Communication method, system and related devices

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and related apparatus. The method includes: within a first broadcast window of a System Information Block (SIB1) message, receiving K segments of a SIB1 message in a first frequency band, where the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, and the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, where K is a positive integer; and receiving L segments of a SIB1 message in the first frequency band, where L segments include all SIB1 message segments except for the K segments, where L is a positive integer. Thus, as the bandwidth required to receive SIB1 messages decreases, the power consumption of the terminal device receiving SIB1 messages also decreases significantly. Furthermore, terminal devices capable of receiving or transmitting messages within a smaller bandwidth or frequency band can also smoothly receive SIB1 messages by gradually receiving each segment, improving the coverage of terminal devices that the network device can reach when broadcasting SIB1 messages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, system and related equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication systems, System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) is a critical system message broadcast by network devices to terminal devices. Typically, SIB1 messages include information relevant to the terminal device's cell access, such as cell selection / reselection information, cell access identifiers, and key information about the serving cell configuration. In addition, SIB1 messages can include other information, allowing the terminal device to complete initial cell access, cell camping, and other service requests by receiving SIB1 messages.

[0003] In practical applications, network devices can send SIB1 messages to terminal devices within periodic broadcast windows. However, SIB1 messages often contain a large amount of data. In order to send a complete SIB1 message to a terminal device within a broadcast window, the frequency resources required for transmission are usually large, resulting in high power consumption for either the network device sending SIB1 messages or the terminal device receiving SIB1 messages. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for reducing the power consumption of network devices sending SIB1 messages or terminal devices receiving SIB1 messages.

[0005] This application provides a communication method in its first aspect. This method can be used on a terminal side, for example, executed by a terminal device. The terminal device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuitry, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned devices or apparatuses; specific implementation is not limited in this application. In the first aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described using the example of execution by a terminal device. The method includes: within a first broadcast window of a System Information Block (SIB1) message, the terminal device receives K segments of a SIB1 message in a first frequency band. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, where the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer; the terminal device receives L segments of a SIB1 message in the first frequency band, where L segments of the SIB1 message include all segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, and L is a positive integer.

[0006] Thus, during the reception of SIB1 messages, the terminal device can gradually receive each segment of the SIB1 message within a smaller bandwidth frequency band (such as the first frequency band mentioned above). That is, it first receives K segments of the SIB1 message within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, and then receives L segments of the SIB1 message subsequently. The L segments of the SIB1 message include all segments of the SIB1 message except for the K segments. It can be understood that the bandwidth of the frequency band in which the terminal device receives the SIB1 message can be lower than the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window (i.e., the first value mentioned above). Therefore, since the bandwidth required to receive the SIB1 message is reduced, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving the SIB1 message is also significantly reduced accordingly.

[0007] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device receives segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, including: within M broadcast windows of the SIB1 messages, the terminal device receives segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, where the M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

[0008] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device determining the SIB1 message based on the segmentation of L SIB1 messages and the segmentation of K SIB1 messages.

[0009] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, each segment of the SIB1 message carries an identifier for that segment, which indicates the order of each segment within the SIB1 message. This implementation helps the terminal device determine the sequential order of the segments in the received SIB1 message using the identifier of each segment, thereby identifying the complete SIB1 message.

[0010] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, before receiving segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: the terminal device sending a first message, which triggers the network device to send segments of L SIB1 messages to the terminal device. In this implementation, the terminal device triggers the network device to transmit segments of L SIB1 messages by sending the first message. Thus, the network device can respond to the terminal device on demand using the first message, improving the targeting of the transmission of segments of L SIB1 messages and helping to save power consumption of the network device.

[0011] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the segments of the K SIB1 messages carry indication information, including uplink resource information for the first message. Sending the first message by the terminal device includes: the terminal device utilizing the uplink resources to send the first message. Based on the first aspect, in another possible implementation, the indication information further includes configuration information for the uplink sequence carried in the first message, the uplink sequence being used to trigger the network device to send L segments of the SIB1 messages to the terminal device.

[0012] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, including: the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band according to the total number N of SIB1 message segments, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0013] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, including: the terminal device determining the number of SIB1 message segments to receive in the first frequency band based on the total number N of SIB1 message segments. In this implementation, the total number N of segments helps the terminal device determine how many more SIB1 message segments it needs to receive after receiving K segments of SIB1 messages.

[0014] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, each segment of the SIB1 message carries N; or, before the terminal device receives L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving a second message through the physical broadcast channel PBCH, the second message carrying N, the second message including the main information block (MIB) message.

[0015] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the indication information also includes the total number N of SIB1 message segments, where N is used to receive L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, and N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0016] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, K is 1, and the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message, including: within the M broadcast windows, the terminal device receives one segment of each of the L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, where L and M are equal.

[0017] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first frequency band is a part of the second frequency band, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is the first value. In this implementation, narrowband terminal devices can receive segments of SIB1 messages sequentially through the first frequency band, while terminal devices that can utilize a larger bandwidth for message reception can utilize other frequency bands within the second frequency band to receive segments of SIB1 messages, or directly receive the complete SIB1 message using the second frequency band, thus improving the compatibility of the solution with different types of terminal devices.

[0018] Based on the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the bandwidth of the first frequency band is 5MHz, and the first value is 20MHz.

[0019] The second aspect of this application provides a communication method that can be used on the network side, for example, executed by a network device. The network device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuitry, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned devices or apparatuses; specific implementation is not limited in this application. In the second aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described using the example of it being executed by a network device. The method includes: within a first broadcast window of a System Information Block (SIB1) message, the network device transmits K segments of a SIB1 message in a first frequency band, where the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, and the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, where K is a positive integer; the network device transmits L segments of a SIB1 message in the first frequency band, where L segments of the SIB1 message include all segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, where L is a positive integer.

[0020] Thus, during the transmission of SIB1 messages, network devices can progressively send segments of the SIB1 message within a smaller bandwidth frequency band (such as the first frequency band mentioned above). That is, K segments of the SIB1 message are first sent within the first broadcast window, followed by L segments, where the L segments include all segments of the SIB1 message excluding the K segments. It is understandable that the bandwidth of the frequency band used by the network device to send SIB1 messages can be lower than the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window (i.e., the first value mentioned above). Therefore, as the bandwidth required to send SIB1 messages decreases, the power consumption of the network device in sending SIB1 messages also decreases significantly. Based on this, terminal devices can also progressively receive segments of the SIB1 message within a smaller bandwidth frequency band (such as the first frequency band mentioned above). Similarly, as the bandwidth required to transmit SIB1 messages decreases, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving SIB1 messages also decreases significantly. In addition, the terminal device in this application can also be a narrowband terminal device. Narrowband terminal devices can also receive SIB1 messages smoothly by receiving each segment of the SIB1 message step by step, which improves the coverage of terminal devices that the network device can cover when broadcasting SIB1 messages.

[0021] Based on the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device transmits L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, including: the network device transmits L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows of SIB1 messages, where the M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

[0022] Based on the second aspect, in one possible implementation, before the network device sends segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: the network device receiving a first message, the first message being used to trigger the network device to send segments of L SIB1 messages to the terminal device; the network device sending segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band includes: the network device responding to the first message by sending segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band.

[0023] Based on the second aspect, in one possible implementation, each segment of the SIB1 message carries the total number N of the SIB1 message segments, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; or, before the network device sends L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, the method further includes: the network device sending a second message through the physical broadcast channel PBCH, the second message carrying N, the second message including the Master Information Block (MIB) message.

[0024] Based on the second aspect, in one possible implementation, K is set to 1, and the network device sends L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message, including: the network device sends one segment of each of the L segments of the SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within the M broadcast windows, where L and M are equal.

[0025] Based on the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, the network device sends L segments of the SIB1 message in the third frequency band, where the third frequency band is the frequency band other than the first frequency band of the second frequency band.

[0026] For other implementation methods in the second aspect, please refer to the description of the relevant implementation methods in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0027] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a first communication device, comprising a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive K segments of a SIB1 message in a first frequency band within a first broadcast window of a system information block (SIB1) message. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, where the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer. The transceiver unit is further configured to receive L segments of a SIB1 message in the first frequency band, where L segments include all SIB1 message segments other than the K segments, and L is a positive integer.

[0028] For other implementation methods in the third aspect, please refer to the description of the relevant implementation methods in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0029] The fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a second communication device, comprising a transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit K segments of a SIB1 message in a first frequency band within a first broadcast window of a system information block SIB1 message, wherein the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, the first value being the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K being a positive integer; the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit L segments of a SIB1 message in the first frequency band, wherein the L segments of the SIB1 message include segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, and L being a positive integer.

[0030] For other implementation methods in the fourth aspect, please refer to the description of the relevant implementation methods in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0031] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit. The processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and to execute the methods described in the first or second aspect above. The processor may include one or more devices.

[0032] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device, including a processor for connection to a memory, for calling a program or instructions stored in the memory to execute the method described in the first or second aspect above. The memory may be located within or outside the communication device. The processor may include one or more processors.

[0033] Optionally, the first communication device, the fifth communication device, and the sixth communication device shown in the third aspect can be a terminal device, a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions.

[0034] Optionally, the second communication device shown in the fourth aspect, the communication device shown in the fifth aspect, and the communication device shown in the sixth aspect may be a network device, a communication module in a network device, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions.

[0035] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0036] The eighth aspect of this application provides a computer program product including computer instructions, characterized in that, when run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform an implementation as described in either the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0037] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0038] The tenth aspect of this application provides a chip device, including a processor for calling a computer program or computer instructions in memory to cause the processor to execute any of the implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0039] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0040] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects two through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the communication system provided in this application;

[0042] Figures 2a to 2b Some schematic diagrams of the network devices provided in this application;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of SIB1 message transmission between a network device and a terminal device, provided as an embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 4 A time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 6a A time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 6b A time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 6c A time-frequency diagram of another network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 6d A time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 8a A time-frequency diagram of another network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 8b A time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 10 This is yet another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 11 This is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0059] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0060] Terminal devices can be various communication kits with wireless communication capabilities (the kit may include, for example, antennas, power supply modules, cables, and Wi-Fi modules). Terminal devices can also be communication modules with satellite communication capabilities, satellite phones or components thereof, and very small aperture terminals (VSATs). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with a wireless access network. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), drone, etc. Terminal equipment can also be wearable devices and next-generation communication systems, such as terminal equipment in future communication systems or in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0061] It should be noted that the terminal device in this application may refer to the terminal device itself, or to the chip, functional module, integrated circuit, modem, system on a chip (SoC), or communication platform containing a radio frequency (RF) module in the terminal device used to perform the method provided in this application.

[0062] (2) Network equipment: This can be equipment in a wireless network. For example, network equipment can be a RAN node (or device) that connects terminal devices to the wireless network, and can also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN equipment include: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (e.g., home-evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network structure, network equipment can include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment including CU nodes and DU nodes.

[0063] Optionally, RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0064] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0065] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0066] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0067] The correspondence between network elements and their achievable protocol layer functions in the ORAN system can be found in Table 1 below.

[0068] Table 1

[0069] ORAN network elements 3GPP protocol layer functions O-CU-CP RRC+PDCP-Control Plane (PDCP-C) O-CU-UP SDAP+PDCP - User Plane (PDCP-U) O-DU RLC+MAC+PHY-high O-RU PHY-low

[0070] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0071] Network equipment may also include core network equipment, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Public Data Network Gateway (PDN Gateway, P-GW) in 4th generation (4G) networks; and access and mobility management function (AMF), user plane function (UPF), or session management function (SMF) in 5G networks. Furthermore, this core network equipment may also include other core network equipment in 5G networks and next-generation networks of 5G networks.

[0072] In this embodiment of the application, the network device mentioned above can also be a network node with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, which can provide AI services to terminals or other network devices. For example, it can be an AI node, computing power node, RAN node with AI capabilities, core network element with AI capabilities, etc. on the network side (access network or core network).

[0073] It should be noted that the network device in this application may refer to the network device itself, or to the chip, functional module, integrated circuit, modem, system on a chip (SoC), or communication platform containing a radio frequency (RF) module in the network device used to perform the methods provided in this application.

[0074] (3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "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 there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0075] (4) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0076] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0077] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0078] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed; for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0079] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0080] This application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or new radio vehicle-to-everything (NR V2X) systems; it can also be applied to systems with hybrid LTE and 5G networks; or device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or drone communication systems; or communication systems supporting multiple wireless technologies, such as LTE and NR technologies; or non-terrestrial communication systems, such as satellite communication systems and high-altitude communication platforms. Optionally, this communication system can also be applied to narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems or other communication systems, wherein the communication system includes network devices and terminal devices, with the network devices acting as configuration information sending entities and the terminal devices acting as configuration information receiving entities. Specifically, in this communication system, one entity sends configuration information to another entity and sends data to or receives data from another entity; the other entity receives the configuration information and, based on the configuration information, sends data to or receives data from the entity that sent the configuration information. This application can be applied to terminal devices in a connected or active state, as well as to terminal devices in an inactive or idle state.

[0081] Please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. 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 connects wirelessly to RAN node 110, and RAN node 110 connects wirelessly or via a wired connection to core network 200. 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 nodes. Terminals can connect to each other, and RAN nodes can connect to each other, via wired or wireless connections.

[0082] As an implementation example, such as Figure 2a As shown, the access network equipment may include at least one CU and at least one DU. This design can be referred to as CU and DU separation. One CU can be connected to one or more DUs. CU and DU can be separated according to the protocol layer of the wireless network: for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above (e.g., RRC layer and SDAP layer, etc.) are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, etc.) are set in the DU; or, for another example, the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer are set in the DU, without limitation. When the CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when the CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the PDCP layer control plane functions, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the PDCP layer user plane functions. This application does not limit the names of CU and DU, for example, CU can be called the first access network element, and DU can be called the second access network element, etc.

[0083] The above division of CU and DU processing functions according to the protocol layer is just one example; other methods can also be used.

[0084] The CU can be connected to the core network. Optionally, the CU can have some of the functions of the core network.

[0085] Furthermore, some functions of the DU can be separated and configured. For example... Figure 2aAs shown, this functionality can be implemented by a radio unit (RU). The RU can have radio frequency (RF) capabilities. This application does not limit the name of the RU; for example, the RU can be called a third access network element. The DU and RU can be separated or split within the PHY layer. For example, the DU can implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU can implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or implement both lower-level functions and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the PHY layer include functions closer to the MAC layer, and lower-level functions include functions closer to the RF layer. The RU can communicate with the terminal device via an air interface using RF signals. The precoding function of the PHY layer can be located in the DU or the RU. The separation method between the DU and RU can be various and is not limited.

[0086] There is an interface between the DU and RU. For example, depending on the splitting method, the interface between the DU and RU can be a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface.

[0087] like Figure 2b A schematic diagram of the architecture of an access network device is shown. The access network device includes one or more functional modules for signal processing. For example... Figure 2b As shown, taking physical layer functions as an example, the access network device includes one or more of the following functions: encoding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, decoding, descrambling, or demodulation.

[0088] The above-mentioned one or more functional modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Physically, they can be discrete or integrated. It is understood that the above functional modules are merely examples; the access network device may include more modules or none, depending on the design. Figure 2b The diagram shows a functional module. The access network device also includes a fronthaul (FH) interface between the DU and RU, used to enable communication between the DU and RU. This fronthaul interface includes, but is not limited to, CPRI or eCPRI. In one possible implementation, the DU is located in the BBU, and the RU is located in the RRU / AAU / RRH; the interface between the BBU and the RRU / AAU / RRH can also be called the fronthaul interface. To implement the fronthaul interface, the BBU and RRU / AAU / RRH can be connected via a fronthaul network, or the DU and RU can be connected via a fronthaul network. For example, fronthaul networks include, but are not limited to, direct fiber optic connections and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks.

[0089] Access network equipment can support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces. Different fronthaul interfaces correspond to DUs and RUs with different functions. For example... Figure 2b As shown, if the fronthaul interface between the DU and RU is CPRI, the DU is configured to implement one or more baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more radio frequency functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and RU is eCPRI, then, relative to CPRI, some downlink and / or uplink baseband functions are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation. Different splitting methods between the DU and RU correspond to different types (category, abbreviated as Cat) of eCPRI. Figure 2b Six examples of eCPRI are given, represented by Cat A, B, C, D, E, and F (which can also be represented as Option A to F, Option 1 to 6, or other methods). It can be understood that there may be other ways to split between DU and RU, i.e., other types of eCPRI may exist.

[0090] Taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for downlink transmission, layer mapping is used as the segmentation, and DU is configured to implement one or more functions before and after layer mapping, while other functions after layer mapping are implemented in RU. For uplink transmission, de-RE mapping is used as the segmentation, and DU is configured to implement one or more functions before and after de-mapping, while other functions after de-mapping are implemented in RU.

[0091] Similarly, for eCPRI Cat B, Cat C, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F, they correspond to different DU and RU segmentation methods. The functions at and before the segmentation point are implemented by the DU, while the functions after the segmentation point are implemented by the RU. The segmentation points for each type of eCPRI are referenced. Figure 2b As shown, they will not be described in detail again.

[0092] eCPRI's segmentation method can be symmetrical for uplink and downlink, such as... Figure 2b The eCPRICat B and CatC shown are examples; alternatively, the eCPRI segmentation method can be asymmetrical for uplink and downlink, such as... Figure 2b The eCPRI Cat A, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F shown are not restricted.

[0093] The foregoing content describes various wireless communication scenarios involved in this application. It should be understood that the above content is merely an illustrative description of the scenarios in which this application can be applied, and this application can also be applied to other application scenarios, which are not limited here. The wireless communication process involved in this application will be described below.

[0094] In communication systems (e.g., it could be) Figure 1 In the communication system shown, terminal devices need to obtain necessary System Information (SI) to access the communication network. This system information can be organized into different System Information Blocks (SIBs), each carrying a specific type of information. The SIB1 message is one of several SIB types. In existing technologies, network devices periodically broadcast SIB1 messages to terminal devices, enabling the receiving terminal devices to perform cell selection / reselection, initial access, scheduling configuration, or other service operations.

[0095] The following are some examples of SIB1 messages carrying information.

[0096] Optionally, the SIB1 message may carry relevant identifiers required for terminal device identification or network access. For example, the SIB1 message may carry a public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, a tracking area code (TAC), or a global cell identifier.

[0097] Optionally, the SIB1 message may carry control parameters for accessing the cell, which may indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to access the network device. For example, the SIB1 message may carry cell barred status or access level restriction information.

[0098] Optionally, the SIB1 message may carry parameters for selecting or reselecting cells. For example, the SIB1 message may carry minimum reference signal receiving power (RSRP), minimum reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), or frequency priority.

[0099] Optionally, the SIB1 message may carry the duplex mode and related parameters. For example, the SIB1 message may carry information about the duplex mode of the communication transmission process, including but not limited to frequency division duplexing (FDD) mode or time division duplexing (TDD) mode; the SIB1 message may also carry configuration parameters related to the current duplex mode, including but not limited to uplink and downlink subframe allocation and special subframe configuration related to TDD mode.

[0100] Optionally, the SIB1 message may carry scheduling information. For example, the SIB1 message may carry scheduling configuration information for other SIBs, including but not limited to the period, transmission time window, transmission frequency, and other information of other SIBs.

[0101] It should be noted that the information that SIB1 messages can carry is merely illustrative. In actual applications, SIB1 messages can carry some or more information, and this is not limited. Figure 3 The diagram shown illustrates a process for SIB1 message transmission between a network device and a terminal device. This application embodiment uses... Figure 3 Terminal devices in the middle receive Figure 3 Taking the SIB1 message sent by the network device in the example, in practical applications, Figure 3 The terminal devices in the middle can also refer to Figure 3 Receive SIB1 messages sent by other network devices, or Figure 3 The network equipment in the text can also be referenced. Figure 3 SIB1 messages are periodically broadcast to other terminal devices within the signal coverage area.

[0102] In the first phase, the terminal device can perform cell search and synchronization, and receive master information blocks (MIBs) periodically transmitted by network devices on the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). For example, the terminal device can receive and decode the PBCH to obtain the MIB messages carried within it. The MIB messages carry scheduling information for the terminal device to receive SIB1 messages (or other SIB messages). The pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field in the MIB message can indicate the communication resources of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for the SIB1 messages.

[0103] In the second phase, network devices can send downlink control information (DCI) via PDCCH. For example, network devices can use the communication resources of PDCCH indicated in the MIB message to transmit PDCCH, and the DCI carried in the PDCCH includes information on the communication resources used to transmit SIB1 messages.

[0104] In the third stage, the terminal device can receive SIB1 messages using the information of the communication resources indicated by the DCI. The SIB1 messages are transmitted on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the terminal device can then decode the PDSCH to obtain the SIB1 messages broadcast by the network device.

[0105] Based on the above stages, the terminal device can receive SIB1 messages sent by the network device and use the SIB1 messages to perform cell selection / reselection, initial access, scheduling configuration or other service operations.

[0106] like Figure 4 The figure shows a time-frequency diagram of network devices periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to terminal devices in the prior art.

[0107] In terms of time domain, network devices can broadcast SIB1 messages at regular intervals. A complete cycle of broadcasting SIB1 messages can be... Figure 4 The broadcast period shown, or the broadcast period itself, can be replaced with other terms without limitation. Optionally, the duration of the broadcast period can be 20ms, that is, the network device broadcasts an SIB1 message once every 20ms. Within a broadcast period, the actual time period used to send SIB1 messages (i.e., the time domain resources allocated by the network device for actually sending SIB1 messages) can be... Figure 4 The broadcast window shown can be replaced with other terms such as the SIB1 message receiving window, sending window, broadcast time period, or broadcast timing; there is no limitation on this. It should be noted that the initial time of the broadcast window within the broadcast period can be the initial time of the broadcast period (e.g., ...). Figure 4 (This can be any other time within the broadcast cycle, without limitation.)

[0108] In the frequency domain, network devices can operate within a certain frequency band (e.g., Figure 4 The SIB1 message is broadcast within the second frequency band. In practical applications, the SIB1 message can be carried on frequency bands of different bandwidths, such as 20MHz or 100MHz.

[0109] Based on this Figure 4 The broadcast window and the second frequency band are time-frequency resources allocated by the network device to the terminal device for transmitting SIB1 messages. That is, the terminal device can receive SIB1 messages in the second frequency band within the periodic broadcast window.

[0110] It is worth noting that in existing technologies, SIB1 messages contain necessary information for terminal devices to access network devices, and the amount of data they carry is often quite large. Limited by the bandwidth of the frequency band used to transmit SIB1 messages, such as 20MHz or 100MHz, this results in high power consumption for network devices sending or terminal devices receiving SIB1 messages.

[0111] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Please see Figure 5 The following is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0113] S501. Within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, the terminal device receives K segments of the SIB1 message sent by the network device in the first frequency band, wherein the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer.

[0114] Referring to the schematic diagram of the terminal device receiving SIB1 messages above, the terminal device can use SI-RNTI to perform blind detection on the PDCCH, and after the blind detection is passed, it can use the broadcast window indicated by DCI in the PDCCH to receive SIB1 messages.

[0115] The terminal device can receive SIB1 messages in a first frequency band, and the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value. The first value can be the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within a first broadcast window. Alternatively, the first value can be the minimum bandwidth for transmitting SIB1 messages as defined in the prior art. It is understood that since the bandwidth of the frequency band occupied by the message transmission is proportional to the amount of data transmitted per unit time, given that the duration of a periodic broadcast window is often limited, if the network device needs to broadcast a complete SIB1 message to the terminal device within the first broadcast window, the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the SIB1 message is the aforementioned first value. For example, the first broadcast window can be the aforementioned... Figure 4 In the description, the broadcast window indicated by DCI with a duration of 20ms can have a first value of 20MHz. Optionally, the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than 20MHz. For example, the bandwidth of the first frequency band mentioned above can be 5MHz.

[0116] Since the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than the aforementioned first value, the terminal device does not need to receive the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, which has a limited duration. Instead, it can receive K segments of the SIB1 message through the first frequency band, where K is a positive integer. That is, the terminal device can receive a portion of all segments of the SIB1 message within the first broadcast window and the first frequency band, rather than the complete SIB1 message.

[0117] Optionally, before the network device sends K segments of the SIB1 message, the network device can segment the SIB1 message to obtain N segments (N is a positive integer). These K segments of the SIB1 message are a subset of all N segments included in the SIB1 message. It should be noted that K consecutive segments of the SIB1 message can also be understood as a continuous block of data within the SIB1 message. Furthermore, the term "SIB1 message segment" can be replaced with other terms, such as "sub-message of the SIB1 message" or "sub-data stream of the SIB1 message." Optionally, during the network device's segmentation of the SIB1 message, the amount of data carried by each SIB1 message segment can be a pre-defined second value. This second value must satisfy the condition that the amount of data in the K segments of the SIB1 message is less than or equal to the maximum amount of data that the terminal device can receive through the first frequency band within the first broadcast window. The value of K can be 1. Alternatively, the total number N of SIB1 message segments can be a pre-defined third value, which also needs to satisfy that the data volume of K SIB1 message segments is less than or equal to the maximum data volume that the terminal device can receive through the first frequency band in the first broadcast window, and the value of K can be 1.

[0118] It should be noted that the terminal device in this application can also be a terminal device capable of receiving or transmitting messages within a smaller bandwidth or frequency band. For example, the terminal device can be a narrowband terminal device, which may refer to a terminal device that uses a narrower bandwidth for message reception or cannot receive messages within a larger bandwidth or frequency band. Alternatively, the terminal device can also be a terminal device with a low-power module. When the terminal device with the low-power module receives or transmits information through the low-power module, it needs to receive or transmit messages within a smaller bandwidth or frequency band. When the terminal device uses a non-low-power module or a normal module to receive or transmit information, it can receive or transmit messages within a larger bandwidth or frequency band. Taking the terminal device's ability to receive SIB1 messages as an example, as a possible implementation, the bandwidth used by the narrowband terminal device to receive SIB1 messages may be lower than the aforementioned first value. Therefore, the bandwidth of the first frequency band can be determined based on the narrowband terminal device's ability to receive SIB1 messages; that is, the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than or equal to the maximum bandwidth that the narrowband terminal device can use for receiving SIB1 messages. As another possible implementation, the terminal device has the capability to receive SIB1 messages using a larger bandwidth (i.e., bandwidth greater than or equal to the aforementioned first value). Based on this, the terminal device can still receive K segments of the SIB1 message within the first frequency band, thus reducing the bandwidth of the frequency band used by the terminal device to receive SIB1 messages. In this way, terminal devices capable of receiving or transmitting messages within a smaller bandwidth or frequency band can also smoothly receive SIB1 messages by progressively receiving each segment, improving the coverage of terminal devices that the network device can reach when broadcasting SIB1 messages.

[0119] S502, The terminal device sends a first message, wherein the first message is used to trigger the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages to the terminal device, and the L segments of SIB1 messages include the segments of SIB1 messages other than the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages, where L is a positive integer.

[0120] S503, The terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band.

[0121] After receiving K segments of SIB1 messages in the first broadcast window using the first frequency band, the terminal device can continue to receive L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band.

[0122] It should be noted that, in this embodiment or other embodiments, the segmentation of L SIB1 messages includes segments of the SIB1 message other than the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages. This can mean that the segments of L SIB1 messages and the segments of K SIB1 messages exactly form a complete SIB1 message; a SIB1 message is divided into N SIB1 message segments, where L + K = N; or, the combination of the segments of L SIB1 messages and the segments of K SIB1 messages includes at least one complete SIB1 message, that is, the segments of L SIB1 messages may also include one or more segments from the segments of K SIB1 messages. Based on the fact that the segments of L SIB1 messages and the segments of K SIB1 messages form a single SIB1 message, there are additional segments of SIB1 messages; a SIB1 message is divided into N SIB1 message segments, where L + K > N.

[0123] In this way, the terminal device receives all segments of the SIB1 message in its entirety by receiving them segment by segment. It is understandable that during the above process of receiving the SIB1 message, the bandwidth of the frequency band in which the terminal device receives the SIB1 message (i.e., the bandwidth of the first frequency band) is lower than the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window (i.e., the first value). Consequently, as the bandwidth occupied by receiving the SIB1 message decreases, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving the SIB1 message also decreases significantly. In addition, Figure 5 The terminal device shown can also be a narrowband terminal device. Therefore, the method of receiving each segment of the SIB1 message step by step can enable narrowband terminal devices to receive the SIB1 message smoothly, thereby improving the coverage of terminal devices that can be covered by the network device broadcasting the SIB1 message.

[0124] As one implementation, the L segments of SIB1 messages received by the terminal device can be sent by the network device based on a trigger. For example, the terminal device can send a first message to the network device, wherein the first message triggers the network device to send the L segments of SIB1 messages. Then, upon receiving the first message, the network device, in response to the triggering instruction of the first message, sends the aforementioned L segments of SIB1 messages. It is understood that the network device does not need to occupy a periodic broadcast window when sending the L segments of SIB1 messages.

[0125] Optionally, the uplink resources (e.g., time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources) used to send the first message can be pre-indicated by the network device in the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages. For example, the segments of the K SIB1 messages may carry indication information; specifically, the indication information may be carried in a target segment of the K SIB1 message segments, where the target segment may be the first segment or any other segment of the K SIB1 message segments. The indication information may carry information about the uplink resources used to send the first message. The terminal device can obtain this uplink resource information by decoding the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages. Furthermore, using this uplink resource, the terminal device can communicate with the network device to send the first message.

[0126] Optionally, the indication information carried in the segments of the K SIB1 messages may also include other information. For example, the first message triggering the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages could specifically mean that the uplink sequence carried in the first message can trigger the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages. Based on this, the aforementioned indication information may include configuration information of the uplink sequence, so that the terminal device can use the uplink sequence configured by the network device to trigger the network device. In addition, the indication information may include other information, which is not limited thereto.

[0127] Optionally, after receiving K segments of SIB1 messages, the terminal device can first determine whether the received K segments of SIB1 messages constitute a complete SIB1 message, that is, whether the terminal device has any unreceived SIB1 message segments. Furthermore, if the K segments of SIB1 messages are not complete SIB1 messages, the terminal device sends a first message to trigger the network device to send the aforementioned L segments of SIB1 messages.

[0128] In one implementation, the terminal device can determine whether the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages constitute a complete SIB1 message based on the bandwidth of the first frequency band. For example, since the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, if the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than the first value, the segments of the K SIB1 messages received by the terminal device within the first broadcast window are not complete SIB1 messages. The first value can be pre-configured by the terminal device. Alternatively, the first value can be pre-transmitted to the terminal device by the network device. Alternatively, the first value can be included in indication information and transmitted to the terminal device along with the segments of the K SIB1 messages. Alternatively, the first value can be carried in each segment or part of the segments of the SIB1 message. Alternatively, the first value can also be obtained by the terminal device through other means, without limitation.

[0129] As another implementation, the terminal device can determine the total number of SIB1 message segments N based on the total number of segments N. For example, if the number K segments of the received SIB1 messages is less than the total number of segments N, the K segments of the SIB1 messages received by the terminal device within the first broadcast window are not complete SIB1 messages. The total number of segments N can be pre-configured by the terminal device. Alternatively, the total number of segments N can be included in the indication information and transmitted to the terminal device along with the K segments of the SIB1 messages. Alternatively, the total number of segments N can be carried in each segment or part of the SIB1 message. Alternatively, the total number of segments N can be pre-transmitted to the terminal device by the network device; for example, the network device can send a second message via PBCH (refer to the previous description of the SIB1 message transmission process, which will not be repeated here), and the second message can be a MIB message transmitted via PBCH, in which case N can be carried. Alternatively, the total number of segments N can also be obtained by the terminal device through other means, without limitation.

[0130] Optionally, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band. Specifically, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band based on the total number of SIB1 message segments N. For example, the value of L can be the difference between the total number of segments N and the number of segments K already received. Furthermore, based on N, the terminal device can determine how many more SIB1 message segments it needs to receive, avoiding prolonged detection of SIB1 message segments and thus reducing power consumption.

[0131] Optionally, the time-domain position for the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages can be pre-configured by both the network device and the terminal device. For example, this time-domain position can begin at the time interval between the terminal device sending the first message and one or more time slots; that is, after sending the first message, the terminal device can wait for one or more time slots to begin detecting the signal for the SIB1 message segments. Alternatively, this time-domain position can be indicated to the terminal device in advance by the network device. Or, this time-domain position can be indicated in other ways, without limitation.

[0132] This application provides examples of several different network devices periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to terminal devices.

[0133] like Figure 6a The diagram shown is a time-frequency diagram illustrating the periodic broadcasting of SIB1 messages from a network device to a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The SIB1 message may include five segments, from segment 1 to segment 5 (total number of segments N is 5). Within each broadcast window, for example... Figure 6a In the first and second broadcast windows, the network device can send K segments of SIB1 messages to the terminal device in the first frequency band, that is, Figure 6a The diagram shows segments 1 and 2 (where K is 2). It's understood that the segments of SIB1 messages sent by the network device within different broadcast windows can be the same (both segments 1 and 2). Segments of SIB1 messages not sent within a broadcast window can be sent outside the broadcast window via a terminal device trigger. After receiving segments 1 and 2, the terminal device can utilize the uplink resources carried in segments 1 and 2 (specifically, either within segment 1 or segment 2) to send a first message (not shown in the diagram) to the network device, triggering the network device to send the remaining unsent segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device. Then, in response to the first message, the network device uses the first frequency band to send L segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device, i.e., sending segments 3, 4, and 5 (where L is 3) to the terminal device.

[0134] Optionally, such as Figure 6b The diagram shown is a time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device according to another embodiment of this application. Compared to Figure 6a Segment 3, segment 4 and segment 5 can be sent to the terminal device by the network device at different time periods. That is, the network device sends segment 3, segment 4 and segment 5 to the terminal device successively in a discontinuous time domain.

[0135] Optionally, such as Figure 6c The diagram shown is a time-frequency diagram of another network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. Compared to Figure 6b , Figure 6b Segments 3 to 5, sent via triggering, can be transmitted from the network device to the terminal device within the same broadcast cycle, while Figure 6c In the process, segments 3 to 5, which are sent via triggering, can also be sent from the network device to the terminal device within different broadcast cycles.

[0136] Optionally, such as Figure 6d The image shown is a time-frequency diagram illustrating the periodic broadcasting of SIB1 messages from a network device to a terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6d In this context, the first frequency band can be a portion of the second frequency band, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is the aforementioned first value. Furthermore, the frequency range within the second frequency band excluding the first frequency band can be a third frequency band. Based on this, within the first broadcast window, the network device can transmit L segments of SIB1 messages within the third frequency band. Thus, for a terminal device capable of receiving SIB1 messages within a larger bandwidth frequency band, the terminal device can receive the complete SIB1 message within the second frequency band. It is understood that... Figure 6dThe transmission method of the SIB1 message shown can be compatible with terminal devices that receive SIB1 messages in segments of the first frequency band, as well as terminal devices that receive the complete SIB1 message through only one broadcast window in the second frequency band, thus improving the compatibility and robustness of the communication system.

[0137] It should be noted that, Figure 6d For details on the segmented implementation of the mid-terminal device receiving L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 6a to 6c The relevant descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0138] in addition, Figures 6a to 6d The communication method described herein is for illustrative purposes only. In actual applications, the total number of segments N of the SIB1 message may be different, and the values ​​of K and L may also be different. No limitation is imposed on these aspects.

[0139] The above Figure 5 In the described embodiment, the example is that the terminal device sends a first message to trigger the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages. In other embodiments, the network device may also send L segments of SIB1 messages to the terminal device through the first frequency band within M broadcast windows that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain.

[0140] Please see Figure 7 The following is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, which includes the following steps.

[0141] S701. Within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, the terminal device receives K segments of the SIB1 message sent by the network device in the first frequency band, wherein the bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer.

[0142] In this embodiment, the specific implementation of step S701 can be referred to the above. Figure 5 The relevant details of step S501 in the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0143] S702. Within the M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message, the terminal device receives L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band. The L segments of the SIB1 message include segments of the SIB1 message other than the segments of the aforementioned K SIB1 messages. The M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain. Furthermore, L is a positive integer and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

[0144] S703. Based on the segmentation of L SIB1 messages and the segmentation of K SIB1 messages, the terminal device determines the SIB1 messages.

[0145] After receiving K segments of SIB1 messages via the first frequency band in the first broadcast window, the terminal device can continue to receive the remaining L segments of SIB1 messages in one or more subsequent broadcast windows (i.e., M broadcast windows). That is, the terminal device utilizes at least two broadcast windows to receive each segment of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, rather than receiving the complete SIB1 message within only one broadcast window using a larger bandwidth frequency band. It is understandable that, since each broadcast window within the M broadcast windows requires the transmission of at least one segment of the SIB1 message, M should be less than or equal to L. Thus, as the bandwidth occupied by receiving SIB1 messages decreases, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving SIB1 messages also decreases significantly. In addition, Figure 7 The terminal device shown can also be a narrowband terminal device. Therefore, by receiving the various segments of the SIB1 message gradually in multiple broadcast windows, the narrowband terminal device can also successfully receive the SIB1 message, thereby improving the coverage of terminal devices that the network device can broadcast the SIB1 message to.

[0146] like Figure 8a The image shown is a time-frequency diagram illustrating another network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The following uses... Figure 8a Let's take an example to illustrate.

[0147] A SIB1 message can include four segments, from segment 1 to segment 4 (i.e., the total number of segments N is 4). Within the first broadcast window, the network device can send K segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device in the first frequency band. Figure 6a Segment 1 (where K is 1). It's understandable that since the network device needs to occupy M consecutive broadcast windows after the first broadcast window to send L segments of SIB1 messages to the terminal device, the content of the SIB1 message segments transmitted by the network device in the first broadcast window and the M broadcast windows in the first frequency band may be different. Furthermore, since the amount of time-domain and frequency-domain resources used for transmitting SIB1 message segments is the same each time (one broadcast window in the time domain and the first frequency band in the frequency domain), the number of SIB1 message segments transmitted in each broadcast window can be the same.

[0148] Optionally, after receiving K segments of SIB1 messages (i.e., after receiving segment 1), the terminal device can first determine whether the received K segments of SIB1 messages are complete SIB1 messages, that is, whether the terminal device has any unreceived SIB1 message segments. Furthermore, if the K segments of SIB1 messages are not complete SIB1 messages, the terminal device continues to receive L segments of SIB1 messages (i.e., segments 2 to 4) within the subsequent M broadcast windows (i.e., the second to fourth broadcast windows). The implementation method for the terminal device to determine whether the received K segments of SIB1 messages are complete SIB1 messages can be referred to the relevant description in step S502, and will not be repeated here.

[0149] Optionally, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows. Specifically, the terminal device receives L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows, based on the total number of SIB1 message segments N. That is, the terminal device can determine how many broadcast windows are needed to receive the remaining unsent SIB1 message segments in the first frequency band based on the total number of segments N. The implementation method for the terminal device to obtain the total number of segments N can be referred to the relevant description in step S502, and will not be repeated here.

[0150] by Figure 8a For example, the number of segments of the SIB1 message transmitted in the first broadcast window can be 1 (K is 1). Therefore, in each broadcast window following the first broadcast window, the terminal device can receive at least one segment of the SIB1 message. Based on this, the terminal device can receive one segment from L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band within the subsequent M windows, where M and L are equal, and both M and L can be equal to N-1. In other words, for the N broadcast windows totaling the first broadcast window and the M broadcast windows, the terminal device receives one segment from the N segments of the SIB1 message in each broadcast window; or, the terminal device receives all segments of the SIB1 message using the N broadcast windows.

[0151] In addition, the terminal device can receive more SIB1 message segments within each broadcast window. Therefore, based on the total number of segments N, the terminal device can receive L SIB1 message segments using fewer broadcast windows (smaller M). For example, an SIB1 message may include four segments, from segment 1 to segment 4 (i.e., the total number of segments N is 4). Within the first broadcast window, the terminal device can receive two SIB1 message segments, namely segment 1 and segment 2. Furthermore, the terminal can utilize the remaining broadcast window (M is 1) after the first broadcast window to receive the remaining two SIB1 message segments, namely segment 3 and segment 4.

[0152] As one implementation, the terminal device can determine the SIB1 message based on the segments of L and K SIB1 messages. For example, the terminal device can combine the received segments of L and K SIB1 messages and remove information unrelated to the SIB1 message from each segment (e.g., the total number of segments N may be carried in each SIB1 message segment) to obtain the complete SIB1 message.

[0153] Optionally, because the terminal devices attempt to access the network device at different times, and the network device transmits different segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band each time within the broadcast window, the segments of the SIB1 message received by the terminal device may be out of order. Figure 8a For example, if the terminal device first receives segment 2 of the SIB1 message, then correspondingly, the terminal device also needs to receive segments 3, 4, and 1 sequentially in the first frequency band within the subsequent three broadcast windows. Furthermore, the terminal device needs to adjust the arrangement order of the segments in the L and K SIB1 messages to obtain the accurate SIB1 message. For example, each segment of the SIB1 message can carry an identifier for each segment, and the identifier of each segment can be used to indicate the order of that segment in the SIB1 message. Based on this, the terminal device can use the identifiers of each segment to arrange the segments in the L and K SIB1 messages in order to obtain the SIB1 message.

[0154] It should be noted that the identifier for each segment can be specifically carried at the beginning of the segment of the SIB1 message. This allows the terminal device to first decode the identifier of each segment during the decoding process of the SIB1 message segments. The terminal device can then determine the specific decoding method for each SIB1 message segment based on the segment identifier and decode the segment according to the determined decoding method. Alternatively, the identifier for each segment can also be carried in other ways, without limitation.

[0155] Furthermore, such as Figure 8b The diagram shown is a time-frequency diagram of a network device periodically broadcasting SIB1 messages to a terminal device, according to another embodiment of this application.

[0156] exist Figure 8bIn this context, the first frequency band can be a part of the second frequency band, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is the aforementioned first value. Furthermore, the frequency range within the second frequency band excluding the first frequency band can be a third frequency band. Based on this, within the first broadcast window, the network device can transmit L segments of SIB1 messages (i.e., segments 2 to 4) within the third frequency band. Thus, for a terminal device capable of receiving SIB1 messages within a larger bandwidth frequency band, the terminal device can receive the complete SIB1 message within the second frequency band. It is understood that... Figure 8b The transmission method of the SIB1 message shown can be compatible with terminal devices that receive SIB1 messages in segments of the first frequency band, as well as terminal devices that receive the complete SIB1 message through only one broadcast window in the second frequency band, thus improving the compatibility and robustness of the communication system.

[0157] Furthermore, since the segments of the SIB1 message transmitted in the first frequency band may differ within different broadcast windows, the complete SIB1 message received by the terminal device using the second frequency band may be out of order. Therefore, the terminal device can adjust the order of the received SIB1 message segments using the method described above to obtain an accurate SIB1 message, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0158] Optionally, with Figure 8b For example, the terminal device can also receive segments of the SIB1 message using a slightly larger bandwidth frequency band (less than the first value). Exemplarily, the terminal device can receive segments 1 and 2 within the first broadcast window, and segments 3 and 4 within the two consecutive broadcast windows following the first broadcast window (i.e., the second and third broadcast windows). It is worth noting that segments of multiple SIB1 messages received by the terminal device in different broadcast windows may contain the same segment. For example, the terminal device can receive segment 2 in both the first and second broadcast windows. Therefore, the terminal device can use the identifiers of each segment to avoid retaining duplicate segments.

[0159] It should be noted that the above Figure 8a and 8b The communication method described herein is for illustrative purposes only. In actual applications, the total number of segments N of the SIB1 message may be different, and the values ​​of K and L may also be different. No limitation is imposed on these aspects.

[0160] The following is a schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 9 Communication devices can be used to perform Figure 5 or Figure 7 The process executed by the terminal device in the illustrated embodiment can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0161] The communication device 900 includes a transceiver module 901.

[0162] The transceiver module 901 can implement the corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 901 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0163] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a processing module 902. The processing module 902 is used for data processing.

[0164] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 902 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 900 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0165] The communication device 900 can be used to perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be a terminal device, a communication module within a terminal device, or a circuit or chip within a terminal device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 900 can be a terminal device or a component configurable on a terminal device. The processing module 902 is used to perform processing-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 901 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiments.

[0166] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0167] It should be noted that the communication device 900 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 900 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 900 is used to perform the above-described... Figure 5 or Figure 7 The actions performed by the terminal device in the illustrated embodiment, or the actions performed by the communication device 900, are described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The actions performed by the network device in the illustrated embodiment are shown above. For details, please refer to the above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0168] For example, the communication device 900 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0169] The transceiver module 901 is used to receive K segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within the first broadcast window of the system information block SIB1 message. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, which is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit a complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, where K is a positive integer. The transceiver module 901 is also used to receive L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band. The L segments of SIB1 messages include all segments of SIB1 messages except for the K segments of SIB1 messages, where L is a positive integer.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 901 is specifically used to receive L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows of SIB1 messages. The M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the communication device 900 includes a processing module 902, which is used to determine the SIB1 message based on the segmentation of L SIB1 messages and the segmentation of K SIB1 messages.

[0172] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to send a first message before receiving segments of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band. The first message is used to trigger the network device to send segments of L SIB1 messages to the terminal device.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the segments of the K SIB1 messages carry indication information, which includes information about the uplink resources of the first message. The transceiver module 901 is specifically used to use the uplink resources to send the first message.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 901 is specifically used to receive L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, based on the total number N of the SIB1 message segments, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0175] In one possible implementation, each segment of the SIB1 message carries N; or, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to receive a second message via the physical broadcast channel PBCH, the second message carrying N, the second message including the Master Information Block (MIB) message.

[0176] In one possible implementation, K is set to 1, and the transceiver module 901 is specifically used to receive one segment of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows, where L and M are equal.

[0177] For other implementation methods, please refer to the preceding text. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are as follows.

[0178] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0179] Optionally, when the communication device 900 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the processing module 902 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. The transceiver module 901 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The transceiver module 901 may also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0180] Optionally, when the communication device 900 is a circuit or chip in a terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 902 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processing cores. The function of the transceiver module 901 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0181] The following is a schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 10 Communication devices can be used to perform Figure 5 or Figure 7 The process executed by the network device in the illustrated embodiment can be found in the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0182] The communication device 1000 includes a transceiver module 1001. The transceiver module 1001 can realize corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 1001 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0183] Optionally, the communication device 1000 further includes a processing module 1002. The processing module 1002 is used for data processing.

[0184] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 1002 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1000 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0185] The communication device 1000 can be used to perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 1000 can be a network device or a component configurable within a network device. The processing module 1002 is used to perform processing-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 1001 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0186] Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0187] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 1000 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 1000 is used to perform the above-described... Figure 5 or Figure 7 The actions performed by the network device in the illustrated embodiment, or the actions performed by the communication device 1000 as described above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The actions performed by the network device in the illustrated embodiment are shown above. For details, please refer to the above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0188] For example, the communication device 1000 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0189] The transceiver module 1001 is used to transmit K segments of the SIB1 message in the first broadcast window of the system information block SIB1 message in the first frequency band. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, where the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message in the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer. The transceiver module 1001 is also used to transmit L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band. The L segments of the SIB1 message include the segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, where L is a positive integer.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1001 is specifically used to transmit L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows of SIB1 messages. The M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

[0191] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to receive a first message before sending L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the first message being used to trigger the network device to send L segments of SIB1 messages to the terminal device; specifically, the transceiver module 1001 is configured to send L segments of SIB1 messages in the first frequency band in response to the first message.

[0192] In one possible implementation, each segment of the SIB1 message carries the total number N of the SIB1 message segments, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; or, the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to send a second message via the physical broadcast channel PBCH before sending L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, the second message carrying N, the second message including the main information block (MIB) message.

[0193] In one possible implementation, K is set to 1, and the transceiver module 1001 is specifically used to transmit one segment of L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within M broadcast windows, where L and M are equal.

[0194] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to send L segments of the SIB1 message in the third frequency band within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, wherein the third frequency band is the frequency band of the second frequency band excluding the first frequency band.

[0195] For other implementation methods, please refer to the preceding text. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are as follows.

[0196] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0197] Optionally, when the communication device 1000 is a network device or a communication module within a network device, the processing module 1002 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. The transceiver module 1001 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The transceiver module 1001 may also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented using at least one memory.

[0198] Optionally, when the communication device 1000 is a circuit or chip in a network device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 1002 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processing cores. The function of the transceiver module 1001 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0199] This application also provides a communication device 1100. Please refer to... Figure 11 The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 coupled to a memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1110 executes the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1120, causing the methods in the above method embodiments to be performed. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0200] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may include one or more processors 1110.

[0201] Optional, such as Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may also include a memory 1120.

[0202] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may include one or more memory 1120s.

[0203] Optionally, the memory 1120 can be integrated with the processor 1110 or set separately.

[0204] Optional, such as Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1130, which is used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, the processor 1110 is used to control the transceiver 1130 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0205] This application also provides a communication device 1200, which can be a terminal device, a processor in the terminal device, or a chip. The communication device 1200 can be used to perform the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0206] When the communication device 1200 is a terminal device Figure 12 A simplified structural diagram of a terminal device is shown. (For example...) Figure 12As shown, the terminal device includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory can store computer program code, and the transceiver includes a transmitter 1231, a receiver 1232, radio frequency circuitry (not shown in the figure), an antenna 1233, and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0207] The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data; control terminal devices; execute software programs; and process data from software programs.

[0208] Memory is mainly used to store software programs and data.

[0209] Radio frequency (RF) circuits are mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and RF signals, as well as for the processing of RF signals.

[0210] Antennas are primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0211] Input / output devices can include touchscreens, displays, or keyboards. They are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of terminal devices may not have input / output devices.

[0212] When data needs to be transmitted, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outwards as electromagnetic waves via an antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. The RF circuit converts the RF signal back into a baseband signal and outputs it to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes that data. For ease of explanation, Figure 12 Only one memory, processor, and transceiver are shown in the illustration. In actual terminal devices, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. Memory may also be referred to as storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory may be set up independently of the processor or integrated with the processor; this application does not limit this.

[0213] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver function can be regarded as the transceiver module of the terminal device, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing module of the terminal device.

[0214] like Figure 12 As shown, the terminal device includes a processor 1210, a memory 1220, and a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 may also be referred to as a processing unit, processing board, processing module, or processing device, etc. The transceiver 1230 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver device, etc.

[0215] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1230 used to implement the receiving function can be considered a receiving module, and the device in transceiver 1230 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1230 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver module, or transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may also be called a receiver unit, receiving module, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may also be called a transmitter, transmitting module, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0216] Processor 1210 is used to perform the above Figure 5 or Figure 7 The embodiment shown illustrates the processing actions on the terminal device side. The transceiver 1230 is used to perform the above-described actions. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The embodiment shown illustrates the sending and receiving actions on the terminal device side.

[0217] It should be understood that Figure 12 This is merely an example and not a limitation; the terminal device described above, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, may not rely on... Figure 7 or Figure 12 The structure shown.

[0218] When the communication device 1200 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the sending operation of the terminal device can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0219] This application also provides a communication device 1300, which can be a network device, a processor in the network device, or a chip. The communication device 1300 can be used to perform the operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0220] When the communication device 1300 is a network device Figure 13 A simplified schematic diagram of a network device is shown. Figure 13 As shown, the network device includes a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The memory can store computer program code, and the transceiver includes a transmitter 1331, a receiver 1332, radio frequency circuitry (not shown), an antenna 1333, and input / output devices (not shown).

[0221] The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data; control network devices; execute software programs; and process data from software programs.

[0222] Memory is mainly used to store software programs and data.

[0223] Radio frequency (RF) circuits are mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and RF signals, as well as for the processing of RF signals.

[0224] Antennas are primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0225] Input / output devices can include touchscreens, displays, or keyboards. They are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of network devices may not have input / output devices.

[0226] When data needs to be transmitted, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outwards as electromagnetic waves via an antenna. When data is sent to the network device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. The RF circuit converts the RF signal back into a baseband signal and outputs it to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes that data. For ease of explanation, Figure 13 Only one memory, processor, and transceiver are shown in the illustration. In actual network equipment products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. Memory may also be referred to as storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory may be set up independently of the processor or integrated with the processor; this application embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0227] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver function can be regarded as the transceiver module of the network device, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing module of the network device.

[0228] like Figure 13 As shown, the network device includes a processor 1310, a memory 1320, and a transceiver 1330. The processor 1310 may also be referred to as a processing unit, processing board, processing module, or processing device, etc. The transceiver 1330 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver device, etc.

[0229] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1330 used to implement the receiving function can be considered a receiving module, and the device in transceiver 1330 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1330 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver module, or transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may also be called a receiver unit, receiving module, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may also be called a transmitter, transmitting module, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0230] Processor 1310 is used to perform the above Figure 5 or Figure 7The illustrated embodiment shows the processing actions on the network device side. Transceiver 1330 is used to perform the above-described actions. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The example shown illustrates the send and receive actions on the network device side.

[0231] It should be understood that Figure 13 This is merely an example and not a limitation; the network device described above, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module, may be used independently of Figure 8 or... Figure 13 The structure shown.

[0232] When the communication device 1300 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the transmitting operation of the network device can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the network device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0233] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a terminal device or a network device in the above method embodiments.

[0234] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods executed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0235] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the above method embodiments, which is executed by a terminal device or a network device.

[0236] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device is used to perform the above-described... Figure 5 or Figure 7 In the embodiments shown, the terminal device performs some or all of the operations, and the network device performs the above-mentioned operations. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The network device performs some or all of the operations shown in the embodiments.

[0237] This application also provides a chip device, including a processor, configured to call computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the above-described... Figure 5 or Figure 7 The method provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0238] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 In any of the embodiments shown, the receiving operation of the chip device corresponds to the above-described... Figure 5 or Figure 7 The sending operation in any of the embodiments shown.

[0239] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0240] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory that stores computer programs or computer instructions.

[0241] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more devices used to control the above. Figure 5 or Figure 7 The illustrated embodiments provide an integrated circuit for program execution of the method provided in any of the embodiments. The memory mentioned above may be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0242] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0243] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0244] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0245] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0246] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contribution of the technical solution of this application, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0247] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method includes: Within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message in the system information block, K segments of the SIB1 message are received in the first frequency band. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, where the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer. In the first frequency band, L segments of the SIB1 message are received, wherein the L segments of the SIB1 message include the segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, and L is a positive integer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The segmentation of receiving L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band includes: Within the M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message, segments of the L SIB1 messages are received in the first frequency band. The M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The SIB1 message is determined based on the segments of the L SIB1 messages and the segments of the K SIB1 messages.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each segment of the SIB1 message carries an identifier for that segment, which indicates the order of the segments within the SIB1 message.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving L segments of the SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: Send a first message, which triggers the network device to send the L segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The K segments of the SIB1 messages carry indication information, which includes uplink resource information of the first message. Sending the first message includes: Using the uplink resources, send the first message.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The indication information also includes configuration information of the uplink sequence carried by the first message, the uplink sequence being used to trigger the network device to send the L segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The segmentation of receiving L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band includes: Based on the total number N of the SIB1 message segments, L segments of the SIB1 message are received in the first frequency band, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The N is carried in each segment of the SIB1 message; Alternatively, before receiving L segments of the SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: The second message is received via the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), the second message carrying the N, and the second message including the Master Information Block (MIB) message.

10. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The indication information also includes the total number N of the SIB1 message segments, where N is used to receive the L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band, and N is a positive integer greater than 1.

11. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The value of K is 1, and the segmentation of receiving L segments of the SIB1 messages in the first frequency band within the M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message includes: Within the M broadcast windows, one segment of each of the L segments of the SIB1 messages is received in the first frequency band, where L and M are equal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The first frequency band is a part of the second frequency band, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is the first value.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the first frequency band is 5MHz, and the first value is 20MHz.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a network device, and the method includes: Within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message in the system information block, K segments of the SIB1 message are transmitted in the first frequency band. The bandwidth of the first frequency band is less than a first value, where the first value is the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the complete SIB1 message within the first broadcast window, and K is a positive integer. In the first frequency band, L segments of the SIB1 message are transmitted, wherein the L segments of the SIB1 message include all segments of the SIB1 message other than the K segments of the SIB1 message, and L is a positive integer.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The segmentation of transmitting L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band includes: Within the M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message, segments of the L SIB1 messages are transmitted in the first frequency band. The M broadcast windows include broadcast windows of one or more consecutive SIB1 messages that are located after the first broadcast window in the time domain, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to L.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Each segment of the SIB1 message carries an identifier for that segment, which indicates the order of the segments within the SIB1 message.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Before the segmentation of sending L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: Receive a first message, which is used to trigger the network device to send the L segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device; The segmentation of transmitting L SIB1 messages in the first frequency band includes: In response to the first message, segments of the L SIB1 messages are transmitted in the first frequency band.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The K segments of the SIB1 messages carry indication information, which includes information about the uplink resources of the first message.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The indication information also includes configuration information of the uplink sequence carried by the first message, the uplink sequence being used to trigger the network device to send the L segments of the SIB1 message to the terminal device.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that, Each segment of the SIB1 message carries the total number N of the segments of the SIB1 message, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; Alternatively, before transmitting the L segments of the SIB1 messages in the first frequency band, the method further includes: A second message is sent via the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), the second message carrying the N, and the second message including a Master Information Block (MIB) message.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The indication information also includes the total number N of the segments of the SIB1 message, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

22. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The value of K is 1, and the segmentation of transmitting L segments of the SIB1 message in the first frequency band within the M broadcast windows of the SIB1 message includes: Within the M broadcast windows, one segment of each of the L segments of the SIB1 messages is transmitted in the first frequency band, where L and M are equal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that, The first frequency band is a part of the second frequency band, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is the first value.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Within the first broadcast window of the SIB1 message, segments of the L SIB1 messages are transmitted in the third frequency band, which is the second frequency band excluding the first frequency band.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the first frequency band is 5MHz, and the bandwidth of the second frequency band is 20MHz.

26. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device includes: Memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; A processor for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, causing the terminal to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

27. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes: Memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; A processor for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, causing the network device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 25.

28. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, The computer storage medium is used to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, are used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 14 to 25.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 25.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 25 to be implemented.

31. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, such that the chip implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 13, or implements the method of any one of claims 14 to 25.