Communication methods and devices

Abstract

To provide a communication method and a device in which a terminal device determines a particular Bandwidth Part (BWP) on which to be acted and performs the corresponding action.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, a network device generates instruction information used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell and transmits the instruction information to the terminal device. The terminal device then operates on a first BWP, which is a non-dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, in accordance with the instruction information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross-Reference to Related Applications] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201911089858.9, titled "COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on November 8, 2019, and incorporates its entire content by reference.

[0002] [Technical Field] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to communication methods and apparatuses.

Background Art

[0003] With the development of communication technologies, carrier aggregation (CA) has been introduced into the standard. Multiple component carriers (CCs) may be configured for one terminal device. One of the CCs corresponds to the primary cell (PCell), which is the cell through which the terminal device establishes an initial connection, the cell through which the terminal device re-establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection, or the primary cell designated in a handover process. The PCell serves for RRC communication with the terminal device. Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) information can only be transmitted on the PCell. The other CCs correspond to secondary cells (SCells).

[0004] When a CA is configured for a terminal device, the network device may instruct the terminal device in its PCell whether or not to perform a sleep behavior in its SCell. If the network device instructs the terminal device to perform a sleep behavior, the terminal device does not monitor physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information in its corresponding SCell.

[0005] Fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) supports bandwidth part (BWP) technology, which supports transmission between network devices and terminal devices by occupying a portion of the bandwidth. On a single carrier (cell), a network device may configure multiple BWPs for terminal devices, thereby allowing terminal devices to support multiple service types. Based on this, a specific method for a network device to instruct a terminal device to perform dormant behavior may be to configure a dormant BWP in the SCell and then use a bit in the PCell to instruct the terminal device to switch between a dormant BWP and a non-dormant BWP in the SCell. For example, "1" indicates a switch from a dormant BWP to a non-dormant BWP, and "0" indicates a switch from a non-dormant BWP to a dormant BWP.

[0006] However, current standards only discuss how network devices use instruction information to instruct terminal devices to enter a sleep state, but the specific actions performed by the terminal device after it receives the instruction information are not clear. [Overview of the project]

[0007] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables a terminal device to determine a specific BWP on which it should operate and perform a corresponding operation when it receives instruction information used by a network device to instruct the terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a secondary cell.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the application provides a communication method, the method comprising: a terminal device receiving instruction information from a network device, the instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device to operate on a non-dormant bandwidth part (BWP) in a first secondary cell, the terminal device enabling itself to operate on the first BWP, the first BWP being a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0009] According to the method described above, when a network device receives instruction information used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a secondary cell, the terminal device can determine the specific BWP on which it should operate and operate on the corresponding BWP.

[0010] In a possible design, the specific method by which a terminal device enables itself to operate on a first BWP may be as follows: The terminal device switches from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell. In this way, the terminal device can operate on the determined BWP.

[0011] In a possible design, the specific method for enabling a terminal device to operate on a first BWP may be as follows: The terminal device switches from a third BWP to the first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is configured by the network device and is the BWP that the terminal device needs to switch to. In this way, the terminal device can operate on the determined BWP.

[0012] In a possible design, the specific method by which a terminal device can enable itself to operate on the first BWP may be as follows: The terminal device switches from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, the fourth BWP being a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP. In this way, the terminal device can operate on the determined BWP.

[0013] In a possible design, the specific method by which a terminal device enables itself to operate on the first BWP may be as follows: The terminal device switches from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP. In this way, the terminal device can operate on the determined BWP.

[0014] In a possible design, the specific method by which a terminal device enables itself to operate on a first BWP may be as follows: While the terminal device is currently using the first BWP, the terminal device continues to operate on the first BWP. In this way, the terminal device can operate on a determined BWP.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the application provides a communication method, which may include: a network device generates instruction information used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in a first secondary cell; the network device transmits the instruction information to the terminal device to enable the terminal device to operate on the first BWP, the first BWP being a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0016] According to the method described above, when a network device receives instruction information used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a secondary cell, the terminal device can determine the specific BWP on which it should operate and operate on the corresponding BWP.

[0017] According to a third aspect, the application provides a communication method, which may include: a terminal device receiving first configuration information from a network device, the first configuration information being used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information, the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information being at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information being neither the first nor the second instruction information, the first instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in a first discontinuous reception DRX cycle, the second instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in a second cell, and the terminal device monitoring or not monitoring the first downlink control information based on the first configuration information and the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information. Thus, the specific behavior of whether or not the terminal device monitors the downlink control information is determined.

[0018] In a possible design, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, the terminal device receives second configuration information from the network device, and the second configuration information is used to configure the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information to include the first instruction information. Alternatively, the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information by default.

[0019] In possible designs, the terminal device monitors first downlink control information, and when first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and monitors PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle; or, when first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. Thus, the specific behavior of whether or not the terminal device monitors downlink control information is determined.

[0020] In possible designs, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a first instruction and a second instruction, the terminal device monitors the first downlink control information. When the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitors the physical downlink control channel PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and, based on the second instruction, decides whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. Alternatively, when the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor the PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. Thus, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a first instruction and a second instruction, the specific behavior of whether or not the terminal device monitors the downlink control information is determined.

[0021] In a possible design, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a second instruction, the terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitors the PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and, based on the second instruction, decides whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. Thus, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a second instruction, the specific behavior of whether or not the terminal device monitors the downlink control information is determined.

[0022] In a possible design, if the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or second instruction information, the terminal device does not monitor the first downlink control information. Thus, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or second instruction information, the specific behavior of whether or not the terminal device monitors the downlink control information is determined.

[0023] According to a fourth aspect, the application provides a communication method, which may include: a network device transmits first configuration information to a terminal device, the first configuration information being used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information, the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information being at least one of first instruction information or second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information being neither first nor second instruction information, the first instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device whether to start an On Duration timer in a first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, the second instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device whether to perform a sleep operation in a second cell, and the network device transmitting or not transmitting the first downlink control information based on the first configuration information and the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information. In this way, the terminal device can determine specific behavior regarding whether or not to monitor the downlink control information.

[0024] According to a fifth aspect, the application further provides a terminal device having a function that implements the terminal device in the example of the method in the first or third aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware by running corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the function.

[0025] In a possible design, the structure of the terminal device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. These units may perform corresponding functions in the examples of the methods in the first aspect or the third aspect. For details, refer to the detailed description in the examples of the methods. Details are not described here.

[0026] In a possible design, the structure of the terminal device includes a transceiver and a processor, and may optionally further include a memory. The transceiver is configured to transmit and receive data and communicate and interact with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the terminal device when performing the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the method in the first aspect or the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the memory stores program instructions and data required for the terminal device.

[0027] According to the sixth aspect, this application further provides a network device. The network device has a function of realizing the network device in the examples of the methods in the second aspect or the fourth aspect. The function may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by hardware by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the function.

[0028] In a possible design, the structure of the network device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. These units may perform corresponding functions in the examples of the methods in the second aspect or the fourth aspect. For details, refer to the detailed description in the examples of the methods. Details are not described here.

[0029] In a possible design, the structure of the network device includes a transceiver and a processor, and may further optionally include a memory. The transceiver is configured to transmit and receive data and communicate and interact with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the network device when executing the corresponding functions of the network device in the method according to the second aspect or the fourth aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the memory stores program instructions and data required for the network device.

[0030] According to a seventh aspect, this application further provides a communication system. The communication system includes a terminal device and a network device described in at least one of the above designs. Further, the network device in the communication system may execute any of the methods executed by the network device in the above method, and the terminal device in the communication system may execute any of the methods executed by the terminal device in the above method.

[0031] According to an eighth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when called by a computer, the computer-executable instructions are used to enable the computer to execute any one of the above methods.

[0032] According to a ninth aspect, this application provides a computer program product including instructions. When the computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer can execute any one of the above methods.

[0033] According to a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip. The chip is coupled to a memory, reads and executes program instructions stored in the memory, and is configured to implement any one of the above methods.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034] [Figure 1] This is an architecture diagram of the communication system according to this application. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of the communication method described in this application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a certain type of BWP switching mechanism according to this application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of another type of BWP switching according to this application. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart of another communication method according to this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the location of the first downlink control information according to this application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of the terminal device according to this application. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of the network device according to this application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of the terminal device according to this application. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram of the network device according to this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0036] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus that enable a terminal device to determine a specific BWP on which it should operate and perform a corresponding operation when the terminal device receives instruction information used by a network device to instruct the terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a secondary cell. The method and apparatus in this application are based on the same inventive concept. The method and apparatus have similar problem-solving principles. Therefore, cross-references may be made between the apparatus and the method for implementation. Details of the repeating parts will not be described.

[0037] In this description of the application, terms such as “First” and “Second” are used solely for distinction and descriptive purposes and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or command.

[0038] In this application description, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more.

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the communication method and apparatus according to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 shows an architecture of a possible communication system to which the communication method according to the embodiment of this application can be applied. The architecture of the communication system includes network devices and terminal devices.

[0041] A network device is a device having wireless transceiver functionality, or a chip that can be placed in a network device. Network devices include, but are not limited to, gNBs, radio network controllers (RNCs), node Bs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node Bs or home node Bs, HNBs), baseband units (BBUs), access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) systems, radio relay nodes, radio backhaul nodes, or transmission and reception points (TRPs or transmission points, TPs). Alternatively, a network device may be a network node such as a baseband unit (BBU) or distributed unit (DU) that constitutes a gNB or transmission point.

[0042] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may further include a radio unit (RU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, while the DU implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. Information from the RRC layer ultimately becomes information from the PHY layer, or is converted from information from the PHY layer. Therefore, in such an architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PDCP layer signaling, may be considered as being transmitted by the DU or by both the DU and the RU. It can be understood that the network device may be a CU node, a DU node, or a device containing both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, a CU may be classified as a network device in the access network (RAN), or as a network device in the core network (CN). This is not limited to the CU.

[0043] Terminal devices may also be called user equipment (UE), access terminals, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, mobile consoles, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user equipment. In embodiments of this application, terminal devices may include mobile phones, tablet computers (Pads), computers with wireless transceiver functionality, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and the like. Application scenarios are not limited to embodiments of this application. In this application, terminal devices with wireless transceiver functionality and chips that can be placed in terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices.

[0044] It should be noted that the communication system shown in Figure 1 may be, but is not limited to, a 5th generation (5G) system, such as new radio access technology (NR). Optionally, the methods in the embodiments of this application are further applicable to future communication systems, such as 6G systems or other communication networks.

[0045] Currently, carrier aggregation (CA) is implemented as a standard. Multiple component carriers (CCs) may be configured for a single terminal device. One of the CCs corresponds to the primary cell (PCell), which is the cell where the terminal device establishes its initial connection, the cell where the terminal device re-establishes its radio resource control (RRC) connection, or the primary cell designated in the handover process. The PCell is responsible for RRC communication with the terminal device. Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) information can only be transmitted via the PCell. The other CCs correspond to secondary cells (SCells).

[0046] When a CA is configured for a terminal device, the network device may instruct the terminal device in the PCell whether or not to perform dormancy behavior in the SCell. If the terminal device is instructed to perform dormancy behavior, the terminal device does not monitor the PDCCH in the corresponding SCell. The specific method is as follows: A dormant BWP is configured in the SCell. Then, in the PCell, the terminal device is instructed to switch between dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP in the SCell by using one bit. For example, "1" instructs the terminal device to perform dormancy behavior in the SCell, e.g., switch from dormant BWP to non-dormant BWP, and "0" instructs the terminal device to perform non-dormancy behavior in the SCell, e.g., switch from non-dormant BWP to dormant BWP. Obviously, there may be other cases instead of one bit. This is not limited to this application.

[0047] Specifically, a 1-bit instruction in PCell has the following two possibilities:

[0048] The first possibility is as follows: When connected mode (C)-discontinuous reception (DRX) is not configured for the terminal device, or when C-DRX is configured for the terminal device and it is within the C-DRX active time, the instruction may be carried in downlink control information (DCI) format 0_1 ​​or DCI format 1_1.

[0049] The second possibility is as follows: When C-DRX is configured for the terminal device and the instruction is before the on-duration, the instruction may be carried in DCI format 3_0.

[0050] Typically, a network device may transmit a PDCCH before DRX OnDuration. The DCI format corresponding to the PDCCH may be 3_0. The DCI format may also be called by other names (e.g., format 2_6), which is not limited in this application. The PDCCH may carry a wake-up instruction to indicate whether the PDCCH should be monitored in the subsequent C-DRX cycle. If a terminal device is instructed not to wake up, regardless of the specific number of cells configured for the terminal device, the terminal device will not monitor the PDCCH in each cell. Furthermore, DCI format 3_0 may further indicate dormancy behavior in SCells, specifically indicating which SCells should monitor the PDCCH and which should not. Instructions regarding dormancy behavior do not affect PCells.

[0051] Currently, dormancy behavior is implemented based on BWP switching. However, current standards only discuss how network devices instruct terminal devices to enter dormancy behavior using instruction information, and the specific actions performed by the terminal device after it receives the instruction information are not clear. Based on this, this application provides a communication scheme for defining the specific actions performed by a terminal device after it receives instruction information from a network device instructing it that it needs to operate on a non-dormant BWP.

[0052] The communication method in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0053] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable to the communication system shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 2, the specific steps of the method may include the following steps.

[0054] Step 201: The network device generates instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0055] Step 202: The network device sends instruction information to the terminal device.

[0056] Specifically, the method by which a network device transmits instruction information to a terminal device may be as follows: The network device transmits instruction information to the terminal device in the primary cell.

[0057] Step 203: The terminal device enables itself to operate on the first BWP according to the instructions, and the first BPW is a non-dormant BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0058] Specifically, in this application, the terminal device does not monitor the PDCCH signal on a dormant BWP, but monitors the PDCCH signal on a non-dormant BWP.

[0059] For example, a terminal device may enable the terminal device to operate on a first BWP in the following five cases:

[0060] Case a1: The terminal device switches from the second BWP to the first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell. The first active BWP is a specific BWP. When a secondary cell is configured for a terminal device, the first active BWP in the secondary cell may be configured to determine, for the terminal device, a specific BWP that should be used when the terminal device first operates in the secondary cell.

[0061] In case a1, the network device configures a first active BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first active BWP is the BWP that the terminal device must switch to as long as it receives instruction information. Regardless of whether the terminal device operates on a dormant BWP or a non-dormant BWP, the terminal device will switch to the first active BWP in the first secondary cell and operate there, unless the terminal device is operating on the first active BWP.

[0062] Case a2: The terminal device switches from the third BWP to the first BWP, the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0063] In case a2, the network device configures a specific BWP (the first BWP in this case) in the first secondary cell, and the specific BWP is the BWP that the terminal device needs to switch to as long as it receives instruction information. Regardless of whether the terminal device operates on a dormant BWP or a non-dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, the terminal device will switch to the specific BWP in the first secondary cell and operate there unless the terminal device is operating on the configured specific BWP.

[0064] Case a3: The terminal device switches from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0065] Case a4: The terminal device switches from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0066] For example, a first secondary cell may have several pairs of BWPs, and each pair of BWPs is associated with the others. Specifically, each pair of BWPs consists of one dormant BWP and one non-dormant BWP that are associated with each other. When instruction information is received, the terminal device switches between only the two BWPs that are associated with each other.

[0067] Case a5: When the terminal device is currently using the first BWP, the terminal device continues to operate on the first BWP.

[0068] Specifically, in case a5, a possible scenario is that the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device and which a terminal device needs to switch. The method in case 5a is used only in this scenario. In other possible scenarios, the method in case a5 may be used regardless of which BWP is the first BWP, as long as the first BWP is a non-dormant BWP.

[0069] Accordingly, in the five possible cases described above, the network device will perform the following actions separately:

[0070] In case a1, the network device decides that the terminal device will switch from the second BWP to the first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0071] In case a2, the network device decides that the terminal device will switch from the third BWP to the first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0072] In case a3, the network device decides that the terminal device will switch from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, the fourth BWP being a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0073] In case a4, the network device decides that the terminal device switches from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, the fifth BWP being a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP being associated with the fifth BWP.

[0074] In case a5, when the terminal device is currently using the first BWP, the network device decides that the terminal device should continue to operate on the first BWP.

[0075] It should be noted that the above describes only the case in which instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in a first secondary cell. The first secondary cell should be understood as an example used to illustrate the communication method provided in this application. In a specific implementation, instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in one or more secondary cells, or to operate on a dormant BWP in one or more secondary cells. Specifically, the first secondary cell is any one of one or more secondary cells. When instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant BWP in any one of one or more secondary cells, a communication method in which the first secondary cell is used as an example may be used.

[0076] According to the communication method provided in this embodiment of the application, when a terminal device receives instruction information used by a network device to instruct it to operate on a non-dormant BWP in a secondary cell, the terminal device can determine a specific BWP on which the terminal device should operate and operate on the corresponding BWP.

[0077] Based on the embodiments described above, the comprehensive concept of the communication method provided in this application may be understood as follows:

[0078] The network device instructs the terminal device to switch to a non-dormant BWP in a specific SCell. For example, when the terminal device receives the instruction and operates on BWP 1, there are several possible scenarios:

[0079] If BWP 1 is a dormant BWP, the terminal device switches to BWP 2 after receiving instruction information, and BWP 2 is the BWP used when the terminal device switches from the dormant BWP, for example, the first active BWP, a specific (default) non-dormant BWP configured by the network device, or the active BWP used by the terminal device before the terminal device switches to the dormant BWP.

[0080] If BWP 1 is a non-dormant BWP but is not the BWP used when the terminal device switches from a dormant BWP, the terminal device will switch to BWP 2 after receiving the instruction and operate on BWP 2, which is either the BWP used when the terminal device switches from a dormant BWP, such as the first active BWP, or the default non-dormant BWP configured by the network device, or the terminal device will continue to operate on BWP 1.

[0081] If BWP 1 is a non-dormant BWP and is the BWP used when a terminal device switches from a dormant BWP, the terminal device will still operate on BWP 1.

[0082] Based on the above description, the following specific examples are used to illustrate the communication method provided in this application. In the following examples, an example is used in which the terminal device is the UE.

[0083] For example, multiple BWPs may be configured for a UE within a single cell. Let's assume that multiple non-dormant BWPs exist in a single SCell. The following uses a specific example to illustrate which BWP the UE should switch to when it receives a signal in the PCell indicating that it needs to monitor the PDCCH in the SCell (i.e., it needs to operate on a non-dormant BWP).

[0084] For example, suppose four BWPs are currently configured for the UE, with BWP 1, BWP 2, and BWP 3 being normal BWPs (i.e., BWPs that require PDCCH monitoring, i.e., non-dormant BWPs), and BWP 4 being a dormant BWP (i.e., a BWP that does not require PDCCH monitoring). The UE initially operates on BWP 2, receives instructions in the PCell at the first point in time, and needs to switch to the dormant BWP (i.e., BWP 4).

[0085] At the second point, the UE needs to receive instructions in the PCell and switch from the dormant BWP. In this case, there are three possible solutions for determining which BWP the UE should switch from BWP 4 to.

[0086] Solution 1: The UE switches to BWP 1, which is the first active BWP (in conventional technology, there is necessarily one first active BWP in a single SCell, and after the SCell becomes active, the UE operates on the first active BWP).

[0087] Solution 2: The UE switches to BWP 2, i.e., the active BWP (non-dormant BWP) used by the UE before the UE switches to the dormant BWP (BWP 4).

[0088] Solution 3: The UE switches to BWP 3, which is a BWP configured by the network device and used when the UE switches from a dormant BWP; in other words, it is a BWP configured by the network device that the UE needs to switch to.

[0089] For example, the above switching process may be as shown in Figure 3.

[0090] In another example, four normal BWPs (non-dormant BWPs) are configured for the UE, namely BWP 1, BWP 2, BWP 3, and BWP 4. Furthermore, four more dormant BWPs are configured for the UE, namely BWP 5, BWP 6, BWP 7, and BWP 8, corresponding to BWP 1, BWP 2, BWP 3, and BWP 4, respectively. When the UE's active BWP is BWP 1, if the UE receives instructions from a network device to switch to a dormant BWP, the UE switches to BWP 5. When the UE's active BWP is BWP 5, if the UE receives instructions from a network device to switch to a non-dormant BWP, the UE switches to BWP 1. In other words, the UE switches to the non-dormant BWP associated with the current dormant BWP.

[0091] In another example, when a UE is operating on a non-dormant BWP, if the UE receives a directive in the PCell indicating that the UE needs to monitor the PDCCH in the SCell, whether the UE switches between BWPs is described below in detail.

[0092] Assume that four BWPs are currently configured for the UE, with BWP 1, BWP 2, and BWP 3 being normal BWPs (i.e., BWPs that require PDCCH monitoring, i.e., non-dormant BWPs), and BWP 4 being a dormant BWP (i.e., a BWP that does not require PDCCH monitoring). BWP 1 is the BWP used when the UE switches from a dormant BWP (or the first active BWP in Solution 1 of the example above, or the BWP configured by the network side in Solution 3 of the example above) in SCell.

[0093] If the UE's current active BWP is BWP 2, and the UE receives an instruction in the PCell and needs to switch from the dormant BWP in the SCell, the UE's behavior may be achieved using one of the following two solutions.

[0094] Solution 1: Switch the UE from BWP 2 to BWP 1.

[0095] In this solution, it may be directly defined that the instructions in PCell are used only to switch between a dormant BWP (BWP 4) and a specific non-dormant BWP (BWP 1).

[0096] Solution 2: Keep BWP 2 as the active BWP.

[0097] In this solution, the UE may retain the active BWP without changing it to avoid the delay caused by BWP switching.

[0098] Specifically, the above switching process may be as shown in Figure 4.

[0099] Embodiments of this application further provide other communication methods applicable to the communication system shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 5, the specific steps of the method may include the following steps.

[0100] Step 501: The terminal device receives first configuration information from the network device, and the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information.

[0101] The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information.

[0102] For example, the following scenario may exist in which the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information.

[0103] In the first scenario, the categories of instruction information included in the downlink control information include at least the first instruction information.

[0104] In the second scenario, the categories of instruction information included in the downlink control information include at least the second set of instruction information.

[0105] In the third scenario, the categories of instruction information included in the downlink control information include the first instruction information and the second instruction information.

[0106] In the fourth scenario, the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information may be any of the categories in the three scenarios described above, and in the case of the three, they may be present randomly; the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information is not limited.

[0107] The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell.

[0108] Step 502: The terminal device monitors or does not monitor the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information contained in the first configuration information and downlink control information.

[0109] Step 503: The network device transmits or does not transmit the first downlink control information based on the categories of instruction information contained in the first configuration information and downlink control information.

[0110] The order of steps 502 and 503 is merely an example, and it should be understood that the order of the two steps is not limited in this application.

[0111] In a possible implementation, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, the terminal device receives second configuration information from the network device, and the second configuration information is used to configure the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information to include the first instruction information. Alternatively, the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information by default.

[0112] For example, when a terminal device monitors first downlink control information and first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and monitors PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or when first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0113] Correspondingly, when the network device transmits first downlink control information to a terminal device and the first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device transmits PDCCH to the terminal in each cell during On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or when the first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device does not transmit PDCCH to the terminal device in each cell during On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0114] In other examples, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a first instruction and a second instruction, the terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, and when the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitors the physical downlink control channel PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and decides whether to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle based on the second instruction, or when the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor the PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0115] Correspondingly, when the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device may send a PDCCH in the primary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle and determine the second instruction information based on whether the network device can send a PDCCH in the secondary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle; or, when the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device does not send a PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle and sends the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0116] The network device may determine the second instruction information based on whether it can send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, specifically as follows: If the network device can send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, the network device determines that the second instruction information will be used to indicate that the network can send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle. For example, the network device may determine that the second instruction information is "1". If the network device does not send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, the second instruction information will be used to indicate that the network device cannot send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle. For example, the network device may determine that the second instruction information is "0".

[0117] In yet another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a second instruction information, the terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, the terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitors the PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and the terminal device decides whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle based on the second instruction information.

[0118] Correspondingly, the network device sends a PDCCH in the primary cell to the terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, the network device determines second instruction information based on whether the network device can send a PDCCH in the secondary cell to the terminal device within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, and the network device sends first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0119] Specifically, in certain cases where the network device determines the second instruction information based on whether it can send a PDCCH in a secondary cell to a terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, it is the same as in the example above (i.e., the other example above). Cross-referencing may occur, and further details will not be provided here.

[0120] In another example, if the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or second instruction information, the terminal device does not monitor the first downlink control information.

[0121] Accordingly, the network device does not send the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0122] In the optional implementation method, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is, for example, before the start of On Duration in the first DRX cycle, as shown in Figure 6.

[0123] According to the communication method provided in this embodiment of the application, the specific behavior of whether or not a terminal device monitors downlink control information is determined.

[0124] Based on the above embodiment, when the downlink control information is in DCI format 3_0 and DCI format 3_0 exhibits wakeup and dormancy behavior (i.e., when the categories of instruction information included in DCI format 3_0 may be first instruction information and second instruction information), the following four combinations of instruction functions may exist.

[0125] Combination 1: wakeup + dormancy

[0126] Combination 2: Wakeup only

[0127] Combination 3: dormancy only

[0128] Combination 4: no wakeup or dormancy

[0129] Currently, the behavior of UE in combinations 1 and 2 is relatively common and will not be explained in detail.

[0130] For combination 3, the UE exhibits two types of behavior.

[0131] When the combination is invalid, i.e., when the UE is configured to monitor DCI, the UE must receive at least a wake-up command in DCI.

[0132] When the combination is valid, the UE's behavior should always be such that monitoring must be performed in the UE's PCell within On Duration, and whether or not monitoring is performed in the SCell should be determined based on specific instructions.

[0133] For combination 4, the UE also has two types of possible behaviors.

[0134] When the combination is invalid, i.e., when the UE is configured to monitor DCI, at least one instruction function must be configured for the UE.

[0135] If the combination is a valid combination and is configured for the UE, the UE does not need to monitor the DCI, even if it is configured to monitor the DCI.

[0136] Based on the embodiments described above, embodiments of this application further provide a terminal device. The terminal device is used in the communication system shown in Figure 1. The terminal device may be configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5. Referring to Figure 7, the terminal device may include a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702.

[0137] In this embodiment, when a terminal device implements the functions of the terminal device in the communication method shown in Figure 2, the details may be as follows.

[0138] The transceiver unit 702 is configured to receive instruction information from a network device, which is used to instruct a terminal device to operate on the non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0139] The processing unit 701 is configured to enable terminal devices to operate on a first BWP according to instruction information, and the first BPW is a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0140] In one example, when a terminal device is enabled to operate on a first BWP, the processing unit 701 is specifically configured to switch from a second BWP to the first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0141] In another example, when a terminal device is enabled to operate on a first BWP, the processing unit 701 is specifically configured to switch from a third BWP to the first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0142] In another example, when enabling a terminal device to operate on a first BWP, the processing unit 701 is specifically configured to switch from a fourth BWP to the first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0143] In another example, when a terminal device is enabled to operate on a first BWP, the processing unit 701 is specifically configured to switch from a fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0144] In yet another example, when enabling a terminal device to operate on a first BWP, the processing unit 701 is specifically configured to keep the terminal device operating on the first BWP while the terminal device is currently using the first BWP. The first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0145] In a specific implementation, when receiving instruction information from a network device, the transceiver unit 702 is specifically configured to receive instruction information from the network device in the primary cell.

[0146] In this embodiment, when a terminal device implements the functions of the terminal device in the communication method shown in Figure 5, the details may be as follows.

[0147] The transceiver unit 702 is configured to receive first configuration information from a network device, and the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct a terminal device to receive downlink control information.

[0148] The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information.

[0149] The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell.

[0150] The processing unit 701 is configured to either monitor or not monitor the first downlink control information based on the categories of instruction information included in the first configuration information and the downlink control information.

[0151] For example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a first instruction information, the transceiver unit 702 is further configured to receive a second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information to include the first instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information by default.

[0152] In another example, the processing unit 701 is further configured to monitor first downlink control information and, when first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or, when first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0153] In yet another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, the processing unit 701 monitors the first downlink control information, and when the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitors the physical downlink control channel PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and, based on the second instruction information, decides whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or when the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor the PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0154] In one example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the processing unit 701 is further configured to monitor the first downlink control information, start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitor the PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and, based on the second instruction information, decide whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0155] In another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the processing unit 701 is further configured not to monitor the first downlink control information.

[0156] In the specific implementation method, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0157] Based on the embodiments described above, embodiments of this application further provide a network device. The network device is used in the communication system shown in Figure 1. The network device may be configured to implement the communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5. Referring to Figure 8, the network device may include a processing unit 801 and a transceiver unit 802.

[0158] In this embodiment, when a network device implements the functions of a network device in the communication method shown in Figure 2, the details may be as follows.

[0159] The processing unit 801 is configured to generate instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to operate on the non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0160] The transceiver unit 802 is configured to transmit instruction information to a terminal device in order to enable the terminal device to operate on a first BWP, the first BWP being a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0161] In one example, the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine whether a terminal device switches from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0162] In another example, the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine whether a terminal device will switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0163] In yet another example, the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine whether a terminal device switches from a fourth BWP to a first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0164] In yet another example, the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine that a terminal device switches from a fifth BWP to a first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0165] In another example, the processing unit 801 is further configured to allow a terminal device to decide to continue operating on the first BWP when the terminal device is currently using the first BWP. The first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0166] In the optional implementation method, when sending instruction information to a terminal device, the transceiver unit 802 is specifically configured to send instruction information to the terminal device in the primary cell.

[0167] In other embodiments, when a network device implements the functions of a network device in the communication method shown in Figure 5, the details may be as follows.

[0168] The transceiver unit 802 is configured to transmit first configuration information to a terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information.

[0169] The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information.

[0170] The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell.

[0171] The processing unit 801 is configured to either transmit or not transmit the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and the downlink control information.

[0172] In one example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a first instruction information, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit a second configuration information to a terminal device, the second configuration information being used to configure the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information to include the first instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information to include the first instruction information by default.

[0173] In another example, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit a PDCCH to the terminal device in each cell during On Duration in the first DRX cycle when the first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, or not to transmit a PDCCH to the terminal device in each cell during On Duration in the first DRX cycle when the first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle.

[0174] In yet another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, if the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit a PDCCH in the primary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine the second instruction information based on whether the network device transmits a PDCCH in the secondary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or if the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured not to transmit a PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0175] In yet another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes a second instruction information, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit a PDCCH in the primary cell to a terminal device on duration during the first DRX cycle, the processing unit 801 is further configured to determine the second instruction information based on whether the network device transmits a PDCCH in the secondary cell to a terminal device on duration during the first DRX cycle, and the transceiver unit 802 is further configured to transmit the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0176] In yet another example, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or second instruction information, the transceiver unit 802 is further configured not to transmit the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0177] In the optional implementation method, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0178] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the division into units is merely an example and represents a logical functional division. Other division methods may exist in actual implementations. The functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically independently, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The integrated unit may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0179] When an integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application may be implemented essentially, or in part, in the form of a software product, or in part in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored on a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device) or processor to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or a compact disk.

[0180] Based on the embodiments described above, embodiments of this application further provide a terminal device. The terminal device is configured to perform the functions of a terminal device in a communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5. Referring to Figure 9, the terminal device 900 includes a transceiver 901 and a processor 902.

[0181] The processor 902 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor 902 may further include hardware chips. The hardware chips may be application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or a combination thereof. The PLDs may be complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), generic array logic (GALs), or a combination thereof. The processor 902 may implement the above functions by hardware or by hardware running corresponding software.

[0182] Transceiver 901 and processor 902 are connected to each other. Optionally, transceiver 901 and processor 902 are connected to each other using bus 904. Bus 904 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses may be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent buses in Figure 9, but this does not mean that only one bus or only one type of bus exists.

[0183] Optionally, the terminal device may further include memory 903, which is configured to store programs and the like. Specifically, the programs may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 903 may include RAM, and may further include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk memory. The processor 902 executes the application program stored in memory 903 to implement the above functions in order to realize the communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5.

[0184] In this embodiment, when the terminal device implements the communication method shown in Figure 2, the transceiver 901 may implement the transmission and reception operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and the processor 902 may implement operations other than the transmission and reception operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 2. For specific related explanations, please refer to the relevant explanations in the embodiments described above. Details will not be explained again here.

[0185] In other embodiments, when the terminal device implements the communication method shown in Figure 5, the transceiver 901 may implement the transmission and reception operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and the processor 902 may implement operations other than the transmission and reception operations performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5. For specific related explanations, refer to the relevant explanations in the embodiments described above. Details will not be explained again here.

[0186] Based on the embodiments described above, embodiments of this application further provide a network device. The network device is configured to perform the functions of a network device in a communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5. Referring to Figure 10, the network device 1000 includes a transceiver 901 and a processor 902.

[0187] The processor 1002 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor 1002 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or a combination thereof. The processor 902 may implement the above functions by hardware or by hardware running corresponding software.

[0188] Transceiver 1001 and processor 1002 are connected to each other. Optionally, transceiver 1001 and processor 1002 are connected to each other using bus 1004. Bus 1004 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses may be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent buses in Figure 10, but this does not mean that only one bus or only one type of bus exists.

[0189] Optionally, the network device may further include memory 1003, which is configured to store programs and the like. Specifically, the programs may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1003 may include RAM, and may further include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk memory. The processor 1002 executes the application program stored in memory 1003 to implement the above functions in order to realize the communication method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5.

[0190] In this embodiment, when the network device implements the communication method shown in Figure 2, the transceiver 1001 may implement the transmission and reception operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and the processor 1002 may implement operations other than the transmission and reception operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 2. For specific related explanations, please refer to the relevant explanations in the embodiments described above. Details will not be explained again here.

[0191] In other embodiments, when the network device implements the communication method shown in Figure 5, the transceiver 1001 may implement the transmission and reception operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, and the processor 1002 may implement operations other than the transmission and reception operations performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 5. For specific related explanations, refer to the relevant explanations in the embodiments described above. Details will not be explained again here.

[0192] Referring to the above description, this application provides the following embodiments.

[0193] Embodiment 1: The communication method is The steps include: a terminal device receiving instruction information from a network device, the instruction information being used to instruct the terminal device to operate on the non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in the first secondary cell; The steps include enabling the terminal device to operate on a first BWP according to instruction information, wherein the first BPW is a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell, and Includes.

[0194] Embodiment 2: In the method according to Embodiment 1, the step of enabling the terminal device to operate on the first BWP is: The step includes switching from a second BWP to a first BWP by a terminal device, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0195] Embodiment 3: In the method according to Embodiment 1, the step of enabling the terminal device to operate on the first BWP is: The step includes a terminal device switching from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by a network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0196] Embodiment 4: In the method according to Embodiment 1, the step of enabling the terminal device to operate on the first BWP is: The step includes a terminal device switching from a fourth BWP to a first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0197] Embodiment 5: In the method according to Embodiment 1, the step of enabling the terminal device to operate on the first BWP is: The step includes switching from a fifth BWP to a first BWP by a terminal device, wherein the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0198] Embodiment 6: In the method according to Embodiment 1, the step of enabling the terminal device to operate on the first BWP is: The procedure includes the step of having the terminal device continue to operate on the first BWP when the terminal device is currently using the first BWP.

[0199] Embodiment 7: In the method according to Embodiment 6, the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that needs to be switched by a terminal device.

[0200] Embodiment 8: In the method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, the step of receiving instruction information from a network device by a terminal device is: The process includes the step of receiving instruction information from a network device in the primary cell via a terminal device.

[0201] Embodiment 9: The communication method is The steps include: a network device generating instruction information, which is used to instruct a terminal device to operate on the non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in the first secondary cell; The steps include: a network device sending instruction information to a terminal device to enable the terminal device to operate on a first BWP, the first BWP being a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell; and Includes.

[0202] Embodiment 10: In the method according to Embodiment 9, the method is The step of a network device deciding that a terminal device will switch from a second BWP to a first BWP, the second BWP being a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP being a first active BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0203] Embodiment 11: In the method according to Embodiment 9, the method is The step further includes a network device deciding that a terminal device should switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0204] Embodiment 12: In the method according to Embodiment 9, the method is The step further includes a network device deciding that a terminal device should switch from a fourth BWP to a first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0205] Embodiment 13: In the method according to Embodiment 9, the method is The step further includes a network device deciding that a terminal device switches from a fifth BWP to a first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in a first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0206] Embodiment 14: In the method according to Embodiment 9, the method is The further step includes, when a terminal device is currently using a first BWP, the network device deciding whether to allow the terminal device to continue operating on the first BWP.

[0207] Embodiment 15: In the method according to Embodiment 14, the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that needs to be switched by a terminal device.

[0208] Embodiment 16: In the method according to any one of Embodiments 9 to 15, the step of transmitting instruction information to a terminal device by a network device is: The network device includes the step of transmitting instruction information to a terminal device in the primary cell.

[0209] Embodiment 17: The terminal device is A transceiver unit configured to receive instruction information from a network device, the instruction information being used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in a first secondary cell, and the transceiver unit A processing unit configured to enable a terminal device to operate on a first BWP according to instruction information, wherein the first BPW is a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell, and Includes.

[0210] Embodiment 18: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 17, when the terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the processing unit, The system is specifically configured to switch from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0211] Embodiment 19: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 17, when the terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the processing unit, The system is specifically configured to switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0212] Embodiment 20: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 17, when the terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the processing unit, The system is specifically configured to switch from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0213] Embodiment 21: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 17, when the terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the processing unit, The system is specifically configured to switch from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0214] Embodiment 22: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 17, when the terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the processing unit, When a terminal device is currently using the first BWP, it is specifically configured to continue operating on the first BWP.

[0215] Embodiment 23: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 22, the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that the terminal device needs to switch.

[0216] Embodiment 24: In a terminal device according to any one of Embodiments 17 to 23, when receiving instruction information from a network device, the transceiver unit, The primary cell is specifically configured to receive instruction information from network devices.

[0217] Embodiment 25: The network device is A processing unit configured to generate instruction information, the instruction information being used to instruct a terminal device to operate on a non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in a first secondary cell, and A transceiver unit configured to transmit instruction information to a terminal device in order to enable the terminal device to operate on a first BWP, wherein the first BWP is a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell, and the transceiver unit and Includes.

[0218] Embodiment 26: In the network device according to Embodiment 25, the processing unit is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0219] Embodiment 27: In the network device according to Embodiment 25, the processing unit is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0220] Embodiment 28: In the network device according to Embodiment 25, the processing unit is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0221] Embodiment 29: In the network device according to Embodiment 25, the processing unit is: The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0222] Embodiment 30: In the network device according to Embodiment 25, the processing unit is When the terminal device is currently using the first BWP, it is further configured to decide whether to continue operating on the first BWP.

[0223] Embodiment 31: In the network device according to Embodiment 30, the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by the network device that needs to be switched by the terminal device.

[0224] Embodiment 32: In a network device according to any one of Embodiments 25 to 31, when transmitting instruction information to a terminal device, the transceiver unit, The primary cell is specifically configured to transmit instruction information to terminal devices.

[0225] Embodiment 33: The terminal device is A transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, A processor configured to enable a terminal device to perform a method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, Includes.

[0226] Embodiment 34: The network device is A transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, A processor configured to enable a network device to perform the method according to any one of Embodiments 9 to 16, Includes.

[0227] Embodiment 35: The communication system includes a network device and a terminal device.

[0228] The network device is configured to generate instruction information and send it to a terminal device, which is used to instruct the terminal device to operate on the non-dormant bandwidth part BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0229] The terminal device is configured to operate on a first BWP according to instruction information, and the first BPW is a non-dormant BWP in a first secondary cell.

[0230] Embodiment 36: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35, when a terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the terminal device, The system is specifically configured to switch from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0231] Embodiment 37: In a communication system according to Embodiment 35 or Embodiment 36, the network device is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from a second BWP to a first BWP, where the second BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is the first active BWP in the first secondary cell.

[0232] Embodiment 38: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35, when a terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the terminal device, The system is specifically configured to switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0233] Embodiment 39: In a communication system according to Embodiment 35 or Embodiment 38, the network device is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from a third BWP to a first BWP, where the third BWP is a dormant or non-dormant BWP currently in use by the terminal device, and the first BWP is a BWP configured by the network device that the terminal device needs to switch to.

[0234] Embodiment 40: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35, when a terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the terminal device, The system is specifically configured to switch from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0235] Embodiment 41: In a communication system according to Embodiment 35 or Embodiment 40, the network device is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from the fourth BWP to the first BWP, where the fourth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the terminal device operates on the first BWP before switching to the fourth BWP.

[0236] Embodiment 42: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35, when a terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the terminal device, The system is specifically configured to switch from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0237] Embodiment 43: In a communication system according to Embodiment 35 or Embodiment 42, the network device is The terminal device is further configured to decide to switch from the fifth BWP to the first BWP, where the fifth BWP is a dormant BWP in the first secondary cell, and the first BWP is associated with the fifth BWP.

[0238] Embodiment 44: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35, when a terminal device is made capable of operating on the first BWP, the terminal device, When a terminal device is currently using the first BWP, it is specifically configured to continue operating on the first BWP.

[0239] Embodiment 45: In the communication system according to Embodiment 35 or Embodiment 44, the network device is When the terminal device is currently using the first BWP, it is further configured to decide whether to continue operating on the first BWP.

[0240] Embodiment 46: In the communication system according to Embodiment 44 or Embodiment 46, the first BWP is neither the first active BWP in the first secondary cell nor a BWP configured by a network device that needs to be switched by a terminal device.

[0241] Embodiment 47: In a communication system according to any one of Embodiments 35 to 46, when receiving instruction information from a network device, the terminal device The primary cell is specifically configured to receive instruction information from network devices.

[0242] Embodiment 48: The communication method is The step involves a terminal device receiving first configuration information from a network device, the first configuration information being used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information. The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or the second instruction information. The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether to perform a sleep operation in the second cell, step by step. Depending on the terminal device, the steps include monitoring the first downlink control information or not monitoring it based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and downlink control information. Includes.

[0243] Embodiment 49: In the method according to Embodiment 48, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, the method is: The step further includes a terminal device receiving second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information, or that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information by default.

[0244] Embodiment 50: In the method according to Embodiment 48 or Embodiment 49, the method is The terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device may perform the following steps: start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and monitor the PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. It also includes.

[0245] Embodiment 51: In the method according to Embodiment 48, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, the method is: The terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device may start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, monitor the physical downlink control channel PDCCH in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and, based on the second instruction information, decide whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the terminal device does not start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and does not monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. It also includes.

[0246] Embodiment 52: In the method according to Embodiment 48, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the method is: The terminal device monitors the first downlink control information, The terminal device starts the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, and monitors the PDCCH in the primary cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle. The terminal device determines, based on second instruction information, whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle. It also includes.

[0247] Embodiment 53: In the method according to Embodiment 48, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the method is as follows: The process further includes a step in which the terminal device does not monitor the first downlink control information.

[0248] Embodiment 54: In the method according to any one of Embodiments 48 to 53, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0249] Embodiment 55: The communication method is The network device transmits first configuration information to a terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information. The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or the second instruction information. The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether to perform a sleep operation in the second cell, step by step. The network device performs the steps of either transmitting or not transmitting the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and downlink control information. Includes.

[0250] Embodiment 56: In the method according to Embodiment 55, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, the method is: The step further includes a network device sending second configuration information to a terminal device, the second configuration information being used to configure that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information, or that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information by default.

[0251] Embodiment 57: In the method according to Embodiment 55 or Embodiment 56, the method is The network device transmits first downlink control information to the terminal device. When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device sends a PDCCH to the terminal device in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device takes the step of not sending PDCCH in each cell within On Duration to the terminal device in the first DRX cycle. It also includes.

[0252] Embodiment 58: In the method according to Embodiment 55, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, the method is: When first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device determines second instruction information based on whether it transmits a PDCCH in the primary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and whether it transmits a PDCCH in the secondary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle; or, when first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the network device does not transmit a PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. The network device transmits first downlink control information to the terminal device. It also includes.

[0253] Embodiment 59: In the method according to Embodiment 55, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the method is: The network device sends PDCCH to the terminal device in the primary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle, The network device determines second instruction information based on whether the network device transmits a PDCCH to a terminal device in a secondary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle. The network device transmits first downlink control information to the terminal device. It also includes.

[0254] Embodiment 60: In the method according to Embodiment 55, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the method is as follows: The network device further includes the step of not sending the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0255] Embodiment 61: In the method according to any one of Embodiments 55 to 60, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0256] Embodiment 62: The terminal device is A transceiver unit configured to receive first configuration information from a network device, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct a terminal device to receive downlink control information. The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or the second instruction information. The transceiver unit is provided with a first instruction information used to instruct a terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and a second instruction information used to instruct a terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell. A processing unit configured to monitor or not monitor the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and downlink control information. Includes.

[0257] Embodiment 63: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 62, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, The transceiver unit is further configured to receive second configuration information from a network device, and the second configuration information is used to configure that the category of the indication information included in the downlink control information includes the first indication information, or the category of the indication information included in the downlink control information includes the first indication information by default.

[0258] Embodiment 64: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 62 or Embodiment 63, the processing unit monitors the first downlink control information, When the first indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to start an On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, and monitor the PDCCH in each cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first indication information is used to instruct the terminal device not to start an On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor the PDCCH in each cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0259] Embodiment 65: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 62, when the category of the indication information included in the downlink control information includes the first indication information and the second indication information, the processing unit monitors the first downlink control information, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the On Duration timer is started in the first DRX cycle, the physical downlink control channel PDCCH is monitored in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and based on the second instruction information, it is decided whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0260] Embodiment 66: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 62, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the processing unit, The first downlink control information is monitored, In the first DRX cycle, the On Duration timer is started, and within the On Duration of the first DRX cycle, the PDCCH is monitored in the primary cell. Based on the second instruction information, the system is further configured to determine whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle.

[0261] Embodiment 67: In the terminal device according to Embodiment 62, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the processing unit: The system is further configured not to monitor the first downlink control information.

[0262] Embodiment 68: In a terminal device according to any one of Embodiments 62 to 67, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0263] Embodiment 69: The network device is A transceiver unit configured to transmit first configuration information to a terminal device, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information. The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first or the second instruction information. The transceiver unit is provided with a first instruction information used to instruct a terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and a second instruction information used to instruct a terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell. A processing unit configured to transmit or not transmit the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and downlink control information, Includes.

[0264] Embodiment 70: In the network device according to Embodiment 69, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit second configuration information to a terminal device, the second configuration information being used to configure that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, or that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information by default.

[0265] Embodiment 71: In the network device according to Embodiment 69 or Embodiment 70, the transceiver unit is The first downlink control information is transmitted to the terminal device. When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, either PDCCH is sent to the terminal device in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to send PDCCH in each cell within On Duration to the terminal device in the first DRX cycle.

[0266] Embodiment 72: In the network device according to Embodiment 69, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, If the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a PDCCH in the primary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and the processing unit is further configured to determine a second instruction information based on whether the network device transmits a PDCCH in the secondary cell to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or if the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the transceiver unit is further configured not to transmit a PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit first downlink control information to a terminal device.

[0267] Embodiment 73: In the network device according to Embodiment 69, when the category of the indication information included in the downlink control information includes the second indication information, The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit PDCCH to the terminal device in the primary cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle, The processing unit is further configured to determine the second indication information based on whether the network device transmits PDCCH to the terminal device in the secondary cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle, The transceiver unit is further configured to transmit the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0268] Embodiment 74: In the network device according to Embodiment 69, when the category of the indication information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first indication information or the second indication information, the transceiver unit Is further configured not to transmit the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0269] Embodiment 75: In the network device according to any one of Embodiments 69 to 74, the transmission timing of the first downlink control information is before the start time of the on-duration On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0270] Embodiment 76: The terminal device A transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, A processor configured to enable the terminal device to execute the method according to any one of Embodiments 48 to 54 And.

[0271] Embodiment 77: The network device A transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, A processor configured to enable a network device to perform a method according to any one of embodiments 55 to 61, Includes.

[0272] Embodiment 78: The communication system includes a network device and a terminal device.

[0273] A terminal device is configured to receive first configuration information from a network device, and the first configuration information is used to configure or instruct the terminal device to receive downlink control information.

[0274] The category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes at least one of the first instruction information or the second instruction information, or the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information.

[0275] The first instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to start the On Duration timer in the first discontinuous receive DRX cycle, and the second instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device whether or not to perform a sleep operation in the second cell.

[0276] The terminal device is further configured to monitor or not monitor the first downlink control information based on the categories of instruction information included in the first configuration information and the downlink control information.

[0277] The network device is further configured to transmit or not transmit the first downlink control information based on the category of instruction information included in the first configuration information and the downlink control information.

[0278] Embodiment 79: In the communication system according to Embodiment 78, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, the terminal device The system is further configured to receive second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information, or that the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes the first instruction information by default.

[0279] Embodiment 80: In a communication system according to Embodiment 78 or Embodiment 79, the terminal device is The first downlink control information is monitored, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the On Duration timer is started in the first DRX cycle, and the PDCCH is monitored in each cell within the On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0280] Embodiment 81: In a communication system according to any one of Embodiments 78 to 80, the network device is The first downlink control information is transmitted to the terminal device. When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, either PDCCH is sent to the terminal device in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to send PDCCH in each cell within On Duration to the terminal device in the first DRX cycle.

[0281] Embodiment 82: In the communication system according to Embodiment 78, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, the terminal device The first downlink control information is monitored, When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the On Duration timer is started in the first DRX cycle, the physical downlink control channel PDCCH is monitored in the primary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, and based on the second instruction information, it is decided whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle, or When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, it is further configured not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle and not to monitor PDCCH in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0282] Embodiment 83: In a communication system according to Embodiment 78 or Embodiment 82, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes first instruction information and second instruction information, the network device When the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the second instruction information is determined based on whether the primary cell sends a PDCCH to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle and whether the network device sends a PDCCH to the terminal device within On Duration in the first DRX cycle or, when the first instruction information is used to instruct a terminal device not to start the On Duration timer in the first DRX cycle, the PDCCH is not sent in each cell within On Duration in the first DRX cycle. It is further configured to transmit first downlink control information to a terminal device.

[0283] Embodiment 84: In the communication system according to Embodiment 78, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the terminal device The first downlink control information is monitored, In the first DRX cycle, the On Duration timer is started, and within the On Duration of the first DRX cycle, the PDCCH is monitored in the primary cell. Based on the second instruction information, the system is further configured to determine whether or not to monitor the PDCCH in the secondary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle.

[0284] Embodiment 85: In a communication system according to Embodiment 78 or Embodiment 84, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information includes second instruction information, the network device In the first DRX cycle, the primary cell transmits PDCCH to the terminal device within On Duration. The second instruction information is determined based on whether the network device transmits a PDCCH to the terminal device in the secondary cell within On Duration during the first DRX cycle. It is further configured to transmit first downlink control information to a terminal device.

[0285] Embodiment 86: In the communication system according to Embodiment 78, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the terminal device The system is further configured not to monitor the first downlink control information.

[0286] Embodiment 87: In a communication system according to Embodiment 78 or Embodiment 86, when the category of instruction information included in the downlink control information does not include either the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the network device The system is further configured not to transmit the first downlink control information to the terminal device.

[0287] Embodiment 88: In a communication system according to any one of Embodiments 78 to 87, the transmission time of the first downlink control information is before the start of the On Duration in the first DRX cycle.

[0288] Embodiment 89: A chip is provided, which is coupled to a memory and configured to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory, thereby realizing the method described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 16 or Embodiments 48 to 61.

[0289] Embodiment 90: A computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer-executable instructions, and when called by a computer, the computer-executable instructions are used to enable the computer to perform a method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 16 or Embodiments 48 to 61.

[0290] Embodiment 91: A computer program product containing instructions is provided, and when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of performing the method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 16 or Embodiments 48 to 61.

[0291] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Accordingly, this application may be used in the form of hardware-only embodiments, software-only embodiments, or embodiments having a combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, this application may be used in the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) including computer-usable program code.

[0292] This application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It should be understood that computer program instructions may be used to implement each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, an embedded processor, or another programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the computer or processor of the other programmable data processing device generate a device for implementing a particular function in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0293] These computer program instructions may, alternatively, be stored in computer-readable memory that indicates how a computer or other programmable data processing device should operate in a particular manner, thereby generating an artifact that includes an instruction unit. The instruction unit implements a specific function in one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0294] These computer program instructions may, alternatively, be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, thereby executing a series of actions and steps on the computer or other programmable device to generate a process implemented on the computer. Thus, instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps to implement a specific function in one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0295] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of this application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application. This application is intended to cover such modifications and variations of the embodiments of this application, provided that they fall within the scope of protection defined by the following claims and equivalent art.

Claims

1. A method of communication, The step of receiving downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI includes instruction information, The steps include determining whether or not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell based on the instruction information, If the terminal device decides not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell, and the bandwidth part BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell is a non-dormant BWP, then the terminal device continues to operate on the BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell, or The steps include: the terminal device decides not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell, and if the BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell is a dormant BWP, the terminal device switches to a first BWP in the target secondary cell and operates on the first BWP, the first BWP being a non-dormant BWP in the target secondary cell; and Includes, A method comprising configuring a discontinuous reception C-DRX connection mode for the terminal device, where the transmission time of the DCI is before the on-duration OnDuration, and the format of the DCI includes DCI format 2_6.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first BWP is a BWP used by the terminal device when the terminal device switches from a dormant BWP, and the first BWP is composed of network devices.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first BWP is a default BWP configured by a network device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the size of the instruction information is 1 bit.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the instruction information is transmitted in the primary cell.

6. This method is The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of switching to the dormant BWP and operating on the dormant BWP when the terminal device decides to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell.

7. A method of communication, The step of generating downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI includes instruction information, The steps include transmitting the instruction information to a terminal device, thereby causing the terminal device to determine whether or not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell based on the instruction information. The instruction information instructs the terminal device not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell, and if the bandwidth part BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell is a non-dormant BWP, the terminal device decides to continue operating on the BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell, or The steps include: the instruction information instructs the terminal device not to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell, and if the BWP currently operating in the target secondary cell is a dormant BWP, the terminal device decides to switch to a first BWP in the target secondary cell and operate on the first BWP, wherein the first BWP is a non-dormant BWP in the target secondary cell; and Includes, A method comprising configuring a discontinuous reception C-DRX connection mode for the terminal device, where the transmission time of the DCI is before the on-duration OnDuration, and the format of the DCI includes DCI format 2_6.

8. This method is The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of configuring the first BWP for the terminal device, wherein the first BWP is a BWP used by the terminal device when the terminal device switches from a dormant BWP.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the first BWP is a default BWP configured by a network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the size of the instruction information is 1 bit.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the instruction information is transmitted in the primary cell.

12. This method is The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising the step of the terminal device deciding to switch to the dormant BWP and operate on the dormant BWP if the instruction information instructs the terminal device to perform a dormant behavior in the target secondary cell.

13. An apparatus configured to perform the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

14. An apparatus configured to perform the communication method described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium for storing computer executable instructions, A computer-readable storage medium, which, when invoked by a computer, is used to enable the computer to execute the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

16. A computer program that includes instructions, A computer program that, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to perform the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

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