources in the frequency domain resources corresponding to the frequency domain resources with the most control channel resources configured among at least two frequency domain resources. For instance, the number of bits in the CORESETID field is determined based on the maximum number of CORESETs among the subbands, BWP, or CC.

[0138] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, at least two frequency domain resources also include a third frequency domain resource, which includes a third control channel resource, and the third control channel resource is in an active state; the first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, and the first information is further used to determine that the second control channel resource is in a deactivated state. Wherein, when the third control channel resource is in an active state, the second communication device can determine that the second control channel resource is in a deactivated state, and the second communication device can avoid blind detection of the second control channel, thereby reducing the complexity of blind detection for the second communication device.

[0139] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, the first control channel resource is an anchor control channel resource, and the second control channel resource is a capacity control channel resource. For example, the anchor control channel resource is at least one of an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, and an anchor CC; the capacity control channel resource is at least one of a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, and a capacity CC. Taking at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource and a second frequency domain resource, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, or an anchor CC, and the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC, the CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC is either active or deactivated. Within a unified carrier, the base station can dynamically determine the scheduled frequency domain resources (e.g., scheduled subbands, BWPs, or CCs), for example, the frequency domain resource being an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, or an anchor CC, or the frequency domain resource being a coverage subband, a coverage BWP, or a coverage CC. The terminal device can dynamically activate or deactivate the CORESET.

[0140] The base station sends first information, which may be CORESET indication information, used to indicate the activation and / or deactivation of a CORESET. The terminal device receives the CORESET indication information and determines whether to activate or deactivate the CORESET based on it. The DCI sent by the base station indicates the activated or deactivated CORESET ID corresponding to the next time unit. The DCI detected by the terminal device indicates the CORESET ID that needs to be blindly detected in the next time unit. Activation or deactivation corresponds to an effective time unit. Each DCI includes a CORESET ID, allowing the terminal device to determine whether the CORESET is active or deactivated. If the CORESET in the current time unit is active, the CORESET in the next time unit will be deactivated. Alternatively, the DCI may include one bit of indication information; for example, a value of 1 indicates an active CORESET, or a value of 0 indicates a deactivated CORESET.

[0141] For example, the terminal device may use a default deactivation method and then activate based on the CORESET ID indicated by the DCI. The CORESET remains active throughout its lifecycle and transitions to a deactivation state after the lifecycle ends. Alternatively, the base station can indicate the CORESET activation state and an activation time, for example, indicated by RRC or DCI. The base station configures the initial state to deactivation via RRC and then indicates the activated CORESET via DCI. The base station sends an activation time to the terminal device, which can be configured via RRC or DCI. After the activation time expires, the CORESET returns to the deactivation state. Another example is that the terminal device receives a CORESET while in an active state and enters a deactivation state in the next time unit. For instance, the first information may be a DCI, with the first field being the CORESET active ID field in the DCI, used to indicate the active CORESET ID, and / or the first field being the CORESET deactive ID field in the DCI, used to indicate the deactivated CORESET ID.

[0142] In some embodiments of this application, the DCI includes a CORESET active ID field. For example, the joint CORESET number across multiple capacity CCs, i.e., the number of different CORESETs is unique, is indicated in the DCI as the CORESET ID. For example, CORESET ID 1, CORESET ID 2, and CORESET ID 3 are included on subband, BWP, or CC 1. For example, CORESET ID 4 and CORESET ID 5 are included on subband, BWP, or CC 2. For example, CORESET ID 6 is included on subband, BWP, or CC 3. The base station indicates the CORESET ID, and the UE determines the subband, BWP, or CC ID based on the CORESET ID, i.e., performs PDCCH blind detection on the CORESET corresponding to the CORESET ID of that subband, BWP, or CC ID.

[0143] In some embodiments of this application, the DCI includes a frequency domain resource identifier field and a CORESET active ID field. In scenarios with multiple CORESETs, the CORESETs on multiple sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs are independently numbered, meaning there may be cases where CORESET numbers are reused. The DCI indicates the sub-band, BWP, or CC ID, as well as the CORESET ID. For example, sub-band, BWP, or CC 1 includes CORESET ID 1, CORESET ID 2, and CORESET ID 3; sub-band, BWP, or CC 2 includes CORESET ID 1 and CORESET ID 2; and sub-band, BWP, or CC 3 includes CORESET ID 1. This CORESET ID 1 is a CORESET reused across the three sub-bands, BWP, or CCs. The base station indicates the sub-band, BWP, or CC ID and the CORESET ID. The UE determines the sub-band, BWP, or CC based on the sub-band, BWP, or CC ID and performs PDCCH blind detection on the CORESET corresponding to the CORESET ID of the sub-band, BWP, or CC ID based on the CORESET ID.

[0144] If a subband, BWP, or CC contains only one core set, then only the subband, BWP, or CC ID can be indicated. The number of bits in the subband, BWP, or CC ID field is determined by the number of subbands, BWPs, or CCs configured with the core set. Alternatively, the number of bits in the subband, BWP, or CC ID field is determined by the number of subbands, BWPs, or CCs. The number of bits in the core set ID field is determined by the maximum number of core sets in the subband, BWP, or CC. For example, if subband, BWP, or CC 1 contains 3 core sets, which is the maximum number of core sets, then the core set ID field has 2 bits.

[0145] like Figure 8 As shown, at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource and a second frequency domain resource. The first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier), and the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC (e.g., a capacity carrier). Taking four time units as time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3 as an example, the control channel resource set on the first frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 0. The time units corresponding to control channel resource set 0 include time units 0 to 3. Control channel resource set 0 includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, control channel resource 3, and control channel resource 4. The control channel resource set on the second frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 1. The time units corresponding to control channel resource set 1 are time units 2 and 3. Control channel resource set 1 includes control channel resource 5 and control channel resource 6. The DCI in the second CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 2) of subband, BWP, or CC 0 (e.g., coverage carrier) indicates that the first CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 5) of subband, BWP, or CC 3 (e.g., capacity carrier) is a deactivated CORESET (e.g., the base station can indicate the subband, BWP, or CC ID field, or the CORESET ID field). The DCI in the third CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 3) of subband, BWP, or CC 0 (e.g., coverage carrier) indicates that the second CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 6) of subband, BWP, or CC 3 (e.g., capacity carrier) is an activated CORESET (the base station can indicate the subband, BWP, or CC ID field, or the CORESET ID field).

[0146] like Figure 9As shown, at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, a second frequency domain resource, and a third frequency domain resource. The first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, an anchor BWP, or an anchor CC (e.g., a coverage carrier). The second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 1). The third frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, a capacity BWP, or a capacity CC (e.g., capacity carrier 2). Taking four time units as time unit 0, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3 as an example, the control channel resource set on the first frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 0. Control channel resource set 0 corresponds to... The time units include time unit 0, time unit 1, and time unit 3. Control channel resource set 0 includes control channel resource 1, control channel resource 2, and control channel resource 3. The control channel resource set on the second frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 1, and the time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 1 is time unit 2. Control channel resource set 1 includes control channel resource 4. The control channel resource set on the third frequency domain resource is control channel resource set 2, and the time unit corresponding to control channel resource set 2 is time unit 3. Control channel resource set 2 includes control channel resource 5. In the second CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 2) of subband or BWP or CC 0 (e.g., coverage carrier), the DCI indicates that the CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 4) in subband or BWP or CC 2 (e.g., capacity carrier 1) is an active CORESET (e.g., the base station can indicate the subband or BWP or CCID field). The CORESET (e.g., control channel resource 5) in subband or BWP or CC 3 (e.g., capacity carrier 2) is a deactivated CORESET (e.g., the base station can indicate the subband or BWP or CC ID field). That is, the base station can indicate in the DCI of control channel resource 2 that control channel resource 4 is an active control channel resource and control channel resource 5 is an inactive control channel resource, or the base station can indicate in the DCI of control channel resource 2 that the state of control channel resource 4 is active and the state of control channel resource 5 is inactive.

[0147] Through the above Figure 8 and Figure 9 As illustrated by the example, when the DCI of the anchor frequency domain resource activates the CORESET of the capacity frequency domain resource in the next time unit, the CORESET of the anchor frequency domain resource at the same time becomes the deactivated CORESET. That is, the CORESET of the anchor CC is not detected; only the activated CORESET of the capacity CC is detected. This reduces the complexity of blind detection. Alternatively, the CORESET of the anchor frequency domain resource at the same time remains the activated CORESET. That is, the activated CORESET of both the anchor frequency domain resource and the capacity frequency domain resource is detected. Detecting both the anchor CC and the CORESET of the capacity CC allows for more flexible implementation of PDCCH transmission.

[0148] In this embodiment of the application, the communication method for the second communication device to interact with the first communication device includes B1 and B2:

[0149] B1. The first communication device transmits information carried by the control channel, the information carried by the control channel including the identifier of the second frequency domain resource; wherein the identifier of the second frequency domain resource is unrelated to the first frequency domain resource; or, at least two frequency domain resources correspond to the same identifier of the second frequency domain resource.

[0150] B2. The second communication device receives information carried by the control channel. Optionally, the information carried by the control channel received by the second communication device on the first control channel resource includes an identifier of a second frequency domain resource; wherein the identifier of the second frequency domain resource is unrelated to the first frequency domain resource; or, at least two frequency domain resources correspond to the same identifier of the second frequency domain resource.

[0151] The statement that the identifier of the second frequency domain resource is independent of the first frequency domain resource means that the identifier of the second frequency domain resource does not depend on the first frequency domain resource; that is, the identifier of the second frequency domain resource remains unchanged even when the first frequency domain resource changes. Alternatively, at least two frequency domain resources correspond to the same identifier of the second frequency domain resource. For different frequency domain resources, the second communication device can determine the same identifier of the second frequency domain resource. Therefore, the second communication device can simplify the method of determining the second frequency domain resource, and thus simplify the complexity of the control channel on the control channel resource for blind detection of the second frequency domain resource.

[0152] In some embodiments of this application, the first frequency domain resource is a scheduled frequency domain resource, that is, the first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used to carry the control channel, and the second frequency domain resource is a scheduled frequency domain resource, that is, the second frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used to carry the data channel.

[0153] In some embodiments of this application, taking at least two frequency domain resources, including a first frequency domain resource and a second frequency domain resource, as an example, where the first frequency domain resource is an anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC, and the second frequency domain resource is a capacity subband, capacity BWP, or capacity CC, the first frequency domain resource is a scheduled frequency domain resource, i.e., a frequency domain resource carrying the control channel, and the second frequency domain resource is a scheduled frequency domain resource, i.e., a frequency domain resource carrying the data channel. The CORESET on the anchor subband, anchor BWP, or anchor CC can be in an active or deactivated state.

[0154] Within one or more unified carriers, a unified carrier includes one or more frequency domain resources, and the scheduled frequency domain resources within a unified carrier are uniformly numbered. The base station can dynamically determine the scheduled frequency domain resources, such as the BWP or CC used to transmit scheduling information, i.e., the scheduled sub-band, BWP, or CC. The second frequency domain resource is the scheduled frequency domain resource, for example, the scheduled sub-band, BWP, or CC. The index of the scheduled sub-band, BWP, or CC is unified, without distinguishing between them. For all scheduled frequency domain resources, the number of a scheduled frequency domain resource is the same, thus enabling flexible determination of the scheduled sub-band, BWP, or CC.

[0155] For example, if there are a total of N subbands, BWPs, or CCs, the subbands, BWPs, or CCs to be scheduled by the DCI are determined based on their identifiers. The subband, BWP, or CC numbers range from 0 to N-1. Subband, BWP, or CC scheduling can be self-scheduled, meaning the scheduled subband, BWP, or CC can schedule its own subband, BWP, or CC, or it can schedule other scheduled subbands, BWPs, or CCs. During self-scheduled subband, BWP, or CC scheduling, the subband, BWP, or CC identifier in the DCI serves as a unified index for the scheduled subband, BWP, or CC. This means that regardless of which subband, BWP, or CC is scheduled, the number of the scheduled subband, BWP, or CC remains consistent, reducing implementation complexity and configuration signaling overhead.

[0156] For example, as mentioned above Figure 3 As shown, the unified carrier includes four sub-bands, BWPs, or CCs, numbered 0 to 3. For sub-band, BWP, or CC 0, regardless of which sub-band, BWP, or CC the DCI is scheduled to transmit on, the sub-band, BWP, or CC identifier is 0 when the DCI is scheduled to transmit on sub-band, BWP, or CC 0. For sub-band, BWP, or CC 1, regardless of which sub-band, BWP, or CC the DCI is scheduled to transmit on sub-band, BWP, or CC 1, the sub-band, BWP, or CC identifier is 1. For sub-band, BWP, or CC 2, regardless of which sub-band, BWP, or CC the DCI is scheduled to transmit on sub-band, BWP, or CC 2, the sub-band, BWP, or CC identifier is 2. For sub-band, BWP, or CC 3, regardless of which sub-band, BWP, or CC the DCI is scheduled to transmit on sub-band, BWP, or CC 3, the sub-band, BWP, or CC identifier is 3.

[0157] In some embodiments of this application, subbands, BWPs, or CCs of multiple unified carriers can be scheduled across subbands, BWPs, or CCs of the unified carrier. The index of the uniformly scheduled subband, BWP, or CC within the subband, BWP, or CC group. The CORESET ID can be a uniform number within the unified carrier, or a uniform number between unified carriers. Figure 10As shown, unified carrier 0 includes sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3. Unified carrier 1 includes sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3. Sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0 included in unified carrier 0 is a coverage carrier, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3 included in unified carrier 0 are capacity carriers. The scheduled frequency domain resources can be coverage carriers and / or capacity carriers. When scheduling across unified carriers, the base station indicates the identifier of the unified carrier for the terminal equipment, as well as the identifier of the sub-band or BWP or CC under that unified carrier. The terminal equipment determines the sub-band, BWP, or CC in the unified carrier scheduled by DCI based on the identifier of the unified carrier and the identifier of the sub-band, BWP, or CC.

[0158] In other embodiments of this application, the index of the uniformly scheduled subband, BWP, or CC group is used. When scheduling across uniform carriers, the base station indicates the subband, BWP, or CC identifier, and the terminal device determines the subband, BWP, or CC in the uniform carrier scheduled by DCI based on the subband, BWP, or CC identifier. The CORESET ID can also be a uniform number within the uniform carrier, or a uniform number between uniform carriers. For example, when using a uniform number between uniform carriers, the ID of the uniform carrier may not be indicated when activating or deactivating the CORESET ID indication. That is, only the CORESET ID is indicated, and the CORESET IDs of the corresponding CORESETs on different subbands, BWPs, or CCs are different. Figure 11As shown, unified carrier 0 includes sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3. Unified carrier 1 includes sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 4, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 5, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 6, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 7. Sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 0 included in unified carrier 0 is a coverage carrier, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3 included in unified carrier 0, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 1, sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 2, and sub-band or bandwidth portion or carrier 3 included in unified carrier 1 are capacity carriers. The scheduled frequency domain resources can be coverage carriers and / or capacity carriers. When scheduling across unified carriers, the base station indicates the sub-band or BWP or CC identifier under the unified carrier of the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment determines the subband, BWP, or CC in the unified carrier scheduled by DCI based on the subband, BWP, or CC identifier.

[0159] This application provides a communication scheme for the control channel of a unified carrier. Dynamic CORESET activation or deactivation is implemented in the unified carrier, which can flexibly transmit DCI on multiple subbands, BWPs, or CCs as needed. It can also reduce the complexity of blind detection DCI, avoid blind detection of DCI on multiple carriers at the same time, and improve communication performance.

[0160] To facilitate a better understanding and implementation of the above-described solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following examples illustrate corresponding application scenarios.

[0161] Taking the first communication device as a network device and the second communication device as a terminal device as an example, please refer to... Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the interaction process between the terminal device and the network device in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments can be compared with those described above. Figures 2 to 11 The illustrated embodiments and their combinations thereof Figure 12 The content in can be referenced from the above. Figures 2 to 11 The content of the illustrated embodiment. Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments may include:

[0162] S01. The network device sends control resource set configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the control resource set configuration information from the network device. This control resource set configuration information may be referred to as control channel resource configuration information, and may be the higher-layer signaling mentioned in the first information above, or other information, which is not limited in this application. Related details will not be elaborated further here.

[0163] The following example illustrates this, using a network device as a base station and a terminal device as a UE, with the control resource set being CORESET. The base station sends CORESET configuration information to the terminal device. This CORESET configuration information may also include search space configuration information. Within a unified carrier, the base station can dynamically determine whether to schedule a BWP or CC. For example, dynamically activating / deactivating CORESETs on capacity CCs. The CORESET configuration information sent by the base station to the terminal device is associated with at least two subbands, BWPs, or CCs. This includes CORESET configuration information for multiple subbands, BWPs, or CCs within the unified carrier. For example, a unified carrier can be called a frequency domain resource set, CC is a frequency domain resource group, and BWP is a bandwidth portion; for example, a BWP is a portion of the frequency domain resources within a frequency domain resource group. A frequency domain resource group includes one or more frequency domain resources, and a frequency domain resource set can include one or more frequency domain resource groups.

[0164] S02. The network device sends control resource set indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the control resource set indication information from the network device. S02 is an optional step. The control resource set indication information can be called control channel resource indication information. The control resource set indication information can be used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the capacity carrier. For example, the control resource set configuration information can be configuration information for the control resource set, which also includes configuration information for the capacity carrier. The control resource set indication information is the physical layer signaling mentioned in the first information above, or other information; this application does not limit this. Related details are not elaborated here.

[0165] S03. The terminal device determines the set of control resources to be activated based on the configuration information of the control resource set.

[0166] For example, the terminal device determines the active CORESET based on the CORESET configuration information. Activating a CORESET can also correspond to an activation search space. Deactivating a CORESET can also correspond to a deactivation search space. Activation and deactivation are controlled by DCI sent by the network device, or by using RRC to indicate to the terminal device that the CORESET is active or deactivated. In this embodiment, the time domain location corresponding to the frequency domain resource is determined by the search space. The scheme description of the search space is similar to that of the CORESET scheme description and will not be repeated here.

[0167] Optionally, the terminal device can determine the active control resource set based on the control resource set configuration information and the control resource set indication information. Determining the active control resource set includes determining the active control channel resources within the control resource set, i.e., determining the active control channel resources. For example, the control resource set configuration information is the first information carried by higher-layer signaling. The control resource set indication information is the first information carried by physical-layer signaling. The control resource set includes one or more control channel resources.

[0168] S04. The network device sends downlink control information to the terminal device on the active control channel resource. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives downlink control information from the network device on the active control channel resource. For example, the base station sends DCI on the active CORESET. The terminal device performs blind detection of the PDCCH on the active CORESET. Alternatively, the terminal device receives DCI on the active CORESET. If the terminal device successfully detects the PDCCH, it receives the DCI. If the terminal device fails to detect the PDCCH, it does not receive the DCI.

[0169] This application provides a communication scheme for the control channel of a unified carrier. Dynamic CORESET activation and deactivation are implemented in the unified carrier, which can flexibly transmit DCI on multiple subbands, BWPs, or CCs as needed. It can also reduce the complexity of blind DCI detection, avoid blind DCI detection on multiple carriers at the same time, and improve communication performance.

[0170] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0171] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of a terminal or base station in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device is as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminals 120a-120j shown can also be as follows: Figure 1 The base station 110a or 110b shown can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or base station.

[0172] like Figure 13As shown, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the above-mentioned... Figure 2 The method embodiments shown depict the functions of a terminal or base station.

[0173] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 2 In the method embodiment shown, when the terminal functions as follows: the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive first information; the processing unit 1310 is used to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources based on the first information, wherein the state is an active state or a deactivated state, the at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource includes a first control channel resource, and the state of the first control channel resource is an active state. The transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive a control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0174] In some alternative embodiments, the first information includes information about the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources; the processing unit 1310 is configured to determine, based on the information about the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources, that the state of the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is active.

[0175] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 2 In the illustrated method embodiment, when the base station functions, the transceiver unit 1320, under the control of the processing unit 1310, transmits first information. This first information determines the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources. The state includes an active state or a deactivated state. The at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource, and the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource includes a first control channel resource, which is in an active state. The transceiver unit 1320 is also used, under the control of the processing unit 1310, to transmit a control channel on the first control channel resource.

[0176] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320, please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 2 The relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown.

[0177] like Figure 14 As shown, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410, or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0178] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement Figure 12 In the method shown, the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320.

[0179] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the terminal by the base station; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the base station by the terminal.

[0180] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the base station to the terminal. Here, the base station module is the baseband chip of the base station, or a DU or other module. The DU can be a DU under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0181] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0182] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit, or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0183] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or terminal.

[0184] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0185] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0186] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0187] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Receive the first message; Based on the first information, the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources is determined. The state is either active or deactivated. The at least two frequency domain resources include a first frequency domain resource. The control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource include a first control channel resource. The state of the first control channel resource is active. Receive the control channel on the first control channel resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information includes information about the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource; or, The first information includes the identifier of the activated control channel resource corresponding to the first time unit, and the activated control channel resource includes the first control channel resource.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for connection control. The first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, and the second control channel resource is in an active state.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information includes information about the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources; The method further includes: Based on the information of the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources, the state of the first control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is determined to be active.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The at least two frequency domain resources also include a second frequency domain resource; If the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit. or, If the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit. or, If the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and there is a control channel resource in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in a deactivated state in the fourth time unit.

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Send first information, the first information being used to determine the state of control channel resources in at least two frequency domain resources, the state including an active state or a deactivated state, the at least two frequency domain resources including a first frequency domain resource, the control channel resources in the first frequency domain resource including a first control channel resource, the state of the first control channel resource being an active state; Transmit the control channel on the first control channel resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first information includes information about the activation time unit corresponding to the first control channel resource; or, The first information includes the identifier of the activated control channel resource corresponding to the first time unit, and the activated control channel resource includes the first control channel resource.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first frequency domain resource is a frequency domain resource used for connection control. The first frequency domain resource also includes a second control channel resource, and the second control channel resource is in an active state.

9. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first information includes information about the frame structure of the at least two frequency domain resources.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The at least two frequency domain resources also include a second frequency domain resource; If the second frequency domain resource is an uplink transmission resource in the second time unit, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the second time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the second time unit. or, If the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit and there is no control channel resource in the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the third time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in an active state in the third time unit. or, If the second frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit and there is a control channel resource in the configuration of the second frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is a downlink transmission resource in the fourth time unit, then the control channel resource in the first frequency domain resource is in a deactivated state in the fourth time unit.

11. A communications device, characterized by The device includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices, the processor being used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10, through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10.

13. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10.

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