Communication Method, Device, and System

Abstract

A communication method, apparatus, and system are provided. The method may include: a terminal device determining first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a status of a multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an inactive state; and the terminal device stopping using a first radio network temporary identifier to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast broadcast traffic channel based on the first indication information. In the method, a network device indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device. When it is determined that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, the terminal device may not need to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast traffic channel. This reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to communication methods, apparatuses, and systems.

Background Art

[0002] From the perspectives of end-to-end management and control procedures and transmission modes, multicast / broadcast services (MBS) designed in new radio (NR) are classified into two types, namely, broadcast services and multicast services. Multicast services are designed for services with high quality of service (QoS) requirements, and for multicast services, group member management is required. Multicast services can provide the same QoS level as unicast services, but multicast services are only provided to user equipment (UE) in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state, and the base station and core network devices need to maintain information about the UE corresponding to the multicast service group. In addition, multicast services further support the deactivation / activation of MBS sessions triggered by the core network, and the UE does not recognize the session status. The MBS session deactivation procedure is for deactivating the MBS data resources of the 5G radio access network (NG-RAN) node. The base station may or may not release the RRC connection of the UE. However, at present, the UE is not notified, and the UE needs to continue monitoring the downlink information. This causes an overhead burden on the UE.

[0003] Therefore, a method for appropriately notifying the status of services related to a UE to reduce the power consumption of the UE is an urgent issue to be solved.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system. The method can reduce the power consumption of a UE.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device may be a communication device or a communication apparatus, for example, a chip that can support a communication device to implement the functions required by the method. For example, the first communication device may be a terminal device, a chip disposed in the terminal device and configured to implement the functions of the terminal device, or other components configured to implement the functions of the terminal device. In the following description process, an example in which the first communication device is a terminal device is used for the purpose of explanation.

[0006] The method may include that the terminal device determines first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the status of a multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an inactive state, and the terminal device stops using a first radio network temporary identifier to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast / broadcast service traffic channel based on the first indication information.

[0007] In the method, the network device indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device. When it is determined that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, the terminal device may not need to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel. This reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0008] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state.

[0009] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0010] In this way, the network device explicitly indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device through the multicast broadcast control channel. Since both the terminal device that is always within the coverage range of the network device and the terminal device that moves into the coverage range can determine the status of the multicast / broadcast service, the complexity of determining the status of the multicast / broadcast service by the terminal device is reduced. Also, the terminal device does not need to enter a connected state, further reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0011] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, for the terminal device to determine that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an inactive state includes the terminal device receiving the first indication information from the network device, where the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an inactive state.

[0012] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, for the terminal device to determine that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, it includes that the terminal device determines that the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the first multicast session identifier set and not within the second multicast session identifier set. Based on this, the terminal device determines that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive. The first multicast session identifier set is the set of identifiers received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the second multicast session identifier set.

[0013] In this way, based on the absence of the multicast session identifier, the network device transmits the multicast session identifier to the terminal device to indicate that the corresponding status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, so as to further reduce the signaling overhead.

[0014] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device receives configuration information, the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier. For the terminal device to determine that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, it includes that the terminal device determines that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive based on the first parameter.

[0015] In this way, based on the absence of the configuration information, the network device indicates that the corresponding status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and improving the flexibility of the network device to indicate the service status.

[0016] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device receives multicast broadcast control channel change notification information, and the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates the multicast / broadcast service status, or the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates that the multicast / broadcast service status has changed, and the multicast / broadcast service status includes an active state or an inactive state.

[0017] Referring to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device monitors the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel, the multicast broadcast control channel carries second indication information, the second indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state, and / or the terminal device monitors the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the paging channel, the paging channel carries a paging message, and the paging message indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state.

[0018] In this way, the terminal device may only monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel, may only monitor the paging message, or may monitor the paging message and the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel. The terminal device may execute subsequent communication procedures based on the multicast broadcast control channel and / or the paging message. On the other hand, since the terminal device does not need to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel, power consumption is reduced.

[0019] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device may be a communication device or a communication apparatus, for example, a chip that can support a communication device to implement functions required by the method. For example, the second communication device may be a network device (e.g., a base station), a chip arranged in the network device and configured to implement the functions of the network device, or other components configured to implement the functions of the network device. In the following description process, an example where the second communication device is a network device is used for illustration.

[0020] The method includes that a network device determines first indication information and indicates the first indication information based on information related to a multicast broadcast control channel, and the first indication information may indicate that the status of a multicast / broadcast service is inactive.

[0021] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the network device transmits the first indication information, and the first indication information is carried on the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0022] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the network device transmits a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through the multicast broadcast control channel, and the third multicast session identifier set is an identifier set transmitted by the network device before the network device transmits the fourth multicast session identifier set. The third multicast session identifier set includes multicast session identifiers corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service, and the fourth multicast session identifier set does not include multicast session identifiers corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service.

[0023] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel includes configuration information, the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier.

[0024] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the network device transmits multicast broadcast control channel change notification information, and the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates the multicast / broadcast service status, or the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates that the multicast / broadcast service status has changed, and the multicast / broadcast service status includes an active state or an inactive state.

[0025] Referring to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the network device transmits second indication information through the multicast broadcast control channel, the second indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state, and / or the network device transmits a paging message through the paging channel, and the paging message indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state.

[0026] It should be understood that the second aspect is a peer - end implementation of the first aspect, and the descriptions, supplements, and advantageous effects of the first aspect are also applicable to the second aspect. Details are not described here again.

[0027] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by the first communication device described above. The method may include the terminal device determining third indication information based on information from the multicast broadcast control channel, and the terminal device determining, based on the third indication information, that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control connected state.

[0028] In the method, the terminal device determines, based on information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel, that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control connected state, and since there is no need to monitor paging messages, power consumption is reduced.

[0029] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the third indication information is as follows the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device only in a radio resource control connected state, the terminal device enters a radio resource control connected state, the network device does not provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state, waking up the terminal device, or paging the terminal device and includes at least one of the above.

[0030] In this way, the network device improves the indication flexibility by instructing the terminal device to provide a multicast / broadcast service in a radio resource control connected state in multiple ways.

[0031] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the terminal device receives configuration information through a multicast broadcast control channel, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier. The terminal device determining the third indication information based on the information from the multicast broadcast control channel includes the terminal device determining the third indication information based on the second parameter.

[0032] In this way, the network device instructs the terminal device to provide multicast / broadcast services in the radio resource control connected state based on the configuration information, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0033] Referring to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the terminal device receives a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through the multicast broadcast control channel, and the third multicast session identifier set is the identifier set received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the fourth multicast session identifier set. The terminal device determining the third indication information based on the information from the multicast broadcast control channel includes the terminal device determining the third indication information based on the fact that the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is in the third multicast session identifier set and not in the fourth multicast session identifier set.

[0034] In this way, the network device transmits a multicast session identifier to the terminal device to instruct the network device to provide multicast / broadcast services only in the radio resource control connected state based on the absence of the multicast session identifier, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0035] According to a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes the network device determining third indication information for determining that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to a terminal device in a radio resource control connected state, and the network device may include instructing the third indication information based on information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0036] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the third indication information is as follows The network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device only in a radio resource control connected state, The terminal device enters a radio resource control connected state, The network device does not provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state, Waking up the terminal device, or Paging the terminal device indicating at least one of.

[0037] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel includes configuration information, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is at least one of the following, a temporary multicast group identifier or a group radio network temporary identifier.

[0038] Referring to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the network device transmits a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through a multicast broadcast control channel, where the third multicast session identifier set is an identifier set transmitted by the network device before the network device transmits the fourth multicast session identifier set. The third multicast session identifier set includes multicast session identifiers corresponding to multicast / broadcast services, and the fourth multicast session identifier set does not include multicast session identifiers corresponding to multicast / broadcast services.

[0039] It should be understood that the fourth aspect is a peer - end implementation of the third aspect, and the descriptions, supplements, and advantageous effects of the third aspect are also applicable to the fourth aspect. Details are not described again here.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes a terminal device receiving fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information instructs to release a multicast / broadcast service, and the terminal device performing at least one of the following: deleting a resource block of the multicast / broadcast service or deleting a configuration of the multicast / broadcast service, and the terminal device can be in a radio resource control non - active state or an idle state.

[0041] In the method, the network device explicitly instructs the terminal device to release the multicast / broadcast service based on the indication information. The terminal device can execute the release procedure not only after entering the connected state, but also in the radio resource control non - active state or the idle state, reducing the power consumption of the terminal device, reducing the delay of service release by the terminal device, and improving communication efficiency.

[0042] Referring to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0043] In this way, in order to prevent all terminal devices in the idle state or non - active state from entering the connected state to execute the multicast release procedure, the indication information is transmitted through the multicast broadcast control channel, further reducing power consumption.

[0044] According to a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes a network device determining the fourth indication information and the network device transmitting the fourth indication information to a terminal device, where the fourth indication information instructs to release a multicast / broadcast service, and the terminal device can be in a radio resource control non - active state or an idle state.

[0045] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0046] Referring to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the network device transmits a session release response message to a core network device, and the session release response message includes an identifier of the multicast / broadcast service and an identifier of the terminal device.

[0047] In this way, the network device reports to the core network device the identifier of the released service and the terminal device that released the service. The core network device may delete these terminal devices from the maintenance list, making further maintenance unnecessary and further reducing power consumption. Also, since the core network device does not need to execute the release operation of each terminal device after the terminal device enters the connected state, communication efficiency is improved.

[0048] According to a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the status of a multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an inactive state. The processing module is further configured to stop using a first radio network temporary identifier to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast / broadcast service traffic channel based on the first indication information.

[0049] The network device indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device. When it is determined that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an inactive state, the terminal device may not need to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel. This reduces the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0050] Referring to a seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the communication device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state.

[0051] Referring to a seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0052] In this way, the network device explicitly indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device through the multicast broadcast control channel. Since both the terminal device always within the coverage range of the network device and the terminal device moving into the coverage range can determine the status of the multicast / broadcast service, the complexity of determining the status of the multicast / broadcast service by the terminal device is reduced.

[0053] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, a communication device that determines that first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive is further configured such that a transceiver module receives the first indication information from a network device, where the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive.

[0054] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, a communication device that determines that first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive includes a processing module that determines that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive based on that a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within a first set of multicast session identifiers and not within a second set of multicast session identifiers, where the first set of multicast session identifiers is a set of identifiers received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the second set of multicast session identifiers.

[0055] In this way, based on the absence of a multicast session identifier, the network device transmits a multicast session identifier to the terminal device so as to indicate that the corresponding status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, thereby further reducing signaling overhead.

[0056] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver module is configured to receive configuration information, the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier. The processing module being configured to determine that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an inactive state includes the processing module being configured to determine, based on the first parameter, that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an inactive state.

[0057] In this way, based on the absence of configuration information, the network device indicates that the corresponding status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving the flexibility of the network device to indicate the service status.

[0058] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the transceiver module is configured to receive multicast broadcast control channel change notification information, and the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates the multicast / broadcast service status or indicates that the multicast / broadcast service status has changed, and the multicast / broadcast service status includes an active state or an inactive state.

[0059] Referring to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the processing module is configured to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast broadcast control channel, the multicast broadcast control channel carries second indication information, the second indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active, and / or the processing module monitors a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a paging channel, the paging channel carries a paging message, and the paging message indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active.

[0060] In this way, the terminal device may only monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel, may only monitor the paging message, or may monitor the paging message and the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel. The terminal device may execute subsequent communication procedures based on the multicast broadcast control channel and / or the paging message. On the other hand, since the terminal device does not need to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel, power consumption is reduced.

[0061] According to the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine first indication information. The transceiver module is configured to indicate the first indication information based on information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel, and the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive.

[0062] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to transmit first indication information, and the first indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0063] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to transmit a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through a multicast broadcast control channel, and the third multicast session identifier set is an identifier set transmitted by the transceiver module before the transceiver module transmits the fourth multicast session identifier set. The third multicast session identifier set includes a multicast session identifier corresponding to a multicast / broadcast service, and the fourth multicast session identifier set does not include a multicast session identifier corresponding to a multicast / broadcast service.

[0064] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel includes configuration information, the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier.

[0065] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to transmit multicast broadcast control channel change notification information, and the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates a multicast / broadcast service status, or the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates that the multicast / broadcast service status has changed, and the multicast / broadcast service status includes an active state or an inactive state.

[0066] Referring to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to send second indication information through a multicast broadcast control channel, and the second indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active, and / or the transceiver module is configured to send a paging message through a paging channel, and the paging message indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active.

[0067] It should be understood that the eighth aspect is a peer-end implementation of the seventh aspect, and the descriptions, supplements, and advantageous effects of the seventh aspect are also applicable to the eighth aspect. Details are not described here again.

[0068] According to a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine third indication information based on information from a multicast broadcast control channel. The processing module is further configured to determine, based on the third indication information, that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the communication device in a radio resource control connected state.

[0069] The terminal device determines, based on information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel, that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control connected state, and there is no need to monitor the paging message, so the power consumption is reduced.

[0070] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the third indication information is as follows The network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the communication device only in a radio resource control connected state, The communication device enters a radio resource control connected state, The network device does not provide multicast / broadcast services to the communication device in the radio resource control inactive state or the idle state, waking up the communication device, or paging the communication device indicates at least one of.

[0071] In this way, the network device improves the indication flexibility by instructing the terminal device to provide multicast / broadcast services in the radio resource control connected state in multiple ways.

[0072] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to receive configuration information through the multicast broadcast control channel, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is at least one of the following, a temporary multicast group identifier or a group radio network temporary identifier. The processing module determining the third indication information based on the information from the multicast broadcast control channel includes that the processing module is configured to determine the third indication information based on the second parameter.

[0073] In this way, the network device reduces the signaling overhead by instructing the terminal device to provide multicast / broadcast services in the radio resource control connected state based on the configuration information.

[0074] Referring to the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to receive a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through a multicast broadcast control channel, where the third multicast session identifier set is the identifier set received by the transceiver module before the transceiver receives the fourth multicast session identifier set. The processing module being configured to determine third indication information based on information from the multicast broadcast control channel includes that the processing module is configured to determine the third indication information based on that the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the third multicast session identifier set and not within the fourth multicast session identifier set.

[0075] In this way, based on the absence of a multicast session identifier, the network device transmits a multicast session identifier to the terminal device to indicate that the multicast / broadcast service is provided in the radio resource control connected state, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0076] According to the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine third indication information for determining that the communication device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state. The transceiver module indicates the third indication information based on information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0077] Referring to the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the third indication information is as follows The communication device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device only in the radio resource control connected state, The terminal device enters the radio resource control connected state, When the communication device is in the radio resource control inactive state or the idle state, it does not provide multicast / broadcast services to the terminal device, Waking up the terminal device, or Paging the terminal device indicates at least one of them.

[0078] Referring to the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel includes configuration information, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is at least one of the following, a temporary multicast group identifier or a group radio network temporary identifier.

[0079] Referring to the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to transmit a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through the multicast broadcast control channel, and the third multicast session identifier set is an identifier set transmitted by the transceiver module before the transceiver module transmits the fourth multicast session identifier set. The third multicast session identifier set includes a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service, and the fourth multicast session identifier set does not include a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service.

[0080] It should be understood that the tenth aspect is a peer-end implementation of the ninth aspect, and the description, supplement, and advantageous effects of the ninth aspect are also applicable to the tenth aspect. Details are not described again here.

[0081] According to the 11th aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is configured to receive fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is for instructing to release a multicast / broadcast service. The processing module is configured to perform at least one of the following: deleting a resource block of the multicast / broadcast service or deleting a setting of the multicast / broadcast service, and the communication device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state.

[0082] Based on the indication information, the network device explicitly instructs the terminal device to release the multicast / broadcast service. The terminal device can execute the release procedure not only after entering the connected state, but also in the radio resource control inactive state or the idle state, reducing the power consumption of the terminal device, reducing the delay of service release by the terminal device, and improving communication efficiency.

[0083] Referring to the 11th aspect, in some implementations of the 11th aspect, the fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0084] In this way, in order to prevent all terminal devices in the idle state or the inactive state from entering the connected state to execute the multicast release procedure, the indication information is transmitted through the multicast broadcast control channel, further reducing the power consumption.

[0085] According to the 12th aspect, a communication device is provided. The device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine the fourth indication information. The transceiver module is configured to transmit the fourth indication information to the terminal device, and the fourth indication information is for instructing to release the multicast / broadcast service, and the terminal device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state.

[0086] Referring to the 12th aspect, in some implementations of the 12th aspect, the fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel.

[0087] Referring to the 12th aspect, in some implementations of the 12th aspect, the communication device transmits a session release response message to the core network device, and the session release response message includes an identifier of a multicast / broadcast service and an identifier of the terminal device.

[0088] In this way, the network device reports to the core network device the identifier of the released service and the terminal device that released the service. The core network device may delete these terminal devices from the maintenance list, eliminating the need for further maintenance and further reducing power consumption. Also, since the core network device does not need to perform the release operation for each terminal device after the terminal device enters the connected state, communication efficiency is improved.

[0089] According to the 13th aspect, a communication device is provided. The device is configured to execute a method provided in the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, or the 5th aspect. Specifically, the communication device may be configured to execute a method provided in any one of the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, the 5th aspect, or an implementation of the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, or the 5th aspect.

[0090] In an implementation, the communication device is a transmitting-end device, for example, a network device. When the communication device is a transmitting-end device, the communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0091] In other implementations, the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit within the device at the transmission end. When the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit within the device at the transmission end, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, related circuit, etc. on the chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0092] According to a 14th aspect, a communication device is provided. The device is configured to execute the method provided in the 2nd aspect, 4th aspect, or 6th aspect. Specifically, the communication device may be configured to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the 2nd aspect, 4th aspect, 6th aspect, or the 2nd aspect, 4th aspect, or 6th aspect.

[0093] In an implementation, the communication device is a device at the reception end, for example, a terminal device. When the communication device is a device at the reception end, the communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0094] In other implementations, the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit within the device at the reception end. When the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit within the device at the reception end, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, related circuit, etc. on the chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0095] According to a 15th aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. Optionally, a memory is further included. The processor is configured to control a transceiver to receive and transmit signals. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to call the computer program from the memory and execute the computer program so that the communication device executes a method according to any one of the possible implementations of the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, the 5th aspect, or the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the 5th aspect.

[0096] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0097] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are arranged separately.

[0098] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver. Specifically, the transceiver may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0099] According to a 16th aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. Optionally, a memory is further included. The processor is configured to control a transceiver to receive and transmit signals. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to call the computer program from the memory and execute the computer program, whereby the communication device executes a method according to any one of the possible implementations of the 2nd aspect, the 4th aspect, the 6th aspect, or the 2nd aspect, the 4th aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the 6th aspect.

[0100] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0101] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are arranged separately.

[0102] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver. The transceiver may specifically be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0103] According to a seventeenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device configured to execute a method according to the first aspect, the third aspect, the fifth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the third aspect, or the fifth aspect, and a network device configured to execute a method according to the second aspect, the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0104] According to an eighteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or code. When the computer program or code is executed by a computer, the computer can execute a method according to the first aspect, the third aspect, the fifth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the third aspect, or the fifth aspect, or a method according to any one of the implementations of the second aspect, the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, or the second aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0105] According to a nineteenth aspect, a chip is provided, including at least one processor. The at least one processor is coupled to a memory configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to call the computer program from the memory and execute the computer program, whereby the terminal device in which the chip is incorporated executes a method according to the first aspect, the third aspect, the fifth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the third aspect, or the fifth aspect, and the network device in which the chip is incorporated executes a method according to the second aspect, the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0106] The chip may include an input circuit or interface configured to transmit information or data, and an output circuit or interface configured to receive information or data.

[0107] According to a 20th aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program code. When the computer program code is executed by a terminal device, a method according to the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, the 5th aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the 1st aspect, the 3rd aspect, or the 5th aspect is executed. When the computer program code is executed by a network device, a method according to the 2nd aspect, the 4th aspect, the 6th aspect, or any one of the implementations of the 2nd aspect, the 4th aspect, or the 6th aspect is executed.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0108]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0109] The following describes the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0110] FIG. 1 is an outline of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may further include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one radio access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1), and further may include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120j in FIG. 1). The terminal is connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner, and the radio access network device is connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the radio access network device may be independent different physical devices, and the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network device may be incorporated into the same physical device, or some functions of the core network device and some functions of the radio access network device may be incorporated into one physical device. The wired or wireless manner may be used for connections between terminals and between radio access network devices. FIG. 1 is merely an outline. The communication system may further include other network devices, for example, a wireless relay device and a wireless backhaul device not shown in FIG. 1.

[0111] The core network device may also be referred to as a core network apparatus and may include one or more of the following networks, namely, unified data management (UDM) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, and so on. The above network elements may also be referred to as devices, apparatuses, or entities. This is not limited in the present application. For example, the UDM network element may also be referred to as a UDM device, a UDM apparatus, or a UDM entity. For the sake of simplicity of description, abbreviations are used hereinafter. For example, the "AMF network element" is abbreviated as "AMF".

[0112] The radio access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc., or may be a module or unit that implements some functions of the base station, for example, a central unit (CU), or a distributed unit (DU). Here, the CU has the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and further can complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and further can complete some or all of the functions of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above protocol layers, please refer to the technical specifications related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The radio access network device may be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor base station (e.g., 110b in FIG. 1), a relay node or a donor node, etc. The specific technologies and specific device forms used for the radio access network device are not limited in the embodiments of this application. For the sake of simplicity of description, the following will be described by using an example where the radio access network device is a base station.

[0113] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, a terminal apparatus, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal may be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, and smart city. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with a wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an aircraft, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The specific technologies and specific devices used for the terminal are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0114] The base station and the terminal may be fixed or movable. The base station and the terminal may be placed on the ground, on water, or on an aircraft, a balloon, or a satellite, including indoor or outdoor devices, handheld devices, or in-vehicle devices. The application scenarios of the base station and the terminal are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0115] The roles of the base station and the terminal may be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in FIG. 1 may be configured as a mobile base station. When the terminal 120j accesses the radio access network 100 via 120i, 120i is the base station. For the base station 110a, 120i is the terminal. In other words, the communication between 110a and 120i is performed based on the radio air interface protocol. Certainly, the communication between 110a and 120i may alternatively be performed based on the interface protocol between base stations. In this case, for 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both the base station and the terminal may be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 may each be referred to as a communication device having the function of a base station, and 120a to 120j in FIG. 1 may each be referred to as a communication device having the function of a terminal.

[0116] The communication between the base station and the terminal, between base stations, or between terminals may be performed by using licensed spectrum, by using unlicensed spectrum, or by using both licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum. The communication may be performed by using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), by using spectrum above 6 GHz, or by using both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The spectrum resources used for wireless communication are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, alternatively, the functions of the base station may be performed by modules (e.g., chips) within the base station, or may be performed by a control subsystem including the base station functions. The control subsystem including the base station functions may be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. Alternatively, the functions of the terminal may be performed by modules (e.g., chips or modems) within the terminal, or may be performed by a device including the terminal functions.

[0118] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is applicable to wireless communication between communication devices. The wireless communication between communication devices may include wireless communication between a network device and a terminal, wireless communication between network devices, and wireless communication between terminal devices. In the embodiments of the present application, the term "wireless communication" may also be briefly referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", or "transmission".

[0119] In the present application, it should be further understood that "terminal device" is also referred to as "terminal apparatus", "terminal", etc., "network device" is also referred to as "network apparatus", "network side", etc., and "core network device" is also referred to as "core network apparatus", "core network", etc.

[0120] For ease of understanding, related concepts are briefly described in advance.

[0121] 1. Multicast / broadcast services (MBS) are services such as live services, public safety services, and batch software update services directed at multiple terminal devices. As shown in FIG. 2, the MBS service is originated from a data server. First, the data server transmits MBS data to a core network device, then the core network device transmits the MBS data to a base station, and finally, the base station transmits the MBS data to at least one UE that receives the MBS service.

[0122] When being transmitted from the core network to the base station, the MBS service is transmitted through a common transport channel, that is, an MBS session, and each MBS session may include at least one MBS quality of service (QoS) flow. When the base station transmits data packets to a UE, the data packets are transmitted through an MBS radio bearer. For one MBS radio bearer, there are two transmission modes, namely, the point to multi-point (PTM) transmission mode and the point to point (PTP) transmission mode.

[0123] 2. Multicast service: The multicast service is designed for services with high QoS requirements. The multicast service can provide the same QoS level as the unicast service. Group management needs to be performed for the multicast service. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3(a), in the case of the multicast service, the core network needs to manage the participation and departure of UEs. The transmission between the core network and the base station depends on the protocol data unit session (PDU session). Therefore, the MBS QoS flow is introduced. The radio access network (RAN) device supports transmitting data to the UE in the PTP transmission mode and the PTM transmission mode, and supports the dynamic switching between PTP and PTM controlled by the RAN.

[0124] The access network device and the terminal device have a peer-to-peer protocol stack structure for mutual communication. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the user plane protocol stack structure may include an RRC layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a machine-type layer, a physical (PHY) layer, etc. The physical layer is located at the bottom layer (layer 1), the MAC layer, the RLC layer, the PDCP layer, and the SDAP layer belong to the second layer (layer 2), and the RRC layer belongs to the third layer (layer 3). In the case of the user plane protocol stack for MBS transmission, data is transmitted in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure (in the case of the MBS service, the transmission direction is from the base station to the UE). The data first arrives at the SDAP layer of the base station, and after being mapped by the SDAP layer, it is transmitted to the corresponding PDCP layer. After being processed by the PDCP layer of the base station, the data is transmitted to the RLC layer and the MAC layer. After being correspondingly processed, the data is transmitted from the physical layer and transmitted to the UE side through the air interface. Then, each protocol layer on the UE side sequentially performs corresponding processing on the data packet according to a processing sequence opposite to that of the base station's processing sequence. On the base station side and the UE side, the processing of the data packet at each layer can be visually summarized into radio bearers. Each data within the radio bearer needs to be processed at each layer, and each layer has a corresponding functional entity for executing the corresponding function. Each radio bearer configuration includes one PDCP entity, each radio bearer configuration is associated with at least one RLC entity, and each RLC entity corresponds to one logical channel.

[0125] In the case of MBS, user plane data is carried by the MRB. Specifically, the MRB includes the following three types, namely, the MRB dedicated to PTP, the MRB dedicated to PTM, and the split MRB (PTP MPB + PTM MRB). As shown in Fig. 3(c), the MRB dedicated to PTP is associated with one PTP RLC entity, the MRB dedicated to PTM is associated with one PTM RLC entity, and the split MRB is associated with one PTM RLC entity and one PTP RLC entity. The PTM RLC is the same for multiple UEs, and the multiple UEs use the same group radio network temporary identifier (g-RNTI) for descrambling. The PTP RLC is independent for each UE, and each UE uses its own cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) for monitoring.

[0126] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, G-RNTI and g-RNTI can be replaced with each other, and C-RNTI and c-RNTI can be replaced with each other. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0127] The multicast service can be provided only to UEs in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state. The access network device and the core network device need to hold UE information corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service group. The multicast service further supports the deactivation or activation of the MBS session triggered by the core network, and the UE does not recognize the service status. Optionally, two communication parties within the multicast service can transmit data within a limited area range or transmit different contents in different areas.

[0128] 3. Multicast Broadcast Control Channel Change Notification Information and Multicast / Broadcast Service Traffic Channel: Two logical channels, namely, the Multicast Broadcast Control Channel (MCCH) and the Multicast / Broadcast Service Traffic Channel (MTCH), are introduced in the NR MBS broadcast technology. The MCCH is for transmitting control information including the configuration information of the MTCH such as g-RNTI and the DRX parameters corresponding to the MTCH. The MCCH is transmitted periodically. The MTCH is scheduled by using the MCCH. The MTCH is configured per g-RNTI, that is, per MBS service. The base station schedules service data to multiple UEs by using the g-RNTI, and each g-RNTI can be associated with at least one broadcast service.

[0129] It should be understood that in different communication systems, the above channels may correspond to different names. For example, in the 4th generation (4G) communication system, the multicast / broadcast service control channel may be a single cell multicast / broadcast service control channel (SC-MCCH). As another example, in the 5G communication system, the multicast / broadcast service control channel may be an MC-MCCH. In the process of future technology development, channels with functions similar to the multicast / broadcast service control channel may have other names, or in different communication environments, communication scenarios, or communication technologies, channels with the same function may have different names. However, the channel content and functions are not limited by channels with different names having similar or the same functions in different systems. In this application, the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information may be for transmitting control information, and the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel may be for transmitting user data.

[0130] Unless otherwise specified, in this application, MCCH is for representing the multicast / broadcast service control channel, and MTCH is for representing the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel. It should be further understood that the same is true for other English acronyms in this application. Details will not be described again.

[0131] 4. Multicast Broadcast Control Channel Change Notification (MCCH change notification): As shown in Figure 4, the MCCH is repeatedly transmitted in each modification period (MP), and the repetition period (RP) is not included in the figure. In one MP, the content of the MCCH is the same. When the MCCH changes in different MPs, the network device transmits a PDCCH containing a change notification, and the change notification is an MCCH change notification. When the UE detects a field corresponding to the MCCH change notification, for example, 2 bits, in the PDCCH, it is considered that the change notification has been detected, and the UE re-acquires the MCCH. After acquiring the MCCH change notification, the UE needs to detect a PDCCH scrambled by the MCCH-RNTI to obtain the scheduling information of the MCCH. The first bit in the MCCH change notification indicates that the reason for the MCCH change is session start, and the second bit in the MCCH change notification indicates that the reason for the MCCH change is session change, session termination, or neighboring cell list update.

[0132] 5. RRC States: In NR, there are three RRC states, namely, RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE, and RRC_CONNECTED. The following briefly describes the three RRC states.

[0133] (1) RRC_CONNECTED (RRC Connected): The RAN has a UE context, and the UE has a signaling connection with the RAN. The UE may receive system messages and messages for controlling the UE to perform data transmission and handover and notifying the UE of relevant scheduling information distributed by the RAN, and the RAN may receive channel quality information fed back by the UE.

[0134] (2)RRC_INACTIVE (RRC Inactive): The connection between the RAN and the core network is maintained, and no resources are allocated on the air interface. In this case, since the service can be restored immediately, it improves the experience of delay-sensitive applications. Also, the power-saving effect of the user in the inactive state is close to that of the user in the idle state, extending the battery life of the mobile phone.

[0135] (3)RRC_IDLE (RRC Idle): The RAN does not have the UE context, and the UE does not have a signaling connection with the RAN. In this state, the UE can receive system messages and paging messages for cell selection and reselection. When the UE needs to set up a connection with the network for a specific purpose (service request, location update, paging, etc.), an RRC connection setup is triggered. After the RRC connection is set up, the UE enters the RRC connected state.

[0136] It should be understood that the RRC disconnected state of the present application may be the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state. The disconnected state of the present application may be replaced by the RRC idle state and / or the RRC inactive state.

[0137] 6. Multicast Session Identifier (MBS Session ID): The MBS Session ID is used to identify a service. For example, one multicast session identifier can be associated with one service. The multicast session identifier may be a temporary multicast group identifier (TMGI).

[0138] The MBS session deactivation process is applied to multicast. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the MBS session deactivation procedure is triggered by a multicast session management function (MB-SMF) network element. When the MB-SMF receives a notification from a user plane function (MB-UPF) network element that there is no downlink data to be transmitted during a period, or when the MB-SMF receives a request directly from an application function (AF) network element or transferred by a network exposure function (NEF), the MBS session deactivation procedure is for deactivating the MBS data resources of a 5G access network (NG-RAN) node. When triggered by the 5G core network (5GC), the RAN releases the radio resources of the multicast session and stops transmitting multicast session data to the UE. The base station may or may not release the RRC connection of the UE, but does not notify the UE. The multicast session state changes from an active state to an inactive state. In other words, the inactive state may mean that the current service of the UE is in an inactive state, or the session related to the current service is in an inactive state. When the related service of the UE is in an inactive state, the base station may instruct the UE to release the service.

[0139] The above release procedure is shown in Fig. 5(b). The MBS release procedure is triggered by the core network. When the CN releases the multicast service or decides to exclude the UE from the multicast service, the above procedure may be executed. When the CN decides that there is a CM idle UE, the CN starts paging to enable the UE to enter the connected state for subsequent release procedures. Specifically, the message sent may be a group paging message (when the base station supports multicast), or a unicast paging message (when the base station does not support multicast, the multicast service is provided in a unicast manner).

[0140] Unless otherwise specified in the present application, the status of the multicast / broadcast service may also be understood as the status of the multicast / broadcast session, the release of the multicast / broadcast session service may also be understood as releasing the multicast / broadcast session, and the service may be understood as the multicast / broadcast service. In other words, unless otherwise specified in the present application, "service" and "session" may be substituted for each other.

[0141] The MBS session activation process is only applicable to multicast. As shown in Figure 6, the MBS session activation process is triggered by the MB-SMF. When the MB-SMF receives a notification of MBS downlink data from the MB-UPF, or when the MB-SMF receives a request directly from the AF or transferred by the NEF, the MBS session activation procedure is triggered. The MBS session activation procedure is for activating the MBS data resources of the NG-RAN node, for example, setting up the radio resources of the multicast session and transmitting the multicast session data to the UE. Also, UEs participating in the multicast session and in the connection management-IDLE (CM-IDLE) state and CM-CONNECTED+RRC inactive state are paged. The AF request or the data notification of the MB-UPF can trigger the activation procedure of these UEs, and the multicast session state changes from the inactive state to the active state. In the figure, the message used by the AMF to page the UE in the CM idle state may be a group paging message (when the base station supports multicast), or it may be a unicast paging message (when the base station does not support multicast, the multicast service is provided in a unicast manner). When the AMF sends a multicast session activation request message to the RAN, the paging procedure of the RAN can be triggered.

[0142] The current deactivation of the multicast service is sent by the core network device to the base station. The base station may or may not release the connection to the UE, but does not notify the UE of the deactivation message. In the case of an idle / inactive UE, if the UE is not notified of the deactivation of the multicast, the UE needs to continuously monitor the multicast broadcast control channel and the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel. In the case of a connected UE, the multicast service can be released by using dedicated signaling and non-access stratum (NAS) signaling. However, in the case of an idle or inactive UE, the UE still needs to be paged to enter the connected state, and then the multicast service is released by using dedicated signaling, which further increases the load.

[0143] Regarding the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that appropriately notifies the UE of the service status to prevent the UE from continuously monitoring the multicast service configuration information or multicast service data, thereby reducing the power consumption of the UE. As shown in FIG. 7, the method includes the following steps.

[0144] S701. The terminal device determines first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an inactive state.

[0145] The status of the multicast / broadcast service includes two types, namely, inactive and active. For the terminal device to determine the first instruction information, it may be that the terminal device receives the first instruction information from the network device, or the terminal device determines the first instruction information based on the relevant information. For example, the terminal device may determine the first instruction information based on the multicast / broadcast session identifier or the configuration information, and the configuration information may be the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service. The following will describe two methods in detail.

[0146] It should be understood that the terminal device is in the Radio Resource Control Inactive (RRC Inactive) state or the Idle state.

[0147] Method 1: The network device sends the first instruction information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first instruction information from the network device. The first instruction information indicates that the status of Service #A is inactive, and the terminal device determines, based on the first instruction information, that the status of Service #A is inactive. Service #A is a multicast / broadcast service. The following uses Service #A as an example for description.

[0148] There are multiple implementations in which the first instruction information indicates that the status of Service #A is inactive. For example, the first instruction information may indicate the status of the multicast / broadcast service by using a field or a bit value, or the first instruction information may also indicate the status of the multicast / broadcast service by using a field indicating the multicast / broadcast service status or in a bit missing manner. The following will give a detailed description with reference to Implementations 1 to 3.

[0149] Embodiment 1: The first indication information may be associated with a multicast session identifier (MBS session ID), and the first indication information indicates the status of a multicast / broadcast service corresponding to the multicast session identifier, and the multicast session identifier identifies service #A. That is, the terminal device receives the multicast session identifier and the indication information associated with the multicast session identifier, and parses the multicast session identifier and the indication information to obtain the status of service #A.

[0150] The first indication information may indicate the status of the multicast / broadcast service by using a field or a bit value. For example, the first indication information may be 1 bit. The value of the bit may be used for the status of the multicast / broadcast service. For example, when the value of the bit is 1, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, and when the value of the bit is 0, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active. Alternatively, when the value of the bit is 0, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive, and when the value of the bit is 1, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. The above correspondence between the bit value and the status of the multicast / broadcast service may be pre-defined, or may be transmitted by the network device to the terminal device. The network device may transmit the correspondence to the terminal device in a broadcast, multicast, or unicast manner. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. It should be further understood that the number of the above bits is described by using only 1 bit as an example. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. For example, the status may be indicated by using 2 bits, 3 bits, etc.

[0151] It should be understood that the first indication information can be carried on the multicast broadcast control channel. The multicast / broadcast service control channel is for transmitting the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device.

[0152] Furthermore, the network device can send at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier, and the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one service, and the at least one service includes Service #A. It can be understood that the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier may be associated with a plurality of indication information, and the plurality of indication information includes the first indication information. For example, some multicast / broadcast session identifiers may be associated with the status indication information of the corresponding service, or all multicast / broadcast session identifiers may be associated with the status indication information of the corresponding service. The following uses an example where the multicast / broadcast session identifier is a temporary multicast group identifier (TMGI) to describe a method for the terminal device to determine the status of the multicast / broadcast service.

[0153] The network device sends N TMGIs to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives N TMGIs, and the N TMGIs are in a one-to-one correspondence with N services. Each of the N TMGIs is associated with service status indication information, and N is a positive integer. TMGI #A is associated with the status indication information of service #A, TMGI #B is associated with the status indication information of service #B, TMGI #C is associated with the status indication information of service #C, and so on. The bit value associated with TMGI #A and indicating the service status is 1, indicating that the status of service #A is active. The bit value associated with TMGI #B and indicating the service status is 1, indicating that the status of service #B is active. The bit value associated with TMGI #C and indicating the service status is 0, indicating that the status of service #C is inactive. It should be understood that the relationship between the bit value and the service status is not limited to these. For example, the bit value associated with TMGI #A and indicating the service status is 0, indicating that the status of service #A is active; the bit value associated with TMGI #B and indicating the service status is 0, indicating that the status of service #B is active; the bit value associated with TMGI #C and indicating the service status is 1, indicating that the status of service #C is inactive. The network device may send the correspondence between the bit values associated with some TMGIs and the corresponding service statuses to the terminal device, or the network device may send the correspondence between the bit values associated with all TMGIs and the corresponding service statuses to the terminal device. The correspondence between the bit values associated with different TMGIs and the corresponding service statuses may be different or the same. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0154] Each of the above-mentioned plurality of multicast / broadcast session identifiers is associated with indication information. The following provides other identification methods. For example, a network device sends N TMGIs to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives N TMGIs, and the N TMGIs are in a one-to-one correspondence with N services.

[0155] Implementation 2: The fact that the indication information of the service status is not associated with the TMGI may indicate that the service status is inactive. For example, when N = 3, TMGI #A is associated with the indication information of the status of service #A, TMGI #B is associated with the indication information of the status of service #B, and the indication information of the status of service #C associated with TMGI #C cannot be found. In this case, the terminal device may determine that the status of service #C is inactive. Specifically, within the indication information associated with TMGI #A, the bit value indicating the service status is 1, indicating that the status of service #A is active. The bit value indicating the service status associated with TMGI #B is 1, indicating that the status of service #B is active. The bit value indicating the service status associated with TMGI #C cannot be found, that is, there is no bit indicating the service status within TMGI #C, indicating that the status of service #C is inactive. It should be understood that the relationship between the bit value and the service status is not limited to these. For example, the bit value indicating the service status associated with TMGI #A is 0, indicating that the status of service #A is active. The bit value indicating the service status associated with TMGI #B is 0, indicating that the status of service #B is active. TMGI #C has no bit indicating the service status, indicating that the status of service #C is inactive.

[0156] Embodiment 3: The bit associated with the TMGI and indicating the service status is not found, that is, the bit associated with the TMGI and indicating the service status does not exist, indicating that the service status is active. For example, the bit associated with TMGI #A is not found, indicating that the status of service #A is active, the bit associated with TMGI #B is not found, indicating that the status of service #B is active, the bit value associated with TMGI #C indicates that the status of service #C is inactive, which is 0, or the bit value associated with TMGI #C indicates that the status of service #C is inactive, which is 1.

[0157] It should be understood that the number of bits is not limited to 1 bit either, and for example, it may be 2 bits or 3 bits.

[0158] It should be further understood that the correspondence between the bit value and the service status in the above method may be predefined or may be sent from the network device to the terminal device. For details, please refer to the above description. Details will not be described again.

[0159] In the method, the network device explicitly indicates the service status by using the multicast broadcast control channel, and the UE can identify inactive services, which is the same as the UE newly moving into this cell. When the UE receives a multicast service within the current cell, when the current status of the service is inactive, the UE can read from the multicast broadcast control channel the indication information indicating that the service is inactive, thereby preventing the UE from entering the connected state to start the joining procedure and reducing the power consumption of the UE.

[0160] The above method is an explicit indication method. The following describes in detail the implicit indication method.

[0161] Method 2: The terminal device may determine first indication information based on related information. For example, the terminal device may determine first indication information based on a multicast / broadcast session identifier or configuration information, and the configuration information may be configuration information of a multicast / broadcast service.

[0162] First, a method for the terminal device to determine first indication information based on a multicast / broadcast session identifier is described.

[0163] Implementation 4: The network device sends at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier, and the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier is in a one-to-one correspondence with a service other than the first multicast / broadcast service within at least one multicast / broadcast service. In other words, the network device sends M multicast / broadcast session identifiers to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives M multicast / broadcast session identifiers, and the M multicast / broadcast session identifiers are in a one-to-one correspondence with services other than the first multicast / broadcast service among P services, where M = P - 1, and both P and M are positive integers. In other words, the absence of a multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to a service indicates that the status of the service is inactive. Alternatively, if there is no previously received identifier of a session by the terminal device, it indicates that the status of the session is inactive. The terminal device may determine that the status of the service corresponding to the multicast / broadcast session identifier is inactive based on the absence of the multicast / broadcast session identifier.

[0164] The following is used for the purpose of explaining an example in which the multicast / broadcast session identifier is a TMGI.

[0165] For example, a network device transmits three TMGIs to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the three TMGIs, and the three TMGIs are in a one-to-one correspondence with three services. The three TMGIs are TMGI #A, TMGI #B, and TMGI #C, respectively. TMGI #A identifies service #A, TMGI #B identifies service #B, and TMGI #C identifies service #C. The terminal device obtains the three TMGIs through parsing and finds that the received information does not include TMGI #D that identifies service #D. Thereby, the terminal device can determine that the status of service #D is inactive.

[0166] In another example, the terminal device may determine that there is no TMGI #D based on the TMGIs received at different times in order to determine that the status of service #D is inactive. For example, the terminal device receives a first set of multicast session identifiers and a second set of multicast session identifiers. If the terminal device determines that the first set of multicast session identifiers includes TMGI #D and the second set of multicast session identifiers does not include TMGI #D, the terminal device may determine that the service status of service #D identified by TMGI #D is inactive. That is, if the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the first set of multicast session identifiers and not within the second set of multicast session identifiers, the terminal device may determine that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive. In other words, if the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the first set of multicast session identifiers and not within the second set of multicast session identifiers, the terminal device may determine that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive.

[0167] The first set of multicast session identifiers may be a set of identifiers received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the second set of multicast session identifiers. For example, the first set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained by the terminal device by last reading the multicast broadcast control channel, and the second set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained from that multicast broadcast control channel, or the first set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained when the RRC connection is released, and the second set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained by reading the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0168] Alternatively, the first set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained in the RRC connected state, and the second set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained by reading the multicast broadcast control channel. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0169] It can be understood that the forms of the first set of multicast session identifiers and the second set of multicast session identifiers are not limited to sets, and may be lists, or may be lists of a plurality of multicast session identifiers. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0170] Embodiment 5: The network device sends at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier, and at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier is in a one-to-one correspondence with at least one service including service #D. In other words, the network device sends M multicast / broadcast session identifiers to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives M multicast / broadcast session identifiers, and the M multicast / broadcast session identifiers are in a one-to-one correspondence with M services. After obtaining the multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to service #D by paging, the terminal device may determine that the status of service #D and the services corresponding to other received multicast / broadcast session identifiers is inactive. In other words, the absence of a multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to a service indicates that the status of the service is active, and the presence of a multicast session identifier corresponding to a service indicates that the status of the service is inactive.

[0171] The following example using the TMGI as the multicast / broadcast session identifier is used for illustration.

[0172] For example, a network device sends one TMGI to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the TMGI. The TMGI is TMGI #A, and TMGI #A identifies service #A. The terminal device obtains TMGI #A through paging and knows that there is no TMGI that identifies service #B and no TMGI that identifies service #C. In this case, the terminal device may determine that the status of service #A is inactive and the service statuses of both service #B and service #C are active.

[0173] In another example, the terminal device may determine that there is no TMGI#D based on the TMGIs received at different times in order to determine that the status of service #D is active. For example, the terminal device receives a first multicast session identifier set and receives a second multicast session identifier set. When the terminal device determines that the first multicast session identifier set contains TMGI #D and the second multicast session identifier set does not contain TMGI #D, the terminal device may determine that the service status of service #D identified by TMGI #D is active. That is, when the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the first multicast session identifier set and not within the second multicast session identifier set, the terminal device may determine that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active. In other words, when the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the first multicast session identifier set and not within the second multicast session identifier set, the terminal device may determine that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active.

[0174] The first set of multicast session identifiers may be a set of identifiers received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the second set of multicast session identifiers. For example, the first set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained by the terminal device by last reading the multicast broadcast control channel, and the second set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained from that multicast broadcast control channel, or the first set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained when the RRC connection is released or in the RRC connected state, and the second set of multicast session identifiers may be obtained by reading the multicast broadcast control channel. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0175] It can be understood that the formats of the first set of multicast session identifiers and the second set of multicast session identifiers are not limited to sets, and may be lists, or may be lists of a plurality of multicast session identifiers. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0176] In the method, the absence of TMGI implicitly indicates that the status of the service is inactive or active. In this way, when the UE detects that it is receiving a multicast service in the idle state or the inactive state and there is no service identifier for the related service, the UE may determine that the status of the service is inactive or active. The UE can appropriately obtain the status of the related service in order to avoid entering the connected state to start the participation procedure and reduce the power consumption of the UE.

[0177] Second, a method for determining first indication information based on a plurality of pieces of configuration information in a terminal device is described.

[0178] Embodiment 6: The network device transmits configuration information to the terminal device, and the configuration information may be used by the terminal device to receive multicast / broadcast services, and the terminal device may determine the status of the multicast / broadcast service based on the received configuration information.

[0179] For example, the configuration information may include a first parameter. The first parameter may be at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier. The terminal device may determine that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive or active based on the first parameter.

[0180] For example, when the configuration information includes only a multicast / broadcast session identifier, the terminal device may determine that the status of the service corresponding to the multicast / broadcast session identifier is inactive. When the configuration information includes other configurations such as RNTI, MRB, and DRX, the terminal device may determine that the status of the service corresponding to the multicast / broadcast session identifier is active. Examples of the configuration information are as follows:

[0181] Example 1:

Number

[0182] The mbs-SessionId TMGI is an example of a multicast / broadcast session identifier. OPTIONAL, - Cond active indicates that other settings exist only when the service status is active. The ellipsis above indicates other settings not described. Similar parts will not be described below. If the network device indicates that the service status is inactive and the above settings contain only TMGI, the terminal device may determine that the settings contain only TMGI and further determine that the service status is inactive. If the network device indicates that the service status is active and the settings may include TMGI, g-RNTI, MRB, DRX, etc., the terminal device may determine that the settings include TMGI, g-RNTI, MRB, DRX, etc. and further determine that the service status is active. Optionally, the above settings are used merely as examples, not limitations. When the service status is inactive, other setting information may also be included, for example, other settings not described may be included.

[0183] As another example, when the first parameter is a g-RNTI and the network device indicates that the service status is inactive, the configuration information does not include the g-RNTI. The terminal device can determine that the configuration does not include the g-RNTI and further can determine that the service status is inactive. When the network device indicates that the service status is active, the configuration information includes the g-RNTI. The terminal device can determine that the configuration includes the g-RNTI and further can determine that the service status is active. When the network device indicates that the service status is inactive, the configuration information includes the g-RNTI. The terminal device can determine that the configuration includes the g-RNTI and further can determine that the service status is inactive. When the network device indicates that the service status is active, the configuration information does not include the g-RNTI. The terminal device can determine that the configuration does not include the g-RNTI and further can determine that the service status is active.

[0184] Example 2:

Number

[0185] The mbs-SessionId TMGI is an example of a multicast / broadcast session identifier. When the service status is inactive, only the TMGI is included in the configuration. When the service status is active, the configuration information may include the g-RNTI, MRB, DRX, etc. Optionally, the above configurations are used merely as examples and not by way of limitation. When the service status is inactive, other configuration information may also be included, for example, other configurations not described may be included. Specifically, for the method of indicating the service status by the network device and the method of determining the service status by the terminal device, refer to the relevant description in Example 1 above. Details are not described again here.

[0186] As another example, when the configuration information includes only a multicast / broadcast session identifier and a group radio network temporary identifier, the terminal device may determine that the status of the service corresponding to the multicast / broadcast session identifier is inactive. Examples of the configuration information are as follows:

[0187] Example 3:

Number

[0188] Example 4:

Number

[0189] In the above two examples, mbs-SessionId TMGI is an example of a multicast / broadcast session identifier, and g-RNTI RNTI-Value is an example of the configuration of a group radio network temporary identifier. When the service status is inactive, the configuration information includes TMGI and g-RNTI. When the service status is active, the configuration information may include TMGI, g-RNTI, MRB, DRX, etc. Optionally, the above configurations are used merely as examples without limitation. When the service status is inactive, other configuration information may also be included, for example, other configurations not described may be included.

[0190] Alternatively, when the configuration information includes MRB configuration information, it can indicate that the service status is active, and when the configuration information does not include MRB configuration information, it can indicate that the service status is inactive. Specifically, for the method of indicating the service status by the network device and the method of determining the service status by the terminal device, refer to the relevant descriptions in Example 1 or Example 2 above. Details will not be described again.

[0191] In this implementation, the absence of some configuration information indicates that the status of the corresponding multicast / broadcast service is inactive, and the UE can determine whether the status of the service is inactive or active by reading the configuration information. In this way, since the status of the relevant service can be obtained as appropriate, it is possible to avoid entering the connected state to start the participation procedure and reduce the power consumption of the UE.

[0192] The above has described a method for determining the status of a multicast / broadcast service by a terminal device (also referred to as a first terminal device) within a local cell. The following will describe in detail a method for determining the status of a multicast / broadcast service by a terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as a second terminal device) moving from another cell to the current cell.

[0193] A cell may be a cell obtained by division based on the coverage area of a network device, a cell obtained by division based on the geographical location of a terminal device, or a cell obtained by division based on other conditions. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0194] In Method 1, the method for the second terminal device to determine the service status includes that the second terminal device receives first indication information from the network device and determines the status of the multicast / broadcast service by parsing the first indication information. For the detailed description of the first indication information, please refer to Method 1. The details will not be described again. The correspondence between the information sent by the network device and the service status, for example, when the first indication information is a bit, the correspondence between the bit value and the service status, or the correspondence between the service status and the case where the multicast / broadcast session identifier includes the first indication information and the case where the multicast / broadcast session identifier does not include the first indication information may be predefined, for example, pre-stored in the second terminal in the form of a table. Alternatively, the correspondence between the information sent by the network device and the service status may be sent by the network device to the second terminal device. For example, the network device may send the correspondence to the second terminal device before the second terminal device enters the cell, or when or after the second terminal device enters the cell. The opportunity for the network device to send the correspondence to the terminal device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0195] In Method 2, the determination method of the second terminal device is described by using an example in which the lack of the multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to the service indicates that the status of the service is inactive.

[0196] In a possible implementation, the network device includes indication information in a system message or a multicast broadcast control channel, where the indication information indicates whether the network device provides a multicast service in an idle state or a non-active state. The indication information may be cell-level indication information. When it indicates that the network device does not provide multicast in an idle state or a non-active state, the second terminal device determines that it needs to enter a connected state to receive the service. When the network device indicates that the cell can provide a multicast service in an idle state or a non-active state, if the second terminal device does not read a multicast / broadcast session identifier, such as a TMGI, in the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device determines that the status of the service corresponding to the missing TMGI is non-active.

[0197] In another possible implementation, the second terminal device determines whether configuration information of other services is read from the multicast broadcast control channel. For example, the configuration information may be a TMGI of other multicast services, or the second terminal device determines whether a multicast broadcast control channel message (or a multicast broadcast control channel message of a multicast service in an idle state or a non-active state) is read within a period, where the duration of the period may be set in advance or indicated to the second terminal device by the network device. The second terminal device determines whether the TMGI is read and then determines the status of the related service.

[0198] Specifically, an example in which the second terminal device determines whether setting information of another service is read from the multicast broadcast control channel is used for explanation. When the second terminal device reads the setting information of another service from the multicast broadcast control channel and does not read TMGI #A from the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device may determine that the status of service #A identified by TMGI #A is inactive. When the second terminal device does not read the setting information of another service from the multicast broadcast control channel and does not read any TMGI from the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device determines that the second terminal device needs to enter a connected state to receive the service.

[0199] In the above two possible implementations, it should be understood that the method for determining the service status by the second terminal device is described based on the fact that the absence of the multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to the service indicates that the status of the service is inactive. The method is also applicable when the absence of the multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to the service indicates that the status of the service is active. Details will be described below.

[0200] In a possible implementation, the network device includes indication information in a system message or a multicast broadcast control channel, where the indication information indicates whether the network device provides multicast services in an idle state or an inactive state. The indication information may be cell-level indication information. When the network device indicates that it does not provide multicast in an idle state or an inactive state, the second terminal device determines that it needs to enter a connected state to receive services. When the network device indicates that the cell can provide multicast services in an idle state or an inactive state, if the second terminal device does not read a multicast / broadcast session identifier, such as a TMGI, in the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device determines that the status of the service corresponding to the missing TMGI is active.

[0201] In another possible implementation, the second terminal device determines whether configuration information of other services is read from the multicast broadcast control channel. For example, the configuration information may be a TMGI of other multicast services, or the second terminal device determines whether a multicast broadcast control channel message (or a multicast broadcast control channel message of a multicast service in an idle state or an inactive state) is read within a period, where the duration of the period may be set in advance or indicated to the second terminal device by the network device. The second terminal device determines whether the TMGI is read and then determines the status of the related service.

[0202] Specifically, an example where the second terminal device determines whether the configuration information of another service is read from the multicast broadcast control channel is used for explanation. When the second terminal device reads the configuration information of another service from the multicast broadcast control channel and does not read TMGI #A from the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device may determine that the status of service #A identified by TMGI #A is active. When the second terminal device does not read the configuration information of another service from the multicast broadcast control channel and does not read any TMGI from the multicast broadcast control channel, the second terminal device determines that the second terminal device needs to enter a connected state to receive the service.

[0203] The above method provides a method for determining the service status when the terminal device moves to the current cell, thereby preventing the terminal device moving to the current cell from being unable to read the information of the network device, and improving the communication efficiency of the terminal device moving to the current cell.

[0204] It should be understood that the method for obtaining the first indication information in S701 may be from a network device or a core network device. For example, when the first indication information is from a network device, as shown in FIG. 8, before transmitting the indication information to indicate the service status, the network device receives a deactivation request from the core network device. It can be understood that the network device triggers the transmission of the first indication information to the terminal device based on the deactivation request of the core network device.

[0205] S702. The terminal device stops using the first radio network temporary identifier to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel based on the first indication information.

[0206] The first radio network temporary identifier may be a group radio network temporary identifier.

[0207] In other words, the terminal device may stop monitoring the physical downlink control channel based on the group radio network temporary identifier, or when determining that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is inactive based on the first indication information, the terminal device may stop receiving the service data corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service.

[0208] Optionally, the terminal device may stop receiving the service data corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service, and further, may delete the resource block of the multicast / broadcast service, and / or may delete the setting of the multicast / broadcast service. For example, the terminal device may perform at least one of the following operations: an operation of deleting a radio bearer, an operation of deleting a multicast service context, an operation of releasing radio resources, etc.

[0209] After the multicast / broadcast service is deactivated, the network device and the terminal device may further execute a service activation procedure. For example, the terminal device may monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast broadcast control channel. In other words, the terminal device can monitor the physical downlink control channel by using an RNTI corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel, and the RNTI corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel may be a multicast broadcast control channel - radio network temporary identifier (MCCH-RNTI). The multicast broadcast control channel carries second indication information, and the second indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active. Additionally / alternatively, the terminal device may monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a paging channel. In other words, the terminal device may monitor the physical downlink control channel by using an RNTI corresponding to the paging channel, and the RNTI corresponding to the paging channel may be a paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). The paging channel carries a paging message, and the paging message indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is active.

[0210] It should be understood that for the meaning of "monitor" or "stop monitoring" in this embodiment of the present application, reference should be made to the above description. Other similar parts will not be described again.

[0211] Specifically, the following two methods may exist.

[0212] Method A: The terminal device can continuously monitor the multicast broadcast control channel by using the MCCH-RNTI. For example, when a service activation procedure needs to be executed, the network device sends a multicast broadcast control channel change notification to the terminal device, and the notification can indicate a change in the multicast broadcast control channel, such as service activation and / or service start. The terminal device can execute a service activation procedure based on the notification. The multicast broadcast control channel change notification is carried on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and the PDCCH corresponds to the logical channel multicast broadcast control channel. Specifically, for the indication method of the multicast broadcast control channel change notification, refer to the relevant description in S701. Details are not described again here.

[0213] Method B: The terminal device can continuously monitor the multicast broadcast control channel by using the MCCH-RNTI. When the service is activated, the MCCH change notification indicates that the multicast broadcast control channel has changed. It can be understood that the terminal device can further continuously monitor paging messages by using the P-RNTI, and the paging messages can be unicast paging messages corresponding to the TMGI and / or group paging messages. The terminal device can receive service activation indication information based on the multicast broadcast control channel and / or the paging messages.

[0214] Method C: The terminal device stops using the MCCH-RNTI to monitor the PDCCH (the logical channel corresponds to the multicast broadcast control channel), and continuously monitors the paging message by using the P-RNTI. The paging message includes the unicast paging message corresponding to the TMGI and / or the group paging message. In this way, the terminal device no longer monitors the multicast broadcast control channel and the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel, but monitors paging, thereby saving energy.

[0215] It should be understood that the terminal device is used as an example for the description of the above method, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the second terminal device may also be applicable. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0216] In the above embodiment, the network device instructs the terminal device of the service status, and the terminal device appropriately obtains the service status and does not monitor at least the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0217] Optionally, the network device may further instruct the terminal device of the status of the multicast / broadcast service when the RRC connection is released. For the specific instruction method, refer to Implementations 1 and 2 in Method 1 of S701. Details are not described again here. Specifically, the information indicating the status of the multicast / broadcast service may be carried in an inactive setting.

[0218] Corresponding to the above Method A or B, when the RRC connection is released, if it is indicated by the multicast broadcast control channel change notification that there is no change, the terminal device does not need to read the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0219] Corresponding to the above method C, when the RRC connection is released, the terminal device does not need to read the multicast broadcast control channel until a paging is received.

[0220] The above method further reduces the additional overhead of monitoring the multicast broadcast control channel by the terminal device.

[0221] The above has described the execution procedures of the terminal device by taking the case where the service status is inactive as an example. When the network device indicates that the service status is active, the terminal device may execute the following steps.

[0222] Step (1): The terminal device determines the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the status of the multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an active state. For the specific indication method of the first indication information, refer to S701.

[0223] Step (2): Based on the first indication information, the terminal device stops using the first radio network temporary identifier to monitor the physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service traffic channel.

[0224] In other words, in S701, when the network device indicates that the status of the current service is active, the terminal device needs to receive data corresponding to the service.

[0225] It should be understood that the terminal device may be the above-mentioned first terminal device or the above-mentioned second terminal device. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0226] Optionally, the method shown in FIG. 7 may further include the following content:

[0227] The first terminal device and / or the second terminal device may further receive a Multicast Broadcast Control Channel change notification (MCCH change notification), and the Multicast Broadcast Control Channel change notification may be for notifying multicast / broadcast service information.

[0228] The multicast / broadcast service information may include multicast / broadcast service status information, and the multicast / broadcast service status information may be the current status of the multicast / broadcast service, or may be status change information of the multicast / broadcast service. The multicast / broadcast service information may further include information such as the start of the multicast / broadcast service, the end of the multicast / broadcast service, or the update of the configuration information of the multicast / broadcast service. The Multicast Broadcast Control Channel change notification may be carried by downlink control information (DCI).

[0229] In the case of multicast, the Multicast Broadcast Control Channel change notification may include a first bit and a second bit, and the multicast / broadcast service status information may be indicated by using the first bit or the second bit, and the multicast / broadcast service status change information may be indicated by using the first bit or the second bit. For example, the first bit indicates the multicast / broadcast service status information or the multicast / broadcast service status change information. The first bit may indicate the service status, or may indicate a procedure executed by the terminal device. For example, it may indicate service activation, service deactivation, or a change in the service status.

[0230] For example, the first bit may indicate the status of the current service. For example, if the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates that the current status of all services is inactive, and if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates other information, for example, it indicates that there are active services. Alternatively, if the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates that the current status of all services is active, and if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates other information, for example, it indicates that there are inactive services. It should be understood that the above correspondence between the bit value and the indication content is not limiting and is merely an example.

[0231] Alternatively, the first bit may indicate a procedure executed by the terminal device. For example, if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates that the deactivation procedure is being executed for all services, and if the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates other information, for example, that there is a service for which the activation procedure is being executed. Alternatively, if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates that the activation procedure is being executed for all services, and if the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates other information, for example, that there is a service for which the deactivation procedure is being executed. Alternatively, if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates that the service status of all services is changing, and if the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates other information, for example, that there is a service for which the service status is not changing. Alternatively, if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates that the deactivation procedure is being executed for a service with a deactivation procedure. Alternatively, if the value of the first bit is 1, it indicates that the activation procedure is being executed for a service with an activation procedure. It should be understood that the above correspondence between the bit value and the indication content is not limiting and is merely an example.

[0232] The second bit may indicate a setting change corresponding to the service. For example, when the terminal device reads the first bit and the value of the first bit is 0, it indicates that the status of all services is inactive. The terminal device reads the second bit, and the second bit indicates that the service setting has changed. The terminal device may not need to read the multicast broadcast control channel. That is, when the status of all services received by the terminal device is inactive, even if the service setting has changed, the multicast broadcast control channel does not need to be read, so as to further reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0233] It should be understood that the second bit may indicate a setting change for all services or a setting change for some services. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0234] Optionally, the terminal device may not need to read the second bit. For example, when the first bit indicates that the current status of all services is inactive, the terminal device does not need to read the second bit, so as to further reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0235] Optionally, the network device may alternatively indicate multicast / broadcast service information by using one bit. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0236] It should be understood that the above correspondence between the bit value and the indication content is not a limitation but merely an example. The above correspondence between the bit value and the indication content may be preset or may be transmitted by the network device to the terminal device. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0237] Embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method. In the method, a terminal device can enter the RRC connected state by monitoring a multicast broadcast control channel to receive a multicast / broadcast service. As shown in FIG. 9, the method includes the following steps.

[0238] S901. The network device determines third indication information, where the third indication information is for the network device to determine to provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state.

[0239] In other words, the third indication information is for the network device to determine whether it can provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state, or the third indication information is for the network device to determine to support providing a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state, or the third indication information is for the network device to determine that it has the ability to provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state.

[0240] Optionally, the third indication information is the following: The network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state; The terminal device enters the radio resource control connected state, that is, the terminal device triggers an RRC connection setup procedure; The network device does not provide a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in the radio resource control idle state or inactive state; Waking up the terminal device; or Paging the terminal device indicates at least one of them.

[0241] S902. The network device instructs third instruction information based on information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0242] Optionally, the network device's instruction of third instruction information based on information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel may include several possible implementations as follows:

[0243] In a first possible implementation, the network device transmits the third instruction information via the multicast broadcast control channel. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third instruction information.

[0244] Optionally, when the third instruction information instructs to wake up the terminal device and / or page the terminal device, the network device further needs to instruct the identifier of the terminal device. Further, the third instruction information may include the identifier of the terminal device.

[0245] For example, when the network device needs to wake up a plurality of terminal devices based on the third instruction information, the network device may include the identifiers of the plurality of terminal devices in the third instruction information.

[0246] In a second possible implementation, the network device instructs third indication information based on configuration information, and the configuration information can be carried on a multicast broadcast control channel. In other words, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel is the configuration information. For example, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter includes a temporary multicast group identifier and / or a group wireless network temporary identifier. For example, when the configuration information includes only a multicast / broadcast session identifier, when the configuration information includes only a multicast / broadcast session identifier and a group wireless network temporary identifier, when the configuration information does not include an MRB configuration, or when the configuration information does not include a group wireless network temporary identifier, the third indication information can be instructed. Specifically, for the configuration information and the indication method, refer to the relevant description of Implementation 3 in Method 1 of step S701. Details will not be described again. In other words, the configuration information may indicate whether the network device supports providing multicast / broadcast services in a radio resource control connected state.

[0247] In a third possible implementation, the network device may indicate third indication information based on a multicast / broadcast session identifier, and the broadcast / multicast session identifier may be carried on a multicast broadcast control channel. In other words, the information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel is a multicast / broadcast session identifier. For example, the network device may transmit a third set of multicast session identifiers and a fourth set of multicast session identifiers to the terminal device via a multicast broadcast control channel. The third set of multicast session identifiers is a set of identifiers transmitted by the network device before the network device transmits the fourth set of multicast session identifiers. The third set of multicast session identifiers includes a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service #A, and the fourth set of multicast session identifiers does not include a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service #A. In this case, the third indication information may be indicated. In other words, it indicates that the network device can provide the multicast / broadcast service #A to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state. Specifically, refer to the relevant description of the first possible implementation within method 2 of step S701. Here, only the indication content is different, and the details will not be described again.

[0248] S903. The terminal device determines the third indication information based on the information from the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0249] Optionally, after determining the third indication information, the terminal device may enter the connected state.

[0250] In the method, the terminal device can determine, based on the multicast broadcast control channel, that the network device can provide multicast / broadcast services to the terminal device in the radio resource control connected state without monitoring paging, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0251] Embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method. When a terminal device needs to receive multicast / broadcast services, the network device appropriately notifies the terminal device of the service status so as to reduce the signaling overhead required for the terminal device in the idle state or inactive state to enter the connected state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. As shown in FIG. 10, the method includes the following steps.

[0252] S1001. The network device determines fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information instructs to release the multicast / broadcast service.

[0253] S1002. The network device instructs the fourth indication information based on the information related to the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0254] The network device instructs the fourth indication information in the following two ways.

[0255] Method D: The network device transmits the fourth indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth indication information from the network device. The fourth indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is released.

[0256] In a possible implementation, the fourth indication information may be carried in a multicast / broadcast session identifier. In other words, the terminal device receives a multicast / broadcast session identifier, parses the multicast / broadcast session identifier, and obtains that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is released. The fourth indication information may be a field within the multicast / broadcast session identifier. For example, the fourth indication information may be 1 bit. The value of the bit may indicate the status of the multicast / broadcast service. For example, if the value of the bit is 1, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is released, or if the value of the bit is 0, it indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is released. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. The above correspondence between the bit value and the release may be predefined, or may be sent from the network device to the terminal device. The network device may send the correspondence to the terminal device in a broadcast, multicast, or unicast manner. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. It should be further understood that the number of the above bits is described by using only 1 bit as an example. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. For example, the status may be indicated by using 2 bits, 3 bits, etc.

[0257] Furthermore, the network device may send at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier, and the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one service, and the at least one service includes a first multicast / broadcast service. It can be understood that the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier may include a plurality of pieces of indication information, and the plurality of pieces of indication information includes fourth indication information. For example, some multicast / broadcast session identifiers may include status indication information of the corresponding service, or all multicast / broadcast session identifiers may include status indication information of the corresponding service. The multicast / broadcast session identifier may be a TMGI. Specifically, refer to the relevant description of Method 1 in step 701. Details are not described again here.

[0258] Method E: In a possible implementation, the network device transmits at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier, and the at least one multicast / broadcast session identifier is in a one-to-one correspondence with services other than the first multicast / broadcast service among at least one service. In other words, the network device transmits M multicast / broadcast session identifiers to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives M multicast / broadcast session identifiers, and the M multicast / broadcast session identifiers are in a one-to-one correspondence with services other than the first multicast / broadcast service among P services, where M = P - 1, and both P and M are positive integers. If the terminal device does not obtain the multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to the first multicast / broadcast service through parsing, the terminal device may determine to release the first multicast / broadcast service. In other words, the absence of a multicast / broadcast session identifier corresponding to a service indicates that the service is released. The multicast / broadcast session identifier may be a TMGI. Specifically, refer to the relevant description of Method 2 in step 702. Details are not described again here.

[0259] It should be understood that the above description is given by using an example where the fourth indication information is carried on the multicast broadcast control channel. The fourth indication information may alternatively be carried in a system information block (SIB).

[0260] It should be understood that the fourth indication information can be sent by a network device, e.g., a gNB, to a terminal device. The fourth indication information can be triggered based on a service release request message. As shown in FIG. 11, before sending the fourth indication information, the gNB further receives a service release request from the core network. There can be two types of service release requests. One is for a terminal device receiving a multicast service in the RRC connected state, e.g., S1101 in FIG. 11. The CN sends a service release request (UE 1) to the gNB. In this case, the gNB may instruct to release the RRC connection to UE1 by using RRC signaling or NAS signaling (S1103).

[0261] The other type is for a terminal device receiving a multicast service in the RRC idle state or non-active state, e.g., S1102 in FIG. 11. C sends a service level release request (UE 2) to the gNB. In this case, the gNB instructs the UE 2 to release the multicast service by instructing the fourth indication information to the UE (S1104). The gNB further needs to report a list of identifiers of UEs receiving the multicast service in the idle state or non-active state to the core network device, and the core network device may delete these UEs from the MBS context. Specifically, the list of identifiers of these UEs can be carried in the service level release response (S1106). The identifier of the UE may be the RAN NGAP UE ID or 5G-S-TMSI.

[0262] Optionally, the RAN may send the identifier of the UE to the AMF, and the AMF generates a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) list based on the UE list sent by the RAN, and the AMF sends the SUPI list to the SMF.

[0263] The gNB may transmit the fourth indication information to all cells within a RAN-based notification area (RNA). In this way, all UEs moving between different cells can receive the fourth indication information.

[0264] S1003. The terminal device determines the fourth indication information based on the information from the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0265] For example, the terminal device may receive the fourth indication information from the network device, or may determine the fourth indication information based on the multicast session identifier. Details are not described here again.

[0266] Optionally, after receiving the release request, the terminal device in the idle state or inactive state deletes the resource blocks of the multicast / broadcast service and / or deletes the settings of the multicast / broadcast service. The terminal device is in the radio resource control idle state or inactive state. Optionally, the behavior of the terminal device at release may be different from that of the terminal device at deactivation. For example, at release, the UE may release the bearer and radio resources, and delete the multicast service context, multicast service settings, and information related to the multicast services the UE participates in. At deactivation, the UE may only release the bearer and radio resources, or the UE may retain the information related to the multicast services the UE participates in.

[0267] In this embodiment, the network device sets a multicast service release indication through the multicast broadcast control channel when the UE is in the idle state or inactive state, preventing the terminal device in the idle state or inactive state from entering the connected state again to execute the multicast release procedure, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device in the idle state or inactive state.

[0268] It should be understood that the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the execution order. The execution order of the processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logics of the processes and should not be construed as any limitation to the implementation processes of the embodiments of the present application. Each step can alternatively be executed independently.

[0269] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise stated or there is no logical contradiction, the terms and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and can be cross-referenced. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined based on their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0270] For example, when a network device not only indicates to a terminal device that the service status is inactive but also instructs the terminal device to release the multicast / broadcast service, the following methods may be available.

[0271] Method (1): The network device indicates to the terminal device in Method 1 of S701 that the service status is inactive, and the network device also indicates to the terminal device in Method D of S1002 that the service status is released.

[0272] Method (2): The network device indicates to the terminal device in Method 2 of S701 that the service status is inactive, and the network device also indicates to the terminal device in Method D of S1002 that the service status is released.

[0273] Method (3): The network device indicates to the terminal device in Method 1 of S701 that the service status is inactive, and the network device also indicates to the terminal device in Method E of S1002 that the service status is released.

[0274] FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are an overview of the structure of a possible communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be configured to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the above method. Therefore, the advantageous effects of the embodiment of the above method can also be implemented. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be one of the terminals 120a to 120j shown in FIG. 1, may be the base station 110a or 110b shown in FIG. 1, or may be a module (for example, a chip) used in the terminal device or the network device.

[0275] In the above embodiment provided in the present application, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described from the perspective of the interaction between devices. To implement the functions in the method provided in the above embodiment of the present application, the network device or the terminal device includes a hardware structure and / or a software module, and may implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software structure, or a combination of a hardware structure and a software structure. Whether a function among the above functions is executed by using a hardware structure, a software structure, or a combination of a hardware structure and a software structure depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0276] In the embodiment of the present application, the module division is an example and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, other division modes may be used. Also, the functional modules in the embodiment of the present application may be incorporated into one processor, may physically exist alone, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module.

[0277] The following describes in detail the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for the content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, the details are not described again here.

[0278] Similar to the above concept, as shown in FIG. 12, the embodiments of the present application further provide a device 1200 configured to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method. For example, the device may be a software module or a chip system. In this embodiment of the present application, the chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components. The device 1200 may include a processing unit 1210 and a communication unit 1220.

[0279] In this embodiment of the present application, the communication unit may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, and may include a transmission unit and / or a reception unit, and these units are respectively configured to execute the transmission step and the reception step by the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0280] The communication unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver machine, a transceiver device, etc. The processing unit may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. Optionally, a component within the communication unit 1220 configured to implement the reception function may be regarded as a reception unit, and a component within the communication unit 1220 configured to implement the transmission function may be regarded as a transmission unit. That is, the communication unit 1220 includes a reception unit and a transmission unit. The communication unit may sometimes also be referred to as a transceiver machine, a transceiver, an interface circuit, etc. The reception unit may sometimes also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a reception circuit, etc. The transmission unit may sometimes also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmission circuit, etc.

[0281] When the communication device 1200 executes the functions of the terminal device in the procedure shown in any one of FIGS. 7 to 11 in the above embodiment:

[0282] The communication unit may be configured to receive information, for example, information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel, from a network device.

[0283] The processing unit may be configured to determine the status of the multicast / broadcast service.

[0284] When the communication device 1200 executes the functions of the network device in the procedure shown in any one of FIGS. 7 to 11 in the above embodiment:

[0285] The communication unit may be configured to transmit information, for example, information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel, to the terminal device.

[0286] The processing unit may be configured to determine information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel.

[0287] The above description is merely an example. The processing unit 1210 and the communication unit 1220 may further perform other functions. For more detailed description, refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments of the methods shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 or the embodiments of other methods.

[0288] FIG. 13 shows an apparatus 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus shown in FIG. 13 may be an implementation of the hardware circuit of the apparatus shown in FIG. 12. The communication device is applicable to the above flowchart and executes the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiment. To simplify the description, FIG. 13 merely shows the main components of the communication device.

[0289] The communication device 1300 may be a terminal device and can implement the functions of the first terminal device or the second terminal device in the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the communication device 1300 may be a device that can assist the first terminal device or the second terminal device in implementing the corresponding functions in the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. The communication device 1300 may be a chip system. In this embodiment of the present application, the chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components. For specific functions, please refer to the description of the embodiments of the above method.

[0290] The communication device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310 configured to implement the functions of the first terminal device or the second terminal device in the method provided in the embodiments of the present application or to assist the communication device 1300 in implementing such functions. For details, refer to the detailed description in the example of the method. The details are not described again here. The processor 1310, which may also be referred to as a processing unit or a processing module, may implement a specific function. The processor 1310 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processing unit, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor. The central processing unit may be configured to control the communication device 1300, execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors may be independent devices, or may be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated into one or more application-specific integrated circuits. The processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or may be any ordinary processor, etc.

[0291] Optionally, the communication device 1300 includes one or more memories 1320 configured to store instructions 1340. The instructions can be executed by a processor 1310 to enable the communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memory 1320 is coupled to the processor 1310. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules in electrical form, mechanical form, or other form, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1310 can cooperate with the memory 1320. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor. Note that the memory 1320 is not essential and is therefore shown using a dashed line in FIG. 13.

[0292] Optionally, the memory 1320 may further store data. The processor and the memory may be separately arranged or integrated. In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 1320 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or alternatively, a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). Alternatively, the processor in this embodiment of the present application may be a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. For example, the storage medium is coupled to the processor, whereby the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Certainly, the storage medium may be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be arranged in an ASIC. Also, the ASIC may be placed in a network device or a terminal device. Certainly, the processor and the storage medium may alternatively exist as individual components in a network device or a terminal device.

[0293] The memory is any other medium that can carry or store the expected program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, and is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application may alternatively be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function and configured to store program instructions and / or data.

[0294] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may include instructions 1330 (sometimes also referred to as code or a program). The instructions 1330 may be executed by a processor to enable the communication device 1300 to execute the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0295] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may further include a transceiver 1350 and an antenna 1360. The transceiver 1350 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver module, transceiver machine, transceiver circuit, transceiver, input / output interface, etc., and may be configured to implement the transceiver function of the communication device 1300 through the antenna 1360.

[0296] The processor 1310 and transceiver 1350 described in the present application may be implemented by an integrated circuit (IC), analog IC, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFID), mixed signal IC, ASIC, printed circuit board (PCB), electronic device, etc. The communication device described in this specification may be an independent device (e.g., an independent integrated circuit or mobile phone), or may be part of a larger device (a module that can be embedded in other devices). For details, please refer to the above description of terminal devices and network devices. Details are not described again here.

[0297] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, a display, etc. In some embodiments, the communication device 1300 may include more or fewer components, some components may be integrated, or some components may be split. These components may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0298] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application may use the form of an embodiment dedicated to hardware, an embodiment dedicated to software, or an embodiment by a combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, the present application may also use the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk memory, optical memory, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0299] This application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the application. It should be understood that computer program instructions can be used to implement each process and / or each block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or any other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, such that the instructions executed by the computer or any other programmable data processing device implement an apparatus for implementing specific functions in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0300] These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or any other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including an instruction apparatus. The instruction apparatus implements specific functions in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0301] It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the scope of the application. This application is intended to cover such changes and modifications of this application, provided that they fall within the scope of protection defined by the subsequent claims of this application and their equivalent technologies.

[0302] The above description is only a specific implementation of this application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of this application. Any deformation or substitution that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should follow the protection scope of the claims.

[0303] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210581289.5, titled "COMMUNICATION METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on May 26, 2022, the entire content of the previous Chinese patent application is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. Determining first indication information by a terminal device, wherein the first indication information indicates a status of a multicast / broadcast service, and the status of the multicast / broadcast service includes an inactive state; the determining; Ceasing to use a first radio network temporary identifier by the terminal device to monitor a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a multicast / broadcast service traffic channel based on the first indication information; and A communication method comprising the above.

2. The terminal device is in a radio resource control inactive or idle state; The method according to claim 1.

3. The first indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel; The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The determining by the terminal device that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is the inactive state includes: Receiving, by the terminal device, the first indication information from a network device; The first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is the inactive state; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The determining by the terminal device that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is the inactive state includes: The terminal device determines that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in the inactive state based on the fact that a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within a first set of multicast session identifiers and not within a second set of multicast session identifiers, wherein the first set of multicast session identifiers is a set of identifiers received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the second set of multicast session identifiers, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The method includes, receiving, by the terminal device, configuration information including a first parameter, the first parameter being at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier, wherein the determination by the terminal device that the first indication information indicates that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in the inactive state, includes determining, by the terminal device based on the first parameter, that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in the inactive state, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The method further includes, receiving, by the terminal device, multicast broadcast control channel change notification information, wherein the multicast broadcast control channel change notification information indicates a multicast / broadcast service status or indicates that the multicast / broadcast service status has changed, and the multicast / broadcast service status has an active state or an inactive state. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The method is monitoring, by the terminal device, a physical downlink control channel corresponding to the multicast broadcast control channel, wherein the multicast broadcast control channel carries second indication information indicating that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state, and / or monitoring, by the terminal device, a physical downlink control channel corresponding to a paging channel, wherein the paging channel carries a paging message indicating that the status of the multicast / broadcast service is in an active state further comprising The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. determining, by the terminal device, third indication information based on information from a multicast broadcast control channel; and determining, by the terminal device, based on the third indication information, that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control connected state A communication method comprising.

10. The third indication information is as follows the network device provides the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device only in the radio resource control connected state; the terminal device enters the radio resource control connected state; the network device does not provide the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state; waking up the terminal device, or paging the terminal device indicating at least one of them, The method according to claim 9. **Claim 11** The method further comprises receiving, by the terminal device, configuration information through the multicast broadcast control channel, the configuration information including a second parameter, the second parameter being at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group wireless network temporary identifier, Determining the third indication information based on information from the multicast broadcast control channel by the terminal device comprises determining, by the terminal device, the third indication information based on the second parameter, The method according to claim 10. **Claim 12** The method further comprises receiving, by the terminal device, a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through the multicast broadcast control channel, the third multicast session identifier set being an identifier set received by the terminal device before the terminal device receives the fourth multicast session identifier set, Determining the third indication information based on information from the multicast broadcast control channel by the terminal device comprises determining, by the terminal device, the third indication information based on that the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service is within the third multicast session identifier set and not within the fourth multicast session identifier set, The method according to claim 10. **Claim 13** Determining third indication information by a network device, where the third indication information is for determining that the network device provides a multicast / broadcast service to a terminal device in a radio resource control connected state, the determining, Instructing the third indication information by the network device based on information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel, A communication method having.

14. The third indication information is as follows The network device provides the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device only in the radio resource control connected state, The terminal device enters the radio resource control connected state, The network device does not provide the multicast / broadcast service to the terminal device in a radio resource control non-active state or an idle state, Waking up the terminal device, or Paging the terminal device Indicating at least one of. The method according to claim 13.

15. The information regarding the multicast broadcast control channel includes configuration information, the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is at least one of the following: a temporary multicast group identifier or a group radio network temporary identifier. The method according to claim 13 or 14.

16. Instructing the third indication information by the network device based on information regarding a multicast broadcast control channel is including transmitting, by the network device, a third multicast session identifier set and a fourth multicast session identifier set through the multicast broadcast control channel, wherein the third multicast session identifier set is an identifier set transmitted by the network device before the network device transmits the fourth multicast session identifier set, the third multicast session identifier set includes a multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service, and the fourth multicast session identifier set does not include the multicast session identifier corresponding to the multicast / broadcast service, The method according to claim 14.

17. receiving, by a terminal device, fourth indication information, wherein the fourth indication information instructs to release a multicast / broadcast service, the receiving, by the terminal device, the following releasing a radio resource or a radio bearer of the multicast / broadcast service, or deleting a setting of the multicast / broadcast service performing at least one of the above, and the terminal device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state. A communication method.

18. The fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel. The method according to claim 17.

19. determining fourth indication information, transmitting, by a network device, the fourth indication information to a terminal device, and The fourth indication information instructs to release the multicast / broadcast service, and the terminal device is in a radio resource control inactive state or an idle state. Communication method.

20. The fourth indication information is carried on a multicast broadcast control channel. The method according to claim 19.

21. The method further includes: The network device further transmits a session release response message to the core network device, and the session release response message includes an identifier of the multicast / broadcast service and an identifier of the terminal device. The method according to claim 19 or 20.

22. A communication device having a module configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, claims 9 to 12, or claims 17 or 18.

23. A communication device having a module configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 13 to 16.

24. A communication system having the communication device according to claim 22 and the communication device according to claim 23.

25. A communication device, comprising: A processor configured to execute computer instructions stored in a memory so that the device can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

26. The device further includes the memory. The device according to claim 25.

27. The device further includes a communication interface, and the communication interface is coupled to the processor. The communication interface is configured to input and / or output information. The apparatus according to claim 25 or 26. **Claim 28** The apparatus is a chip. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 27. **Claim 29** A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions, and when the instructions are called and executed by a computer, the computer can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21. **Claim 30** A computer program product, wherein when the computer program product is executed by a computer, the computer can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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