Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method comprises: a network device sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used for the terminal device to determine a first access occasion for initiating random access to the network device, and the terminal device being one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; and correspondingly, after receiving the first information, the terminal device entering a hibernate state in a first hibernate period and initiating the random access to the network device at the first access occasion, the first hibernate period being prior to the first access occasion. In the communication method provided by the present application, the terminal device hibernates in the process of waiting for the random access, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device in the process of randomly accessing the network device.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on June 30, 2023, with application number 202310795061.0 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] 3GPP has defined an extremely low-power and low-complexity IoT technology - the ambient internet of things (A-IoT).

[0004] At present, in A-IOT technology, the basic communication process between terminal devices and network devices includes: the terminal device first randomly accesses the network device, and then transmits business data between the network device.

[0005] However, analysis has revealed that in the communication process between the terminal device and the network device, there is a problem of high power consumption of the terminal device.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device to reduce the power consumption of a terminal device.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a terminal device, a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used by the terminal device to determine a first access opportunity for initiating random access to a network device, the terminal device being one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; entering a sleep state during a first sleep period, the first sleep period being before the first access opportunity; and initiating random access to the network device at the first access opportunity.

[0009] In this embodiment, the network device specifically refers to an access network device, or is called a base station, and its description does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0010] In this embodiment, the terminal device refers to a terminal device in a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device.

[0011] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines its own access timing (i.e., the first access timing) based on the first information sent by the network device, and enters a sleep state for a period of time before the first access timing, and then initiates random access to the network device at the first access timing.

[0012] Specifically, the first information may be carried in the first message, or in other words, the first information may be considered as a field in the first message.

[0013] Exemplarily, the first information may be a Q parameter carried in a Query message.

[0014] Specifically, the access timing can be interpreted in two ways: one is to determine whether to initiate access based on a counter: the initial value of the counter can be determined based on a message sent by the network device (such as the first message). Each subsequent receipt of a second message decrements the counter by one. When it reaches zero, access is initiated, and the corresponding access timing is when the counter reaches 0. The other (corresponding to existing cellular networks) directly indicates the time frame number, subframe number, time slot number, and access opportunity (random access / RACH occasion) number at which access is possible.

[0015] In this embodiment, the period of time during which the terminal device is dormant before the first access opportunity is referred to as a first dormant period.

[0016] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how the terminal device specifically determines the first sleep period.

[0017] In one embodiment, the network device sends second information to the terminal device, where the second information indicates the first duration; and then the terminal device determines the first sleep period according to the second information.

[0018] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how the second information specifically indicates the first duration.

[0019] As an example, the second information may indicate the minimum time length (i.e., the first time length) between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device, or it may also be referred to as the second information indicating the minimum sending time interval (i.e., the first time length) between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device. For example, if the second information indicates 10ms, it means that the time interval between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device is not less than 10ms; accordingly, for the terminal device, the first sleep period is determined based on the minimum sending time interval as a reference and the determined first access opportunity. In a method in which a terminal device updates the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity, the terminal device can update the time slot number by receiving the second message. For example, when the terminal device obtains the first time length, it can determine how many second messages the network device has sent at least during the first sleep period by the running time of the timer. For example, when the terminal obtains the second information indicating that the first time length is 10ms, if the timer runs for 100ms, the terminal can determine that the network device has sent at least 10 second messages.

[0020] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how the network device in this example determines the minimum length between two adjacent second messages.

[0021] For example, the network device can separately determine the time interval T0 required for sending signaling (such as the second message) (i.e., the time interval T0 from the start of sending the signaling to the end of sending the signaling), the time interval T1 between the end of the network device sending signaling (such as the second message, the first message, etc.) and the start of the terminal device sending signaling (such as RN16, RN8, EPC, uplink data, etc.), and if there is still no feedback from the terminal device after T0+T1, the network device needs to wait for an additional delay T2, and then determine the sum of T0+T1+T2 as the value of the minimum time length described herein. Optionally, the network device can also only determine the sum of T0+T1 as the value of the minimum time length described herein.

[0022] When the second information is specifically implemented to indicate the minimum time length between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device, the second information sent by the network device to the terminal device can be a k-bit information, and the unit defaults to ms (only an example, not a limitation), wherein the value of the k bit is the sleep duration; accordingly, after receiving the k-bit information, the terminal device determines the minimum time length (i.e., the first duration) between two adjacent second messages based on the value of the k bit, and then determines the first sleep period when sleeping based on the first duration. For example, the network device indicates a decimal integer between [1, 64] through a 6-bit binary number, and the unit defaults to ms. Accordingly, when the decimal number indicated by the 6-bit sent by the network device is 2, at this time, when determining the first sleep period, the terminal device determines to sleep for at least 2ms.

[0023] As another example, the second information can also be used to indicate the length of a specific time period, such as using a p1 bit binary number to indicate the absolute value of the time and a p2 bit to indicate the time unit: for example, the first p1=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the other p2=1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the second information is 1000, the first p1 bit 100 indicates a value of 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate a unit of milliseconds. Then, the first duration of 8 milliseconds can be obtained through the second information. Alternatively, the absolute value of the time is indicated by the p1 bit, and the default time unit is a specified time unit: for example, p1=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the default time unit is milliseconds. Then, the third information is 100, indicating that the first duration is 8 milliseconds.

[0024] Optionally, when the first duration is indicated by the second information, if the first duration indicated by the second information is 0, it can be considered that the terminal device is instructed not to sleep.

[0025] Optionally, when the terminal device determines the first sleep period based on the first duration, the determined duration of the first sleep period is an integer multiple of the first duration.

[0026] In another embodiment, the network device sends third information to the terminal device, where the third information indicates the second duration; accordingly, when the terminal device determines the duration of the first sleep period, the determined duration of the first sleep period is less than or equal to the second duration.

[0027] That is, in this embodiment, the second duration indicated by the third information sent by the network device to the terminal device can be considered as the maximum sleep duration of the terminal device when it is in sleep mode.

[0028] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how the third information specifically indicates the second duration.

[0029] As an example, the third information sent by the network device to the terminal device can be a p3-bit information, and different values ​​of the p3 bit indicate different ratios; accordingly, after receiving the p3-bit information (i.e., the third information), the terminal device determines the indicated ratio based on the value of the third information, and determines the second duration based on the ratio and the first access opportunity, and then, when determining the first sleep period, makes the duration of the first sleep period less than or equal to the second duration, that is, ensures that the duration of the first sleep period is within the second duration.

[0030] For example, the network device indicates {1, 1 / 2, 1 / 4, 1 / 8...1 / 64, 1 / 128} through 3 bits, which correspond to values ​​000 to 111 respectively. For example, when the value of the third information received by the terminal device is 010 (converted to a decimal number of 2), it represents a ratio of 1 / 4; accordingly, the terminal device determines the second duration based on 1 / 4 and the first access opportunity. For example, if the first access opportunity is the 16th time slot, the second duration is determined to be the product of the indicated ratio and the access opportunity, that is, (1 / 4)*16=4, that is, the second duration is 4 time slots.

[0031] As another example, the third information can also be used to indicate the length of a specific time period, such as by using the p4 bit to indicate the absolute value of the time and the p5 bit to indicate the time unit: for example, the first p5=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the other p5=1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the third information is 1000, the first p4 bit 100 indicates a value of 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate a unit of milliseconds. Then, the second duration can be obtained as 8 milliseconds through the third information. Alternatively, the absolute value of the time is indicated by the p4 bit, and the default time unit is a specified time unit: for example, p4=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the default time unit is milliseconds. Then, the third information being 100 indicates that the second duration is 8 milliseconds.

[0032] Optionally, when the second duration is indicated by the third information, if the second duration indicated by the third information is 0, it can be considered that the terminal device is instructed not to sleep.

[0033] Optionally, the network device in the present application may further send fourth information to the terminal device, where the fourth information indicates whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; accordingly, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal device is in sleep mode, the terminal device enters the sleep state during the first sleep period. Optionally, the fourth information is the same as the second information, or the fourth information is the same as the third information.

[0034] For example, the fourth information can be indicated by 1 bit, for example, the fourth information is 0, indicating that the terminal device is not in sleep mode, and 1, indicating that the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0035] In other words, in this implementation, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal device is not to sleep, the terminal device does not enter the sleep state during the first sleep period. In other words, in this implementation, the fourth information can be used by the terminal device to determine whether to sleep before the first access opportunity.

[0036] Optionally, without sending the fourth information, the third information or the second information can also be used to instruct the terminal not to sleep. For example, the second information indicates that the corresponding first duration is 0, indicating that sleep is not performed; or, the third information indicates that the corresponding second duration is 0, which means that the maximum sleep time length is 0 seconds / milliseconds.

[0037] It can be seen that in the communication method provided in this embodiment, since the terminal device is dormant while waiting for random access, the power consumption of the terminal device during random access to the access network device is reduced.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation method, the network device in the present application can also send fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information indicates the number corresponding to the current access opportunity; accordingly, after the terminal device receives the fifth information, it determines whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity based on the fifth information.

[0039] Wherein, whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity is determined based on the fifth information, or it can be expressed in another way: whether to initiate random access at the current access opportunity is determined based on the fifth information.

[0040] The number corresponding to the current access opportunity specifically refers to the number of the time slot corresponding to the current access opportunity.

[0041] It should be understood that when the terminal device completes sleep during the first sleep period, the current access timing determined by the terminal device may be inaccurate. In view of this, in this implementation method, the network device indicates the number corresponding to the current access timing to the terminal device by sending the fifth information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the current access timing, thereby aligning the access timing with the network device side, so as to further avoid missing the opportunity to initiate random access to the network device at the first access timing.

[0042] Optionally, the fifth information can also be carried in the message sent by the network device, such as in the second message, and is used to indicate the time slot number of the access opportunity corresponding to the second message. For example, the fifth information uses a 4-bit binary number 0000~1111 to indicate a decimal number in {1,2,3,4,…,15,16}. When the fifth information is 0100, it indicates that the time slot number of the access opportunity corresponding to the second message is 4.

[0043] For example, the terminal enters sleep mode after receiving the second message, and obtains the fifth information 0000 through the second message, and the corresponding access opportunity time slot number is 1. Then the terminal device sleeps in the first sleep period, and receives the second message after waking up, and obtains the fifth information 0111, and the corresponding access opportunity time slot number is 7. It can be determined that the network device has sent at least 6 second messages during the sleep period. Optionally, the time slot number of the current access opportunity stored in the synchronization terminal is 7.

[0044] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; after completing the service data transmission, sleeping during the second sleep period; wherein, the sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different, or the sixth information is different from the information sent by the network device to at least one terminal device in a group of terminal devices (information with a similar function to the sixth information).

[0045] In other words, the sixth information in this implementation manner can be used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period for sleeping after completing the service data transmission.

[0046] The terminal device described here completes the service data transmission in two forms: one is that the terminal device completes the uplink data transmission and receives confirmation information (acknowledgement, ACK); the other is that the terminal device receives a connection release message (RRC release).

[0047] Among them, the sixth information can be carried in the Nth message, and the Nth message can be: (uplink data) confirmation (acknowledgement, ACK) message, connection release (RRCRelease) message, RRC reconfiguration message (RRCReconfiguration), downlink data, sleep indication message, broadcast message, etc., which does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0048] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may be, for example, a timer value and a timer unit. For example, if the sixth information is 10ms, then upon receiving the sixth information, the terminal device determines that the second sleep period after the completion of the service data transmission is 10ms. That is, the terminal device goes into sleep within 10ms after the completion of the service data transmission.

[0049] Exemplarily, the sixth information indicates the absolute value of the time through the p6 bit and the p7 bit indicates the time unit: for example, the first p6 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}, and the other p7 = 1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the sixth information is 1000, the first p6 bit 100 indicates the value is 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate the unit is milliseconds. Then, the second sleep period can be obtained as 8 milliseconds through the sixth information. Alternatively, the absolute value of the time is indicated by the p6 bit, and the default time unit is the specified time unit: for example, p6 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}, and the time unit defaults to milliseconds. Then, the sixth information is 100, indicating that the second sleep period is 8 milliseconds.

[0050] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may also be parameters used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period. That is, the network device sends the parameters to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the second sleep period for sleeping after completing service data transmission based on these parameters. For example, the terminal device may calculate the second sleep period based on a preset rule, or may randomly generate the second sleep period based on these parameters.

[0051] In this implementation, since the terminal device goes into sleep mode after completing the transmission of uplink service data, the power consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced. In addition, it should be understood that in the communication method provided in this embodiment, the sleep mode of the terminal device after the uplink service data is completed is achieved by the access network device sending the sixth information to the terminal device. For a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device, the first access timing of different terminal devices accessing the access network device may be different. Therefore, in this implementation, when the second sleep period after the service data transmission is completed is configured for each terminal device in this group of terminal devices through the access network device, the sleep mode at the per UE level can be achieved by configuring different second sleep periods for at least two terminal devices in this group of terminal devices with different first access timings. Therefore, the sleep mode of the terminal device after completing the service data transmission can be configured more flexibly.

[0052] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving seventh information, the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is to sleep; after completing the service data transmission, sleeping within a second sleep period, including: when the seventh information indicates that the terminal device is to sleep, sleeping within the second sleep period.

[0053] In a specific implementation, the seventh information may be, for example, 1 bit. In this embodiment, the seventh information instructing the terminal device to enter sleep mode is used as an example for description.

[0054] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a network device, a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a terminal device. The method includes: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used by the terminal device to determine a first access opportunity for initiating random access to the network device, the terminal device being one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending second information to the terminal device, where the second information indicates the first duration.

[0056] Among them, the detailed description of the first access opportunity and the second information can refer to the description of the second information described in the above-mentioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending third information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate the second duration.

[0058] Among them, the detailed description of the third information can refer to the description of the third information described in the above-mentioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0059] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending fourth information to the terminal device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0060] Among them, the detailed description of the fourth information can refer to the description of the fourth information described in the above-mentioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0061] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fourth information and the second information are the same information, or the fourth information and the third information are the same information.

[0062] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving eighth information sent by the core network device, the eighth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep; sending fourth information to the terminal device, including: when the eighth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep, sending the fourth information to the terminal device.

[0063] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information indicates a number corresponding to the current access opportunity.

[0064] Among them, the specific explanation of the number corresponding to the current access opportunity indicated by the fifth information can be referred to the description of the number corresponding to the current access opportunity indicated by the fifth information in the implementation method of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending sixth information to the terminal device, the sixth information being used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; wherein the sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different, or the sixth information is different from the information sent by the network device to at least one terminal device in a group of terminal devices (information with a similar function to the sixth information).

[0066] Among them, the detailed description of the sixth information can refer to the description of the sixth information described in the above-mentioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0067] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending seventh information to the terminal device, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0068] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving ninth information sent by the core network device, where the ninth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to enter sleep mode; and sending seventh information to the terminal device, including:

[0069] When the ninth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep, the seventh information is sent to the terminal device.

[0070] Among them, the detailed description of the seventh information can refer to the description of the seventh information described in the above-mentioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, or a component applied to the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; after completing the service data transmission, sleeping during the second sleep period; wherein the sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different, or the sixth information is different from the information sent by the network device to at least one terminal device in the group of terminal devices (information with similar functions to the sixth information).

[0072] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving seventh information, the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; after completing the service data transmission, sleeping within a second sleep period, including: when the seventh information indicates that the terminal device is in sleep mode, sleeping within the second sleep period.

[0073] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a network device, a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: sending sixth information to the terminal device, the sixth information being used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; wherein the sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different, or the sixth information is different from information sent by the network device to at least one terminal device in the group of terminal devices (information with a similar function to the sixth information).

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending seventh information to the terminal device, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0075] Among them, the detailed description of the second sleep period, the sixth information and the seventh information in the third and fourth aspects can also refer to the description of the sixth information and the seventh information in the aforementioned implementation method combined with the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a receiving module for receiving first information, the first information is used by a terminal device to determine a first access timing for initiating random access to a network device, the terminal device being one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; a processing module for entering a sleep state during a first sleep period, the first sleep period being before the first access timing; and a sending module for initiating random access to the network device at the first access timing.

[0077] In the sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a sending module, used to send first information to a terminal device, the first information is used by the terminal device to determine the first access timing to initiate random access to the network device, and the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

[0078] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor; the processor is used to execute the method described in any aspect and any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0079] Optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the methods described in the above aspects may be implemented.

[0080] Optionally, the apparatus may further include a communication interface, which is used for the apparatus to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other types of communication interfaces.

[0081] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising the communication device described in the fifth aspect and the communication device described in the sixth aspect.

[0082] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable medium storing a program code for computer execution, the program code including instructions for executing the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0083] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer implements the method described in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0084] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any implementation method of the second to tenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any possible implementation method therein, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] FIG1 is a structural diagram of a communication system provided by this application;

[0086] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0091] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. For example, the first information and the second information are used to distinguish different information and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean that they are different.

[0092] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0093] In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0094] To facilitate understanding, the following is a brief introduction to the terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0095] 1. Passive radio frequency identification (RFID)

[0096] The RFID system includes a reader and a tag device. The reader reads the information in the tag device or writes the information that the tag device needs to store into the tag device.

[0097] Contactless data communication is carried out between the reader and the tag device.

[0098] If RFID is applied to a mobile communication system, such as a fifth-generation mobile communication system, a base station or a terminal device can act as a reader / writer to realize the functions of the reader / writer.

[0099] Typically, the workflow of an RFID system includes:

[0100] a) The reader sends a Select message, where the Select message is used to select a group of tag devices.

[0101] b) The reader sends a query message to the group of tag devices, wherein the query message carries the Q parameter.

[0102] Afterwards, for each tag device in this group of tag devices, the workflow between it and the reader is as follows:

[0103] c) Generate a random number m between (0, 2^Q-1) based on the Q parameter and use m as the value of the time slot counter. m is a positive integer. If m is 0, send a random number message to the reader. Otherwise, receive a repeated query (QueryRep) message from the reader. Each tag device executes m=m-1 once each time it receives a QueryRep message.

[0104] Optionally, the random number message may be carried in a media access control element (MAC CE), a random number sequence, an RRC message, etc., without specific limitation.

[0105] Optionally, the number of bits of the random number message is not limited, for example, it can be an 8-bit random number, a 16-bit random number, etc.

[0106] d) The reader sends back an ACK message carrying a random number.

[0107] e) When the tag device determines that the random number message carried in the ACK message is consistent with the random number message fed back to the reader, it feeds back the EPC, otherwise it does not feed back.

[0108] f) The reader sends Req_RN, which contains the same random number message;

[0109] g) When the tag device determines that the random number message carried in the Req_RN message matches, it feeds back a handle, otherwise it does not feed back.

[0110] h) The reader sends an access command, including a handle.

[0111] i) Tag device verification handle: if the verification is successful, the reader is allowed to manage the tag device; otherwise, an error code is fed back.

[0112] Below, the embodiments of the present application are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0113] 3GPP has defined an extremely low-power, low-complexity IoT technology - the ambient internet of things (A-IoT or AIoT) technology, which can be understood as an extension of RFID in 3GPP.

[0114] Specifically, A-IoT is based on cellular mobile communication infrastructure and consists of readers and tags. Its main services include but are not limited to inventory, positioning, sensing, etc.; typical application scenarios include logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, environmental monitoring, etc.

[0115] Among them, the tag device can be regarded as a terminal device with extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity, which can be divided into three types: active, passive and semi-active. In this application, the terminal device can also be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, remote terminal, mobile equipment, user terminal, wireless telecom equipment, user agent, user equipment, tag, sensor, ambient IoT device, narrow-band IoT device (NB-IoT device) or user device. The terminal device can be a station (STA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a terminal in the next generation communication system or a terminal device in a future-evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), an RFID network, etc. Among them, 5G can also be referred to as a new radio (NR). In one possible application scenario of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device that often works on the ground, such as a vehicle-mounted device. In this application, for the sake of convenience, the chip deployed in the above-mentioned device, or the chip can also be referred to as a terminal device.

[0116] In this application, a tag device is described as a terminal device.

[0117] The reader / writer is a handheld or fixed device that reads (and sometimes writes) information from a terminal device, or can be understood as a device that communicates with a terminal device.

[0118] In the first scenario, the reader / writer may be a terminal device, or it may be understood that the terminal device completes the functions of the reader / writer.

[0119] That is, in the first scenario, the reader is a terminal device and the tag device is another terminal device. In this scenario, the two terminal devices can transmit based on a sidelink (SL).

[0120] In the second scenario, the reader / writer can be an access network device, or it can be understood that the access network device completes the functions of the reader / writer. The access network device can be any device with wireless transceiver functions. The device includes but is not limited to: evolved NodeB (eNB, E-UTRAN NodeB or eNodeB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), reader, interrogator, etc., and can also be a next-generation base station or 5G base station (gNodeB, gNB or 5G NR base station) in 5G, such as NR, system. A gNB is a base station or transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system or future 6G system, or a network node that constitutes a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or distributed unit (DU). In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. A gNB may also include a radio unit (RU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers, while the DU implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers.Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the physical layer, or be converted from the information of the physical layer, therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or, sent by the DU+CU. It is understandable that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the access network (radio access network, RAN), and the CU can also be divided into a network device in the core network (core network, CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0121] It should be noted that when the reader / writer is an access network device, this embodiment does not limit the specific architecture between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0122] In the first example, as shown in FIG1( a ), the terminal device 1 is directly connected to the access network device through the Uu interface, and the terminal device 1 and the access network device perform air interface communication through the Uu interface.

[0123] In the second example, as shown in FIG1( b ), the terminal device 1 may first be connected to the relay node via the Uu interface, and the relay node may then be connected to the access network device via the Uu interface to enable communication between the base station and the terminal device.

[0124] In the third example, as shown in Figure 1(c), the access network device and the terminal device can use an uplink architecture assisted by other terminal devices. In this architecture, terminal device 1 can receive downlink data sent by the access network device but cannot directly send uplink data to the access network device. Terminal device 1 needs the assistance of terminal device 2 to send uplink data to the access network device.

[0125] In the fourth example, as shown in Figure 1(d), a downlink architecture assisted by other terminal devices can also be used between the access network device and the terminal device. In this architecture, terminal device 1 can directly send uplink data to the access network device but cannot directly receive downlink data sent by the access network device. Terminal device 1 requires the assistance of terminal device 3 to receive downlink data sent by the access network device.

[0126] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms base station and access network device can also be interchanged.

[0127] Currently, for the communication system shown in Figure 1, the following communication scenarios may exist:

[0128] 1) After the access network device receives the service request message sent by the core network device, the access network device selects a group of terminal devices based on the service request message sent by the core network device. For example, the access network device selects a group of terminal devices through a Select message or a Paging message.

[0129] 2) The access network device sends a Query message to the group of terminal devices, and the Query message carries the Q parameter;

[0130] 3) Each terminal device in the group of terminal devices generates a random number m between (0, 2^Q-1) based on the Q parameter;

[0131] 4) The access network device sends a QueryRep message. Each time a QueryRep message is sent, for each terminal device, m=m-1 is executed once. When m is 0, RN16 is sent to the access network device to randomly access the access network device.

[0132] 5) After receiving RN16, the access network device feeds back an acknowledgment (ACK) message to the corresponding terminal device, including RN16;

[0133] 6) The corresponding terminal device starts transmitting service data after receiving the ACK message.

[0134] However, analysis has revealed that the above solution has the problem of high power consumption of the terminal device.

[0135] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and apparatus to reduce the power consumption of terminal equipment.

[0136] Below, in conjunction with Figure 2, the communication method provided by this application is described in detail.

[0137] As shown in FIG2 , the method includes: S201 , S202 , and S203 .

[0138] S201, a network device sends first information to a terminal device, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine a first access opportunity for initiating random access to the network device, and the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

[0139] In this embodiment, the network device specifically refers to an access network device, or is called a base station, and its description does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0140] In this embodiment, when the access network device receives a service request sent by the core network device, the access network device selects a group of terminal devices to transmit service data based on the service request of the core network device.

[0141] In a specific implementation, the access network device may broadcast a message, such as a Select message, which includes some matching information. Terminal devices matching this information may be selected and constitute a group of terminal devices described in this embodiment.

[0142] The terminal device described in this embodiment is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device.

[0143] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific number of terminal devices in the group of terminal devices. For example, it can be one or more.

[0144] In this embodiment, the access network device sends first information to a group of terminal devices selected by it. This first information is used by each terminal device in the group to determine a first access opportunity for initiating random access. Alternatively, from the perspective of the terminal device, each terminal device in the group of terminal devices selected by the access network device, upon receiving the first information sent by the access network device, determines an access opportunity for initiating random access, i.e., the first access opportunity.

[0145] Specifically, in this embodiment, the access opportunity can be interpreted in two ways: one is to determine whether to initiate access based on a counter: the initial value of the counter can be determined based on a message sent by the network device (e.g., a first message). Each subsequent receipt of a second message decrements the counter by one. When it reaches zero, access is initiated, and the corresponding access opportunity is the time when the counter reaches 0. The other (corresponding to existing cellular networks) directly indicates the time frame number + subframe number + time slot number + access opportunity (random access / RACH occasion) number at which access is possible.

[0146] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first information may be carried in the first message, or in other words, the first information may be considered as a field in the first message.

[0147] For example, the first message sent by the access network device is a Query message, which carries a Q parameter; accordingly, each terminal device in a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device determines its first access timing for initiating random access based on the Q parameter.

[0148] More specifically, during implementation: each terminal device in the group generates a random number m in the range [0, 2^Q-1] based on the Q parameter, where m is a positive integer. Subsequently, each terminal device triggers execution of m=m-1 via the access network device by sending a QueryRep message, and determines the access timing when m is 0 as the first access timing for initiating random access. It should be understood that in this example, the first access timing determined based on the Q parameter may be different for different terminal devices in the group selected by the access network device. For example, assuming the Q parameter is 4, the random number m generated based on the Q parameter is in the range [0, 15]. If the selected group includes terminal device 1 and terminal device 2, for example, the random number generated by terminal device 1 is 5 and the random number generated by terminal device 2 is 10, then in this case, the first access timing of terminal device 1 is the access timing when the access network device sends the fifth QueryRep message, and the first access timing of terminal device 2 is the access timing when the access network device sends the tenth QueryRep message.

[0149] It should be noted that the name of the above-mentioned Query message is only an example of a first message and does not constitute a limitation of this application. In other words, if a message carries a parameter that is used by a terminal device to determine the first access opportunity for random access to an access network device, then it can be considered the first message described in this application.

[0150] For example, the first message may also be: a broadcast message (such as Paging, MIB), a selection message (such as select), a system message (such as system message SI (system information), system message block 1 (system information block1, SIB1)), etc.), a synchronization message (such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), etc.), an access resource configuration message, an activation message, an inquiry message, a Query message, a QueryRep adjustment message, an RRC message (such as RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration), RRC setup message (RRC setup), RRC release message (RRC release)), downlink control information (downlink channel information, DCI), downlink data (downlink data), etc.

[0151] Optionally, broadcast messages (such as Paging, MIB), system messages (such as SI, SIB1), RRC messages, and DCI are all existing 3GPP messages. Regarding other messages, one possible implementation method is: access resource configuration messages can be used to configure time and / or frequency resources for terminal devices, and used to configure resources for terminal devices to initiate access or send data, such as time resources (time slot resources) or frequency resources (spectrum); activation messages / inquiry messages are used to trigger terminal devices (such as passive devices) to initiate reflection signals and / or send response messages.

[0152] S202: The terminal device enters a sleep state during a first sleep period, where the first sleep period is before a first access opportunity.

[0153] In this embodiment, the terminal device goes into sleep mode after receiving the first information. In addition, it should be understood that when the terminal device goes into sleep mode, it also needs to ensure that the sleep mode is before the first access opportunity to avoid missing the first access opportunity for initiating random access.

[0154] Therefore, in this embodiment, the terminal device enters a dormant state after receiving the first information and before the first access opportunity to sleep for a period of time.

[0155] In this embodiment, the terminal device entering the dormant state may be by turning off the receiver or placing the receiver in a low-power mode. In addition, the functions of at least the following modules may be enabled, such as starting a timer (for dormant timing) and saving data in some storage areas (such as storage status, flag status, session ID, communication configuration, access parameters, etc.).

[0156] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific form of the terminal device going into sleep mode after receiving the first information.

[0157] For example, in one implementation, the terminal device enters the sleep state as soon as it receives the first information.

[0158] For example, in another implementation, the terminal device enters the sleep state after a period of time after receiving the first information.

[0159] In this embodiment, the period of time during which the terminal device is dormant before the first access opportunity is referred to as a first dormant period.

[0160] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how the terminal device specifically determines the first sleep period.

[0161] In a first implementation manner, the terminal device determines the first sleep period through at least one parameter information sent by the access network device.

[0162] In the first example, the access network device may send second information to the terminal device, where the second information indicates a first duration; accordingly, when determining the first sleep period, the terminal device determines the first sleep period according to the first duration.

[0163] When it comes to specific instructions, there are two options:

[0164] Solution 1): The second information may indicate the minimum time length (i.e., the first duration) between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device, or it may also be referred to as the second information indicating the minimum sending time interval (i.e., the first duration) between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device. For example, if the second information indicates 10ms, it means that the time interval between two adjacent second messages sent by the network device is not less than 10ms; accordingly, for the terminal device, the first sleep period is determined based on the minimum sending time interval as a reference and the determined first access opportunity.

[0165] Exemplarily, the second message may be: a broadcast message (such as Paging, MIB), a selection message (such as select), a system message (such as SI, SIB1), a synchronization message (such as synchronization signal block (SSB), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), etc.), an access resource configuration message, an activation message, an inquiry message, a Query message, a QueryRep adjustment message, an RRC message (such as RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration), RRC setup message (RRC setup), RRC release message (RRC release)), downlink control information (downlink channel information, DCI), downlink data (downlink data), etc. Among them, broadcast messages (such as Paging, MIB), system messages (such as SI, SIB1), RRC messages, and DCI are all existing 3GPP messages. Regarding other messages, one possible implementation method is: access resource configuration messages can be used to configure time and / or frequency resources for terminal devices, and used to configure resources for terminal devices to initiate access or send data, such as time resources (time slot resources) or frequency resources (spectrum); activation messages / inquiry messages are used to trigger terminal devices (such as passive devices) to initiate reflection signals and / or send response messages.

[0166] Take the second message as an example, a QueryRep message. Since the time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages may be different when the access network device sends a QueryRep message. For example, after the access network device selects a group of terminal devices, when the access network device is sending a QueryRep message, a terminal device initiates random access to the access network device, which will cause the time taken by the access network device to currently send the QueryRep message to be relatively long, thereby causing the time interval between the currently sent QueryRep message and the next QueryRep message to be relatively long. If no terminal device accesses during the process of the access network device sending two consecutive QueryRep messages, the time interval between the two consecutive QueryRep messages is the smallest. Therefore, in a specific implementation, the first time interval indicated by the second information can be the minimum time interval between the access network device sending two adjacent QueryRep messages; accordingly, for the end device, the minimum time interval is used as a reference, combined with the first access opportunity determined by it, to determine the first sleep period.

[0167] For example, assuming that the m generated by the terminal device based on the Q parameter is 5, that is, the access opportunity corresponding to the fifth QueryRep message sent by the access network device is the first access opportunity of the terminal device, and the access opportunity is the access opportunity for initiating random access. In this example, assuming that the access network device indicates to the terminal device that the minimum time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages is 1ms, the terminal device can determine that the minimum time to initiate random access is the 5th ms. Therefore, the terminal device can determine that it will sleep before the 5th ms, that is, determine that the first sleep period is before the 5th ms.

[0168] It should be noted that this embodiment does not impose any limitation on how to indicate the first duration.

[0169] Exemplarily, during implementation, the second information sent by the network device to the terminal device may be a k-bit message, with the unit defaulting to ms (this is only an example and not a limitation), wherein different values ​​of the k-bit indicate different sleep durations; accordingly, after receiving the k-bit message, the terminal device determines the minimum time length (i.e., the first duration) between two adjacent second messages based on the value of the k-bit, and then determines the first sleep period when sleeping based on the first duration. For example, the network device indicates [1, 64] through 6 bits, and the unit defaults to ms. Accordingly, when the 6-bit indication sent by the network device is 2, the terminal device determines that the minimum sleep period is 2ms when determining the first sleep period.

[0170] Solution 2): The second information can also be used to indicate the length of a specific time period, such as using the p1 bit to indicate the absolute value of the time and the p2 bit to indicate the time unit: for example, the first p1=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the other p2=1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the second information is 1000, the first p1 bit 100 indicates a value of 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate a unit of milliseconds. Then, the first duration of 8 milliseconds can be obtained through the second information. Alternatively, the absolute value of the time is indicated by the p1 bit, and the default time unit is the specified time unit: for example, p1=3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the default time unit is milliseconds. Then, the third information is 100, indicating that the first duration is 8 milliseconds.

[0171] Optionally, when the terminal device determines the first sleep period based on the first duration, the duration of the first sleep period determined is an integer multiple of the first duration. Taking the above-mentioned m generated based on the Q parameter as 5 as an example, the terminal device can sleep for 1ms, or sleep for 2ms, or sleep for 3ms, etc.

[0172] Optionally, the length of the first sleep period determined by the terminal device may not be an integer multiple of the first duration. Still taking the above-mentioned m generated based on the Q parameter as 5 as an example, the terminal device sleeps for 2.5ms, or 3.5ms, and so on.

[0173] It should be noted that the numbers here are only examples and do not constitute limitations of this application.

[0174] Optionally, when the first duration is indicated by the second information, if the first duration indicated by the second information is 0, it can be considered that the terminal device is instructed not to sleep. Optionally, the access network device may also resend the Query message to readjust the Q parameter used by the terminal device to determine the first access opportunity. For example, after the access network device sends a Query message to a selected group of terminal devices for the first time, if no random access is received from any terminal device in the group of terminal devices within a preset time, it can be determined that the Q parameter carried in the first Query message may be too large, and it is adjusted to a smaller Q parameter, and a Query message is resent; accordingly, this group of terminal devices should all redetermine the first access opportunity based on the adjusted Q parameter.

[0175] It should be understood that when the terminal device is in sleep mode, it should be ensured that the first sleep period is before the access network device sends the adjusted Q parameters, so as to avoid missing the Query message for adjusting the Q parameters, thereby missing the first access opportunity for initiating random access based on the adjusted Q parameters.

[0176] Therefore, in the second example, the access network device may further send third information to the terminal device, where the third information indicates a second duration. Specifically, the second duration refers to the duration during which the access network device will not adjust the Q parameter. Accordingly, upon receiving the third information, the terminal device determines the first sleep period to be less than or equal to the second duration.

[0177] That is, in this embodiment, the second duration indicated by the third information sent by the access network device to the terminal device can be considered as the maximum sleep duration of the terminal device when it is in sleep mode.

[0178] For example, assume that the m generated by the terminal device based on the Q parameter is 8, that is, the terminal device will initiate random access when it receives the 8th QueryRep message sent by the access network device. In this example, assume that the access network device indicates to the terminal device that the minimum sending time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages is 1ms, and the access network device indicates that the Q parameter in the Query message does not change before the access timing of the 4th QueryRep message, that is, it does not change at the access timing of the 1st QueryRep message, the access timing of the 2nd QueryRep message, and the access timing of the 3rd QueryRep message. At this time, for the terminal device, based on the minimum sending time interval, it can be determined that the Q parameter does not change within 3ms, and the Q parameter will change after the 3rd ms. Therefore, when the terminal device determines the first sleep period, the first sleep period does not exceed 3ms.

[0179] When it comes to specific instructions, there are two options:

[0180] Solution 1): The third information sent by the network device to the terminal device can be a p3-bit information, and different values ​​of the p3 bit indicate different ratios; accordingly, after receiving the p3-bit information (i.e., the third information), the terminal device determines the indicated ratio based on the value of the third information, and determines the second duration based on the ratio and the first access opportunity, and then, when determining the first sleep period, makes the duration of the first sleep period less than or equal to the second duration, that is, ensures that the duration of the first sleep period is within the second duration.

[0181] For example, the network device indicates {1, 1 / 2, 1 / 4, 1 / 8...1 / 64, 1 / 128} through 3 bits, which correspond to values ​​000 to 111 respectively. For example, when the value of the third information received by the terminal device is 010 (converted to a decimal number of 2), it represents a ratio of 1 / 4; accordingly, the terminal device determines the second duration based on 1 / 4 and the first access opportunity. For example, if the first access opportunity is the 16th time slot, the second duration is determined to be the product of the indicated ratio and the access opportunity, that is, (1 / 4)*16=4, that is, the second duration is 4 time slots.

[0182] Solution 2): The third information can also be used to indicate the length of a specific time period, such as by using the p3 bit to indicate the absolute value of the time and the p4 bit to indicate the time unit: for example, the first p3 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the other p4 = 1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the third information is 1000, the first p3 bit 100 indicates a value of 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate a unit of milliseconds. Then, the third information can be used to obtain a second duration of 8 milliseconds. Alternatively, the p3 bit indicates the absolute value of the time and the default time unit is a specified time unit: for example, p3 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, and the default time unit is milliseconds. Then, the third information being 100 indicates that the second duration is 8 milliseconds.

[0183] Optionally, when the second duration is indicated by the third information, if the second duration indicated by the third information is 0, it can be considered that the terminal device is instructed not to sleep.

[0184] In the second implementation manner, the terminal device may not need some parameter information sent by the access network device to determine the first sleep period.

[0185] For example, the terminal device determines the first sleep period based on the size of the random number m randomly generated based on the Q parameter. As an example, assuming that the random number m randomly generated based on the Q parameter by the terminal device is 64, the terminal device can determine that m=0 will not occur in the first 2 ms, and therefore, the terminal device can sleep in the first 2 ms.

[0186] S203: Initiate random access to the network device at a first access opportunity.

[0187] In this embodiment, after the terminal device completes the first sleep period, the terminal device wakes up and turns on some functions that were turned off during the sleep period.

[0188] Specifically, in this embodiment, after the terminal device wakes up, the terminal device determines the current access opportunity and determines whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity, and then initiates random access to the access network device at the first access opportunity.

[0189] Generally, there are several ways to update the timeslot number corresponding to the current access opportunity stored in the terminal device:

[0190] 1) Triggered by receiving a message, for example, each time a first / second message is received, the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity is updated by one or one.

[0191] 2) The time slot number corresponding to the current access opportunity may also be determined according to the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity carried in the currently received message. For example, if the number is 11, the terminal updates the number corresponding to the current access opportunity to 11.

[0192] 3) The time slot number corresponding to the current access opportunity can also be updated through the terminal timer. For example, the timer runs for 1 millisecond, and the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity is increased or decreased by one; or the timer runs for p8 milliseconds, and the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity is increased or decreased by p9, where p8 and p9 can be equal, and p9 can also be obtained from p8 through specific calculation rules. For example, the second information indicates that the minimum time interval between the first message / the second message is 10ms, then the terminal device will increase the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity by 1 every 10ms during the timer startup process.

[0193] It can also be a combination of the above methods. For example, if the terminal device does not receive messages during sleep, the corresponding time slot number can be updated through a timer, and the time slot number corresponding to the access opportunity can be updated by receiving messages during wake-up.

[0194] In this embodiment, when the terminal device wakes up, the access network device sends fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information indicates the number corresponding to the current access opportunity. In response, the terminal device determines the current access opportunity based on the number corresponding to the current access opportunity. The number corresponding to the current access opportunity specifically refers to the number of the time slot corresponding to the current access opportunity.

[0195] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific form of the number.

[0196] For example, numbering can be absolute or relative.

[0197] As an example, if the first access opportunity determined by the terminal device based on the Q parameter is the 32nd QueryRep message sent by the access network device, for example, the fifth information uses a 4-bit binary number 0000 to 1111 to indicate a decimal number in {1, 2, 3, 4, …, 15, 16}. The terminal device enters sleep after receiving the second message and obtains the fifth information 0000 from the second message, corresponding to the access opportunity time slot number 1. The terminal device then sleeps during the first sleep period and wakes up to receive the second message, obtaining the fifth information 0111, corresponding to the access opportunity time slot number 7. If absolute numbering is used, the terminal device can determine that the network device sent at least 6 second messages during the sleep period. Optionally, the synchronization terminal stores the time slot number of the current access opportunity as 7. If relative numbering is used, if the terminal device determines that the access network device has definitely passed a round of 16 access opportunities while in sleep, the terminal device can determine that the time slot number corresponding to the current access opportunity is 1+16+6=23 and adjust the time slot number of the current access opportunity to 23.

[0198] However, it is understood that, in specific implementation, when relative numbering is used, for example, using bit i to indicate 2 i In the case of a number, the terminal device is best to sleep in 2 i access opportunities within a certain time frame to improve the accuracy of the current access opportunity determined by the terminal device.

[0199] In this embodiment, after the terminal device determines the current access opportunity, the terminal device can determine whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity, so as to initiate random access at the first access opportunity.

[0200] It should be noted that when the current access opportunity is not the first access opportunity, this embodiment does not limit the specific form of the terminal device between the current access opportunity and the first access opportunity.

[0201] In one implementation, when the current access opportunity is not the first access opportunity, at this time, the terminal device may no longer perform any sleep, trigger the value of m to be reduced to 0 through the QueryRep message sent by the access network device, and initiate random access to the access network device when the value of m is reduced to 0 (that is, when the first access opportunity is reached). Exemplarily, the terminal device initiates random access by sending an access request message. The access request message may be a random sequence / random number, or a random access request message, a random access preamble message, a transmission scheduling message, a connection establishment request, a connection recovery request, a connection reestablishment request, an RRC connection establishment request (RRC connection request) message, an RRC reestablishment request (RRC Reestablishment Request), an RRC resume connection request (RRC Resume Request), an RRC setup request (RRC Setup Request), etc., and does not constitute a limitation of the present application.

[0202] In another implementation, after the terminal device determines the current access opportunity, the terminal device may further go into sleep mode one or more times.

[0203] For example, if the first access opportunity determined by the terminal device based on the Q parameter is the 16th QueryRep message sent by the access network device. Now assuming that after the terminal device wakes up, it determines that the current access opportunity is 4 QueryRep messages sent by the access network device based on the number corresponding to the current access opportunity indicated by the fifth information, then the terminal device can determine another sleep period based on the method in the aforementioned S202, for example, determine to sleep for another 6ms and then wake up. At this time, assuming that after waking up again, the number corresponding to the current access opportunity received by the fifth information indicates that the current access opportunity is determined to be the 10th QueryRep message sent by the access network device, then the terminal device will no longer sleep, and the QueryRep message sent by the access network device will trigger the initiation of random access.

[0204] It can be seen that in the communication method provided in this embodiment, since the terminal device is dormant while waiting for random access, the power consumption of the terminal device during the process of random access to the access network device can be reduced.

[0205] Optionally, the access network device in this application may further send fourth information to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device whether to go to sleep; accordingly, after receiving the fourth information, if the fourth information instructs the terminal device to go to sleep, the terminal device further determines a first sleep period for going to sleep, and goes to sleep during the first sleep period. That is, in this implementation, the fourth information sent by the access network device is used by the terminal device to determine whether to go to sleep before initiating random access.

[0206] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific form of the fourth information.

[0207] For example, the fourth information may be separate 1-bit indication information.

[0208] As an example, when the 1-bit information is 0, it instructs the terminal device to sleep, and when the 1-bit information is 1, it instructs the terminal device not to sleep. Accordingly, when the terminal device receives the 1-bit information as 0, it determines the first sleep period and sleeps during the first sleep period; otherwise, when the terminal device receives the 1-bit information as 1, it determines not to sleep.

[0209] As another example, when the 1-bit information is 1, it instructs the terminal device to sleep, and when the 1-bit information is 0, it instructs the terminal device not to sleep. Accordingly, when the terminal device receives the 1-bit information as 1, it determines the first sleep period and sleeps during the first sleep period; otherwise, when the terminal device receives the 1-bit information as 0, it determines not to sleep.

[0210] Optionally, without sending the fourth information, the third information or the second information can also be used to instruct the terminal not to sleep. For example, the second information indicates that the corresponding first duration is 0, indicating that sleep is not performed; or, the third information indicates that the corresponding second duration is 0, which means that the maximum sleep time length is 0 seconds / milliseconds.

[0211] Optionally, when the terminal device needs to determine the first sleep period through some parameter information sent by the access network device, the fourth information is the same as the second information, or the fourth information is the same as the third information. It can be understood that in this implementation, the fourth information can be considered as a form of implicit indication.

[0212] Optionally, at least two of the second information, the third information and the fourth information are carried in the same message.

[0213] For example, at least two items of the second information, the third information, and the fourth information are carried in a Query message, or in a QueryRep message, or in a Select message.

[0214] Below, in order to more clearly understand the communication method proposed in this application, a more detailed embodiment is given in conjunction with FIG3 .

[0215] As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0216] S301: The core network device sends a third message to the access network device.

[0217] Exemplarily, the third message may be a service request message, and the service request message includes service-related parameters.

[0218] Optionally, the service request may also carry indication information for triggering sleep. For example, the service request may contain 1 bit of information for indicating whether to trigger sleep.

[0219] In this embodiment, the indication information for triggering whether to go to sleep carried in the service request is also referred to as eighth information. Specifically, the eighth information refers to indication information for triggering whether the terminal device goes to sleep before random access.

[0220] S302: The access network device broadcasts a Select message based on the service request message. The Select message can be used to select a group of terminal devices, wherein the selected group of terminal devices includes the first terminal device.

[0221] Exemplarily, the Select message may include some masks, and terminal devices matching these masks may be selected, and the session identifiers (Session ID) and flag bits of the selected group of terminal devices will be set.

[0222] For example, in this embodiment, the Session ID of the selected first terminal device is set to 0, and the flag position is A.

[0223] S303, the access network device sends a Query message to the first terminal device, where the Query message carries the minimum sending time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages, the third information, and the fourth information; accordingly, the first terminal device receives the Query message.

[0224] In this embodiment, the Query message can be considered as the first information in the embodiment shown in Figure 2. It should be understood that the Query message itself carries a Q parameter value, and each terminal device in a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device will determine its first access opportunity for initiating random access based on the Q parameter value.

[0225] In addition, in this embodiment, the Query message also carries the fourth information, the minimum time interval between sending two adjacent QueryRep messages, and the third information.

[0226] The fourth information is used to indicate whether to enter sleep mode. Specifically, the fourth information can be used by the terminal device to determine whether to enter sleep mode while waiting for random access. In a specific implementation, the fourth information can be, for example, 1 bit. In this embodiment, the fourth information indicating that the terminal device enters sleep mode is used as an example for description.

[0227] The minimum time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages, i.e., the minimum time slot length between two empty time slot QueryRep messages, can be considered as the second information in the embodiment shown in Figure 2. For example, it is indicated by 6 bits [1, 64], with the default unit being ms.

[0228] The third information is used to indicate the number of access opportunities during which the access network device will not adjust the Q parameter value. It should be understood that the access network device may adjust the Q value by resending the Query message. For example, if the Q value is initially selected to be large, resulting in low efficiency, it will be adjusted to a smaller Q parameter and the Query message will be resent. In this case, the selected terminal device should set the sleep time to not exceed the time slot of the next Q parameter change to avoid missing the Query message that changes the Q value during the sleep process. For example, the third information can indicate a ratio, such as 3 bits indicating {1, 1 / 2, 1 / 4, 1 / 8...1 / 64, 1 / 128}, corresponding to values ​​000 to 111 respectively. For example, when the value of the third information received by the terminal device is 010 (converted to a decimal number of 2), it indicates that the configuration ratio is 1 / 4. Accordingly, the first terminal device determines the second duration based on 1 / 4 and the first access opportunity. For example, if the first access opportunity is the 16th time slot, the product of the ratio and the access opportunity is determined, that is, (1 / 4)*16=4 time slots.

[0229] Optionally, in this embodiment, when the service request of S301 carries indication information for triggering dormancy, the access network device then carries second information, the minimum sending time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages, and third information in the Query message sent to the first terminal device.

[0230] Among them, the detailed description of the second information, the third information and the fourth information can be referred to the description in the relevant technology, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] S304: The first terminal device determines a first sleep period according to a minimum time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages and the third information.

[0232] For example, when the first terminal device determines the first sleep period, it determines, based on the third information, that the first sleep period is before the access opportunity of the Query message that adjusts the value of the Q parameter, and the minimum sending time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages, and sets the first sleep period to be an integer multiple of the minimum sending time interval.

[0233] Among them, the description of how the first terminal device determines the first sleep period according to the minimum sending time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages and the fourth information can be referred to the description in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0234] S305, after the first terminal device sleeps for a first sleep period, it wakes up and receives the fifth information sent by the access network device, where the fifth information indicates the time slot number corresponding to the current access opportunity.

[0235] It should be understood that since the first terminal device is accessed asynchronously, and when the access network device sends a QueryRep message, there may be a situation where different QueryRep messages occupy access opportunities of different lengths, which may cause the first terminal device to be unable to maintain accurate synchronization with the access network device. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to ensure the synchronization between the first terminal device and the access network device, that is, to enable the first terminal device to know the current access opportunity after waking up, the access network device will send the fifth information after the first terminal device wakes up to indicate the current access opportunity.

[0236] In one implementation, the fifth information is carried in a QueryRep message sent by the access network device to the terminal device.

[0237] S306, the first terminal device determines the current access opportunity based on the number indicated by the fifth information, and determines whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity, and then sends RN16 to the access network device at the first access opportunity.

[0238] Specifically, in this embodiment, after the terminal device wakes up and reads the number of the current access opportunity indicated by the fifth information, it determines the current access opportunity based on the number indicated by the fifth information to prevent misalignment with the access network device side.

[0239] For a detailed description of the fifth information and determining the current access opportunity according to the indication of the fifth information, reference may be made to the description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , which will not be repeated here.

[0240] Among them, RN16 is sent to the access network device at the first access opportunity, that is, random access is initiated at the first access opportunity.

[0241] S307, when the access network device receives RN16, it feeds back an ACK message carrying the same RN16, which is used by the first terminal device to confirm that it has established a connection.

[0242] In this application, the ACK message may also be referred to as RRC connection establishment information, which does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0243] S308: The terminal device receives the ACK message and sends uplink service data.

[0244] For example, sensor data, electronic product code (EPC), etc.

[0245] It should be noted that the names of the various messages in this embodiment are merely examples and do not constitute limitations of this application.

[0246] As an example, the name of the Select message in S302 is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation of this application. In other words, as long as the function performed by a certain message (for example, triggering one or a group of terminals to initiate access or send uplink data) is consistent with the function performed by the Select message here, then the certain message is equivalent to the Select message here.

[0247] In the communication method provided in this embodiment, the access network device sends the second information, the minimum time interval between two adjacent QueryRep messages, and the fourth information to the first terminal device, enabling the first terminal device to determine a first sleep period during which to sleep. Then, when the first terminal device wakes up, the access network device indicates the number of the current access opportunity to the first terminal device, enabling the first terminal device to synchronize with the access network device in terms of time. As can be seen, in this method, since the first terminal device sleeps while waiting for access, the power consumption of the first terminal device is reduced.

[0248] It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the network side triggers the terminal device to go into sleep mode while waiting for access. Alternatively, the terminal device may also trigger the terminal device to go into sleep mode while waiting for access.

[0249] Specifically, when the terminal device triggers the sleep state during the access waiting process, there are three implementation methods:

[0250] The first implementation method includes:

[0251] The terminal device sends a sleep request message to the access network device to indicate that it wishes to sleep while waiting for access. After receiving the sleep request message, the access network device sends a confirmation message to the terminal device, which includes sleep indication information or sleep parameters, namely, the aforementioned fourth information, first information, second information, and third information. After receiving the confirmation message, the terminal device determines a first sleep period based on the information carried in the confirmation message. The specific implementation of determining the first sleep period based on the first information, second information, third information, and fourth information can be found in the description of the embodiments described in Figures 2 and 3 above and will not be repeated here.

[0252] When a terminal device sends a sleep request message to an access network device, the sleep request message may be carried in uplink data (such as RN16, RN8, etc.), a preamble, message 3 (msg3), or message 5 (msg5), and does not constitute a limitation of this application. The above-mentioned msg3 may include: RRC resume request, RRC setup request, and RRC reestablish request. Msg5 may be RRC Setup Complete.

[0253] Among them, when the access network device sends a confirmation message to the terminal device, the confirmation message can be, for example, ACK, message 4 (msg4), DCI, RRC reconfiguration, RRC release message, the first message, and the second message.

[0254] The second implementation method includes:

[0255] The terminal device sends a sleep request message to the core network device to indicate that it wants to sleep while waiting for access; after receiving the sleep request message, the core network device determines to send sleep indication information or sleep parameters to the terminal device, that is, the aforementioned fourth information, or the first information, the second information and the third information. Specifically, when sending the sleep indication information or sleep parameters to the terminal device, it can be sent directly to the terminal device through a non-access stratum (NAS) message (that is, transmitted through the access network device), or it can be sent to the access network device first, and then the access network device sends it to the terminal device.

[0256] In a specific implementation, the sleep request message can be carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) message, such as an attach request, a tracking area update (TAU) request, an EPC, etc. That is, the terminal device can tell the core network through a NAS message that the terminal device wants to sleep while waiting for access.

[0257] In specific implementation, when the core network device directly sends a non-access stratum (NAS) message to the terminal device, the sleep indication information or sleep parameters can be carried in, for example, an attach accept or a tracking area update accept (TAU accept).

[0258] In specific implementation, when sending the packet to the access network device first so that the access network device can then send it to the terminal device, there are two solutions:

[0259] Solution 1: The access network device directly forwards the sleep indication information or sleep parameters.

[0260] Solution 2: The access network device sends after calculation, for example, receives a time sent by the core network device, and then configures a new sleep time based on the time and the time after the terminal device completes data transmission.

[0261] Illustratively, in this solution 2, the access network device may send the sleep indication information or sleep parameters to the terminal device via a first message or a second message.

[0262] As an optional embodiment, after the terminal device randomly accesses the access network device, the communication method provided by the present application also includes: the access network device sends sixth information to the terminal device, and the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period; accordingly, the terminal device receives and sleeps during the second sleep period after completing the service data transmission.

[0263] In other words, the sixth information in this implementation manner can be used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period for sleeping after completing the service data transmission.

[0264] Specifically, in this embodiment, the sixth information sent by the access network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different.

[0265] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may be, for example, a timer unit and a timer value. For example, if the sixth information is 10ms, then upon receiving the sixth information, the terminal device determines that the second sleep period after completing the service data transmission is 10ms. That is, the terminal device goes into sleep within 10ms after completing the service data transmission.

[0266] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may also be parameters used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period. That is, the network device sends the parameters to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the second sleep period for sleeping after completing service data transmission based on these parameters. For example, the terminal device may calculate the second sleep period based on a preset rule, or may randomly generate the second sleep period based on these parameters.

[0267] 4 , an embodiment of the present application in which the terminal device goes into hibernation after completing service data transmission is described.

[0268] As shown in FIG4 , the method includes:

[0269] S401: The core network device sends a fourth message to the access network device.

[0270] The fourth message may be understood as a message for triggering the terminal device to enter the entire sleep process after completing the service data transmission.

[0271] Exemplarily, the fourth message may be: a sleep activation request message, a service request message, or a sleep configuration message.

[0272] The service request message includes service-related parameters.

[0273] The sleep activation request message is information indicating whether to trigger sleep, for example, using 1 bit of information to indicate whether to trigger sleep.

[0274] In this embodiment, the sleep activation request message for triggering whether to sleep is also referred to as ninth information. Specifically, the ninth information refers to indication information for triggering whether the terminal device should sleep after completing service data transmission.

[0275] The terminal device described here completes the service data transmission in two forms: one is that the terminal device completes the uplink data transmission and receives confirmation information (acknowledgement, ACK); the other is that the terminal device receives a connection release message (RRC release).

[0276] Optionally, in this embodiment, the core network device may include indication information in the service request sent to the access network device for indicating whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep after completing the uplink service data transmission, or the sleep start and end time when the terminal device sleeps after completing the uplink service data transmission.

[0277] S402, the access network device sends seventh information to the terminal device, where the seventh information indicates whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0278] Specifically, the seventh information can be used by the terminal device to determine whether to go into sleep mode after completing the service data transmission. In a specific implementation, the seventh information can be, for example, 1 bit. In this embodiment, the seventh information instructing the terminal device to go into sleep mode is used as an example for description.

[0279] Optionally, in this embodiment, the seventh information may be carried in any of the following messages: a Quey message, a Select message, a QueryRep message, or an ACK message. ACK message refers to confirmation information fed back by the access network device after the terminal device sends RN16 to the access network device.

[0280] S403, the access network device sends sixth information to the terminal device, and the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period for sleep after completing uplink service data transmission.

[0281] Among them, the sixth information can be carried in the Nth message, and the Nth message can be: (uplink data) confirmation (acknowledgement, ACK) message, connection release (RRCRelease) message, RRC reconfiguration message (RRCReconfiguration), downlink data, sleep indication message, broadcast message, etc., which does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0282] Exemplarily, the access network device may send the sixth information to the terminal device after successfully receiving the uplink service data sent by the terminal device. In this case, the sixth information may be carried in a QueryRep message, for example.

[0283] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may be, for example, a timer unit and a timer value. For example, if the sixth information is 10ms, then upon receiving the sixth information, the terminal device determines that the second sleep period after completing the service data transmission is 10ms. That is, the terminal device goes into sleep within 10ms after completing the service data transmission.

[0284] Exemplarily, the sixth information indicates the absolute value of the time through the p6 bit and the p7 bit indicates the time unit: for example, the first p6 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}, and the other p7 = 1 bit indicates {milliseconds, seconds}. When the sixth information is 1000, the first p6 bit 100 indicates the value is 8, and the remaining bits 0 indicate the unit is milliseconds. Then, the second sleep period can be obtained as 8 milliseconds through the sixth information. Alternatively, the absolute value of the time is indicated by the p6 bit, and the default time unit is the specified time unit: for example, p6 = 3 bits indicate {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}, and the time unit defaults to milliseconds. Then, the sixth information is 100, indicating that the second sleep period is 8 milliseconds.

[0285] In a specific implementation, the sixth information may also be parameters used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period. That is, the network device sends the parameters to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the second sleep period for sleeping after completing service data transmission based on these parameters. For example, the terminal device may calculate the second sleep period based on a preset rule, or may randomly generate the second sleep period based on these parameters.

[0286] Optionally, in this embodiment, when the service request in S401 carries indication information for triggering dormancy, the access network device further sends the sixth information and the seventh information to the first terminal device.

[0287] S404: After completing uplink service data transmission, the terminal device determines a second sleep period based on the sixth information and goes into sleep during the second sleep period.

[0288] Exemplarily, when the terminal device is in sleep mode during the second period, the terminal device only maintains the power consumption of the sleep timer, and optionally, may also maintain the power consumption of the flag bit.

[0289] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the process of how the terminal device implements service data transmission can refer to the embodiment shown in FIG3 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0290] It can be seen that in this embodiment, since the terminal device goes into sleep mode after completing the transmission of uplink service data, the power consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced. In addition, it should be understood that in the communication method provided in this embodiment, the sleep mode of the terminal device after the uplink service data is completed is achieved by the access network device sending the sixth information to the terminal device. It should be understood that for a group of terminal devices selected by the access network device, the first access timing of different terminal devices accessing the access network device may be different. Therefore, in this implementation method, when the access network device is used to configure the second sleep period after completing the service data transmission for each terminal device in this group of terminal devices, by configuring different second sleep periods for at least two terminal devices in this group of terminal devices with different first access timings, per UE level sleep can be achieved. Therefore, the sleep mode of the terminal device after completing the service data transmission can be configured more flexibly.

[0291] It should be noted that the scheme of allowing the terminal device to sleep before initiating random access should all belong to the technical concept of the present application. The embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 3 above are only described as an example of a scenario in which the terminal device's counter initially generates a random number m and then triggers m minus 1 to randomly access the access network device, but it does not constitute a limitation of the present application.

[0292] For example, it can also be scenario 2: the access network device assigns a counter threshold to the terminal device; accordingly, after the terminal device's counter (counter) initially generates a random number m, it triggers m plus 1 to make the counter value reach the counter threshold and then initiates random access to the access network device. In other words, the time period from the value of the terminal device's counter m to the counter threshold is the time period waiting for random access. At this time, the terminal device can also be allowed to sleep during the time period waiting for random access. For example, the access network device can send sleep indication information and / or sleep parameters to the terminal device, and then the terminal device determines the sleep period based on the sent sleep indication information and / or sleep parameters and sleeps during the determined sleep period, wherein the method for determining the sleep period can also be analogous to the embodiments described in Figures 2 to 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0293] Furthermore, in this scenario 2, when the terminal device wakes up, the method described in Figures 2 to 4 above can also be used to allow the terminal device to determine the current access opportunity.

[0294] For example, it can also be scenario 3: if a collision occurs, the access network device sends a signaling indicating access failure to the terminal device, for example, sending a fail message. Accordingly, after the terminal device receives the fail, the value of the counter increases by one; and if a terminal device successfully accesses or the access network device does not receive an access request message within the time threshold, the access network device sends a message indicating access success or indicating that the time slot is idle, for example, sending a success / idle message. Accordingly, after the terminal device receives the success / idle, the value of the counter decreases by one; then, when the value of the counter is 0, the terminal device randomly generates {0, 1}. If 0 is generated, random access is initiated (for example, sending an access request message, RN8 / 16, the terminal device's identification (ID) EPC, etc.), and if 1 is generated, the value of the counter increases by one (if the access network device does not receive or successfully receives only one). It can be understood that in this implementation method, when the value of the counter is 0, there is a 1 / 2 probability that random access can be initiated to the access network device.

[0295] Similarly, in scenario 3, the terminal device can also be put into sleep before the value of the counter reaches 0. For example, in the specific implementation, a counter threshold is also set, such as setting the counter threshold to X, which means that the terminal device enters sleep after X collisions / access failures. For example, in scenario 3, the sleep time of the terminal device can be less than or equal to X*minimum sleep time (the minimum sleep time is similar to the first duration in the aforementioned embodiment). There can also be the concepts of first duration and second duration here. When the terminal device wakes up, there are two implementation plans:

[0296] In the first implementation scheme, the terminal device can execute the counter value to gradually decrease by one during the sleep stage (decrease by one every first time period), and after waking up, it can judge based on the current value of the counter: if the current value of the counter is 0, a random number {0,1} is generated; and when the current value of the counter is not 0, it also includes: 1) If the access fails, the access network device sends a failure (fail) signaling, and accordingly, after the terminal device receives the fail, the value of the counter increases by one; 2) If a terminal device accesses successfully or the access network device does not receive an access request message within the time threshold, the access network device sends a success / idle (success / idle), and accordingly, after the terminal device receives the success / idle, the counter decreases by one).

[0297] In the second implementation, the terminal device can directly initiate access (e.g., send RN8 / RN16 / EPC / UE ID / UL data) upon waking up. Optionally, when allowing the terminal device to sleep before initiating random access, the access network device can also randomly assign a random number as the sleep time to each terminal device at the beginning, so as to allow different terminal devices to wake up at different times to perform random access, thereby reducing the probability of collision.

[0298] In addition, it is also noted that the above addition or subtraction of 1 is only an example and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. For example, it can also be replaced by +i or -i, where i is a positive integer.

[0299] The communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 2 to 4. The communication device provided in the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 5 and 6.

[0300] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, as shown in FIG5 , the device 500 includes: a receiving module 501 , a processing module 502 , and a sending module 503 .

[0301] In the first embodiment, the communication apparatus is applied to a terminal device.

[0302] The receiving module 501 is used to receive the first information, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine the first access timing for initiating random access to the network device, where the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; the processing module 502 is used to enter a sleep state during a first sleep period, where the first sleep period is before the first access timing; and the sending module 503 is used to initiate random access to the network device at the first access timing.

[0303] As an example, the receiving module 501 may be configured to execute the step of the terminal device receiving the first information in the method described in Figure 2. For example, the receiving module 501 is configured to execute S201.

[0304] As another example, the processing module 502 may be configured to execute the step of the terminal device entering the sleep state in the first sleep period, which is before the first access opportunity, in the method shown in FIG2 .

[0305] As another example, the sending module 503 may be configured to execute the step of the terminal device initiating random access to the network device at the first access opportunity in the method described in Figure 2. For example, the sending module 503 is configured to execute S203.

[0306] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is further configured to: receive second information indicating a first duration; and the processing module 502 is further configured to: determine the first sleep period according to the second information.

[0307] In a possible implementation, the duration of the first sleep period is an integer multiple of the first duration.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is further configured to: receive third information, where the third information is used to indicate a second duration; wherein the duration of the first sleep period is less than or equal to the second duration.

[0309] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is further used to: receive fourth information, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; the processing module 502 is further used to: when the fourth information indicates that the terminal device is in sleep mode, the terminal device enters a sleep state during the first sleep period.

[0310] In a possible implementation manner, the fourth information and the second information are the same information, or the fourth information and the third information are the same information.

[0311] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is further configured to: receive fifth information indicating a number corresponding to the current access opportunity; and the processing module 502 is further configured to: determine whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity according to the fifth information.

[0312] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is also used to: receive sixth information, which is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; the processing module 502 is also used to: sleep within the second sleep period after completing the service data transmission; wherein the network device sends different sixth information to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices.

[0313] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is further used to: receive seventh information, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; and the processing module 502 is further used to: when the seventh information indicates that the terminal device is in sleep mode, sleep within the second sleep period.

[0314] In a second embodiment, the communication apparatus is applied to a network device.

[0315] In the second embodiment, the sending module 503 is used to send first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine a first access opportunity for initiating random access to the network device, and the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

[0316] As an example, the sending module 503 may be used to execute the step of the network device sending the first information in the method described in Figure 2. For example, the sending module 5031 is used to execute S201.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further configured to send second information to the terminal device, where the second information indicates the first duration.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further configured to: send third information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate the second duration.

[0319] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further configured to: send fourth information to the terminal device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0320] In a possible implementation manner, the fourth information and the second information are the same information, or the fourth information and the third information are the same information.

[0321] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is used to: receive the eighth information sent by the core network device, and the eighth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep; the sending module 503 is specifically used to: send the fourth information to the terminal device when the eighth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep.

[0322] As an example, the receiving module 501 may be configured to execute the step of the network device receiving the third message in the method shown in Figure 3 , wherein the third message carries the eighth information. For example, the receiving module 501 is configured to execute S301.

[0323] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further configured to: send fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information indicates a number corresponding to the current access opportunity.

[0324] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further used to: send sixth information to the terminal device, the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine the second sleep period; wherein the sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in a group of terminal devices is different.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the sending module 503 is further configured to: send seventh information to the terminal device, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

[0326] In one possible implementation, the receiving module 501 is also used to: receive the ninth information sent by the core network device, and the ninth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep; the sending module 503 is specifically used to: send the seventh information to the terminal device when the ninth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep.

[0327] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application. The device shown in Figure 6 can be used to execute the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0328] As shown in Figure 6, the apparatus 600 of this embodiment includes a memory 601 and a processor 602. Optionally, the apparatus 600 further includes a communication interface 603 and a bus 604. The memory 601, the processor 602, and the communication interface 603 are connected to each other via the bus 604.

[0329] The memory 601 may be a read-only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 601 may store a program. When the program stored in the memory 601 is executed by the processor 602, the processor 602 is configured to perform the steps of the method shown in Figures 2 to 4.

[0330] The processor 602 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits to execute relevant programs to implement the methods shown in Figures 2 to 4 of the present application.

[0331] The processor 602 may also be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the method of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 of the embodiment of the present application may be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor 602 or by instructions in the form of software.

[0332] The processor 602 may also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor 602 may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0333] The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 601, and the processor 602 reads the information in the memory 601 and, in combination with its hardware, completes the functions required to be performed by the units included in the device of the present application. For example, the various steps / functions of the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 4 can be executed.

[0334] The communication interface 603 may use, but is not limited to, a transceiver or other transceiver device to implement communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices or a communication network.

[0335] The bus 604 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the device 600 (eg, the memory 601 , the processor 602 , and the communication interface 603 ).

[0336] It should be understood that the apparatus 600 shown in the embodiment of the present application can be an electronic device, or a chip configured in an electronic device. The apparatus 600 can be deployed in a terminal device, or can also be deployed in a network device.

[0337] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0338] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, the character " / " as used herein generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. For specific understanding, please refer to the context.

[0339] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0340] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0341] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0342] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0343] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0344] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0345] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0346] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the existing solution or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0347] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

[0348] .

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The device applied to the terminal device or in the terminal device includes: receiving first information, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine a first access timing for initiating random access to a network device, where the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; Entering a sleep state during a first sleep period, the first sleep period being before the first access opportunity; Initiate random access to the network device at the first access opportunity.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second information, wherein the second information indicates a first duration; The first sleep period is determined according to the second information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The duration of the first sleep period is an integer multiple of the first duration.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving third information, where the third information is used to indicate a second duration; The duration of the first sleep period is less than or equal to the second duration.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; The step of entering the sleep state during the first sleep period includes: When the fourth information instructs the terminal device to sleep, the terminal device enters the sleep state during the first sleep period.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The fourth information is the same as the second information, or the fourth information is the same as the third information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving fifth information, where the fifth information indicates a number corresponding to a current access opportunity; Determine whether the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity according to the fifth information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving sixth information, where the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; After completing the service data transmission, sleeping in the second sleep period; The sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in the group of terminal devices is different.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving seventh information, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode; After completing the service data transmission, sleeping in the second sleep period includes: When the seventh information instructs the terminal device to sleep, it sleeps during the second sleep period.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The device applied to a network device or in a network device includes: First information is sent to a terminal device, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine a first access timing for initiating random access to the network device, and the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending second information to the terminal device, where the second information indicates the first duration.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send third information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate a second duration.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send fourth information to the terminal device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The fourth information is the same as the second information, or the fourth information is the same as the third information.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving eighth information sent by the core network device, where the eighth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep; The sending fourth information to the terminal device includes: When the eighth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep, fourth information is sent to the terminal device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information indicates a number corresponding to a current access opportunity.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending sixth information to the terminal device, where the sixth information is used by the terminal device to determine a second sleep period; The sixth information sent by the network device to at least two terminal devices in the group of terminal devices is different.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send seventh information to the terminal device, where the seventh information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is in sleep mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving ninth information sent by the core network device, where the ninth information is used to indicate whether to trigger the terminal device to sleep; The sending the seventh information to the terminal device includes: When the ninth information indicates that the terminal device is triggered to sleep, the seventh information is sent to the terminal device.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A receiving module, configured to receive first information, wherein the first information is used by a terminal device to determine a first access timing for initiating random access to a network device, wherein the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device; A processing module, configured to enter a sleep state in a first sleep period, wherein the first sleep period is before the first access opportunity; A sending module is used to initiate random access to the network device at the first access opportunity.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A sending module is used to send first information to a terminal device, where the first information is used by the terminal device to determine a first access timing for initiating random access to the network device, and the terminal device is one of a group of terminal devices selected by the network device.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor, The processor is configured to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing a computer program and / or a logic circuit.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor, The processor is configured to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19 by executing a computer program and / or through a logic circuit.

24. A computer readable medium, characterized in that The computer-readable medium stores a program code for computer execution, the program code including instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 19.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 19.

26. A communication system, characterized in that: Includes the communication device as claimed in claim 20 and the communication device as claimed in claim 21.

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