Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, relating to the technical field of wireless communication, and used for achieving network energy saving. The method comprises: a network device sends configuration information, the configuration information indicating association relationships between wake-up signal resources and terminal device identifiers; the network device receives a wake-up signal on a first resource, determines a second resource according to the first resource or the identifier of a first terminal device, and sends a paging message on the second resource. The identifier of the first terminal device is a terminal device identifier associated with the first resource.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 27, 2023, with application number 202311271227.5 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0004] With the evolution of communication technology, the spectrum used by wireless communications is becoming increasingly wider, the number of transmit antennas in network devices is increasing, and power consumption is increasing. Therefore, achieving network energy conservation has attracted increasing attention. One of the main technical means to reduce the energy consumption of network devices is to reduce the number of signal transmissions by network devices.

[0005] In current communications systems, for cells with no or minimal service transmission demand, network equipment disables data signal transmission and some control signal transmission, such as paging message transmission, in that cell, putting the cell into hibernation. When paging a terminal device within that cell is needed, the network equipment wakes up the cell and sends a paging message. A dormant cell typically contains only a small number of terminal devices, so waking up the cell consumes a significant amount of paging resources to send paging messages, resulting in wasted energy.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for reducing resources occupied by paging messages and achieving network energy saving.

[0008] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network device, and the method includes: the network device sends configuration information, wherein the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, and M and N are both positive integers; receives a wake-up signal on a first resource, wherein the first resource is one of the M resources; determines a second resource based on an identifier of the first resource or a first terminal device, wherein the identifier of the first terminal device is an identifier of a terminal device associated with the first resource; and sends a paging message on the second resource.

[0009] Optionally, the network device does not send the paging message on the paging resources other than the second resource among the paging resources.

[0010] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal device, and the method may include: the terminal device receives configuration information, the configuration information indicating an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; determining a first resource based on the configuration information and an identifier of a first terminal device, the first resource being one of the M resources, the identifier of the first terminal device being one of the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal device being in an idle state or an inactive state; sending a wake-up signal on the first resource, the wake-up signal being used to identify the first terminal device.

[0011] Based on the first or second aspect above, an idle / inactive terminal device can send a wake-up signal to enable the network device to perceive the terminal device and the resources used by the wake-up signal sent by the terminal device. In this way, when the network device needs to initiate paging for the terminal device, it can determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources used by the terminal device to send the wake-up signal, and page the terminal device on the paging resource. The paging message may not be sent on other paging resources. Compared with the related technology that requires paging the terminal device on a large number of paging resources, the above implementation method can realize the network side's accurate perception capability of idle / inactive terminal devices, enabling the network device to determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources of the wake-up signal, so as to reduce the paging energy consumption overhead.

[0012] Optionally, based on the first aspect or the second aspect above, the sending of the paging message on the second resource includes: if it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, sending the paging message corresponding to the first terminal device on the second resource.

[0013] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above. In one possible implementation, the first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, the resource of the wake-up signal corresponds to the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a code domain resource, or a power domain resource.

[0014] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and there is a correspondence between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame.

[0015] Optionally, the relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n)

[0016] Among them, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the wake-up signal transmission frame, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximate number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0017] Based on the above implementation, one wake-up signal sending frame may correspond to one paging frame; or one wake-up signal sending frame may correspond to multiple (two or more) paging frames; or multiple wake-up signal sending frames may correspond to one paging frame. For example, when n=N (N is the number of paging frames included in the paging cycle), it indicates that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. When n=k*N (k is an integer greater than 1), it indicates that k wake-up signal sending frames correspond to one paging frame. When n=1 / k*N, it indicates that one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to k paging frames.

[0018] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one transmission frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal transmission frames corresponding to one paging frame.

[0019] Optionally, the configuration information includes: an offset of the wake-up signal sending frame.

[0020] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first resource includes a time period for sending the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging time period in the time domain, and there is a correspondence between the time period for sending the wake-up signal and the paging time period.

[0021] Optionally, the relationship between the sending timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing satisfies the following formula:

[0022] Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximate number of paging frames included in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximate number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulo operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0023] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one transmission opportunity of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal transmission opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

[0024] Optionally, the configuration information includes an offset of a timing for sending a wake-up signal.

[0025] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation, sending a paging message on the second resource includes: if it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, sending a paging message corresponding to the first terminal device on the second resource.

[0026] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for executing the method as described in any one of the first aspects above, or comprising a unit or module for executing the method as described in any one of the second aspects above.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: one or more processors configured to execute the method as described in any one of the first aspects above, or to execute the method as described in any one of the second aspects above.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method as described in any one of the first aspects above or the method as described in any one of the second aspects above is implemented.

[0029] In the sixth aspect, a chip or chip system is provided, comprising: a memory for storing a computer program; a processor; when the processor calls and runs the computer program from the memory, the communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method as described in any one of the first aspects, or executes the method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0030] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is called by a computer, the computer executes the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the method as described in any one of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of paging resources in the related art;

[0033] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the association relationship between the wake-up signal transmission frame and the paging frame in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the association between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1 ).

[0039] Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be connected to each other via wired or wireless connections. Communication system 1000 may also include a core network 200. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in RAN 100 may be independent and distinct physical devices, or they may be a single physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN nodes. Communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300.

[0040] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or a WiFi system. RAN100 can also include two or more of the aforementioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0041] A RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, facilitates wireless access to a communication system for terminals. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station, or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, or a donor node. In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can be used to facilitate wireless access for terminals, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, and can also implement the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions. The DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer functions, and can also implement some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of these protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The RU is used to implement the transmission and reception functions of radio frequency signals. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: the CU-control plane and the CU-user plane.

[0042] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, the CU may be called an open CU (O-CU), the DU may be called an open DU (O-DU), and the RU may be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the RAN node. For ease of description, the following description uses a network device as an example of a RAN node.

[0043] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), terminal device, mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home appliance, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal. For the convenience of description, the following description takes the terminal as an example.

[0044] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0045] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0046] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0048] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to wireless communications between communication devices. Wireless communications between communication devices may include: wireless communications between network devices and terminals, wireless communications between network devices, and wireless communications between terminal devices. In the embodiments of this application, the term "wireless communications" may also be referred to as "communication," which may also be described as "data transmission," "information transmission," or "transmission."

[0049] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the present application, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are first explained below.

[0050] (1) Radio resource control (RRC) status of the terminal device

[0051] In the new radio (NR) system, depending on whether there is an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device has three RRC states, namely RRC idle state (hereinafter referred to as Idle state), RRC inactive state (hereinafter referred to as Inactive state) and RRC connected state (hereinafter referred to as Connected state). There is an RRC connection between the terminal device in the Connected state and the network device, and data can be transmitted with the network device. There is no RRC connection between the terminal device in the Idle / Inactive state and the network device, and data cannot be transmitted with the network device, but it can receive broadcast information of the cell, such as system messages, paging messages, etc. The terminal device in the Idle / Inactive state can switch to the Connected state through the random access process.

[0052] (2) Paging

[0053] Network devices use air interface broadcast messages to notify Idle / Inactive devices to enter Active mode (i.e., Connected state), or to notify Idle / Inactive / Connected devices to update system information. This process is called paging. The frame that sends a paging message is called a paging frame (PF). Part of the time-frequency resources in a paging frame are used to send paging messages. This part of the time-frequency resources is called a paging occasion (PO). Each paging occasion is allocated to one or more terminal devices. Terminal devices can wait for paging messages during the allocated paging occasion.

[0054] See Figure 2, which illustrates an exemplary diagram of paging resources. As shown in Figure 1, for a paging cycle of length T, which contains N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) paging frames (PF), all paging information is sent in the paging frame. 38.304 Clause 7.1 stipulates that the system frame number (SFN) of the paging frame satisfies the following relationship: (SFN+PF offset )mod T=(T div N)*(UE ID mod N)…………………………(1)

[0055] SFN is the system frame number of the paging frame, PF offset is the time domain offset of the paging frame, T is the length of the paging cycle, N is the number of paging frames contained in a paging cycle, and UE ID is the terminal device identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0056] The network device can use the nAndPagingFrameOffset field under the DownlinkConfigCommonSIB field (or information field) in the system information block 1 (SIB1) to set the PF offset The configuration of T / N is notified to the terminal device. offset and T / N, the terminal device can know the location of the paging frame corresponding to the terminal device.

[0057] As shown in Figure 1, a paging frame (PF) includes multiple paging opportunities (POs). The network device sends paging information corresponding to the terminal device on the PO resource. 38.304 Clause 7.1 stipulates that the correspondence between the i-th PO and the terminal device satisfies the following formula:

[0058] Among them, N is the number of paging frames contained in a paging cycle, N s is the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame, UE ID is the terminal device identifier, mod is the modulo operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0059] Each paging opportunity (PO) can contain one or more time slots, and the paging information in each PO is carried on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) resource. The first detection opportunity of the PDCCH carrying the PO can be configured through the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO field in SIB1. The terminal device calculates the corresponding paging resource based on its own device identification and the paging configuration parameters given in SIB1, and detects and receives paging information on the paging resource.

[0060] Currently, to ensure robustness, large-scale paging needs to be performed in an area consisting of multiple cells. Paging messages occupy a lot of resources and have a heavy load.

[0061] (3) Network energy-saving technology

[0062] The embodiments of the present application relate to network energy-saving technology. The scenarios to which the present application is applicable may have the following different interpretations.

[0063] First, the network equipment can divide a cell into "normal mode" and one or more "energy-saving modes." In normal mode, the network equipment normally transmits all data and all control information in each cell. In energy-saving mode, for cells with no data services or very light traffic, the network equipment disables data signal transmission and some control signal transmission in that cell. Idle / Inactive state terminal devices can send wake-up signals to wake up the cell in energy-saving mode, allowing the cell to send paging messages to page the idle / inactive state terminal devices.

[0064] The second is that the network device does not need to distinguish between "normal mode" and "energy-saving mode" for a cell. The network device can send signals in each cell according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Taking the first cell as an example, in the first cell, the network device first turns off the data signal transmission and part of the control signal transmission, and achieves energy saving of the network device by limiting the transmission capacity. The idle / inactive terminal device residing in the first cell can send a wake-up signal to enable the first cell to release the restriction on the transmission capacity, and can send a paging message to the idle / inactive terminal device.

[0065] It is understood that the "energy-saving mode" mentioned in this application is an abbreviation for the state in which the network device is in a cost-saving state, and can also be replaced by other names. For example, the energy-saving mode can also be called the first mode, mode A, or sleep mode.

[0066] (4) Synchronization signal block (SSB)

[0067] SSB is used for initial access of terminal devices. It is a normally open broadcast signal of network devices. This broadcast signal can be sent periodically and is used to carry some public information that network devices need to send periodically. This public information may include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) used to synchronize the terminal device with the network, and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). PSS and SSS can also be collectively referred to as synchronization signals (SS). PBCH carries the master information block (MIB), which includes information about the cell accessed by the terminal device and resource indications of the system information block 1 (SIB1). PSS and SSS can be used to identify different physical cells.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to save power consumption of network equipment, for cells with no data services or very lightly loaded services, the network equipment may shut down data signal transmission and partial control signal transmission in the cells and only transmit the remaining control signals.

[0069] In one possible implementation, after turning off the transmission of some control signals for the purpose of network energy saving, the remaining control signals sent in the cell may include synchronization signals and part of the information in the MIB. The content of the part of the information in the MIB described in the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

[0070] In another possible implementation, after shutting down the transmission of some control signals for the purpose of network energy saving, the control information sent in the cell may include some information in SIB1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the content of the partial information in SIB1.

[0071] The current paging process requires large-scale paging across multiple cells. This requires network equipment to send paging messages across numerous paging resources (such as paging opportunities) within a cell, resulting in high overhead. For cells in energy-saving mode, when they wake up, there are typically only a few devices within their service area. Sending paging messages across these numerous paging resources would result in significant energy waste.

[0072] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a related device that can implement the method. In an embodiment of the present application, a network device can determine a corresponding paging resource based on an identifier of an Idle / Inactive terminal device or based on a wake-up signal sent by an Idle / Inactive terminal device, thereby sending a paging message only on the paging resource, thereby achieving refinement of the paging area perceivable by the Idle / Inactive terminal device. Compared to sending paging messages on multiple cells and a large number of paging resources within a cell, the use of an embodiment of the present application can reduce the use of paging resources and achieve network energy saving. In an embodiment of the present application, the paging resource for sending a paging message determined based on the wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive terminal device can be referred to as an activated paging resource.

[0073] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to the above energy-saving scenarios.

[0074] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operation methods in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0075] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), or applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device function. The control subsystem that includes the network device function here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes the terminal function.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present application, a network device sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel. The terminal device sends uplink signals or uplink information to a base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which the terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal device.

[0078] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, some terms involved in the embodiments of this application are first explained below.

[0079] (1) Wake-up signal (WUS)

[0080] The wake-up signal in the embodiment of the present application is an uplink signal, which can be an uplink reference signal or other uplink signal that can achieve the same or similar functions, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. The wake-up signal can wake up the cell in the energy-saving mode, so that the network device can initiate paging in the cell when paging the terminal device is needed. In other words, the wake-up signal is used to request the network device to send a paging. In the embodiment of the present application, the wake-up signal is sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal device. For an Idle / Inactive state terminal device, it can send a wake-up signal in a cell (such as the first cell), and the resource used by the wake-up signal is called the first resource. The resource of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal device identifier, and the association relationship can be indicated by configuration information. The Idle / Inactive state terminal device in the first cell can determine the resource used to send the wake-up signal based on the configuration information sent by the network device and the identifier of the terminal device, and send the wake-up signal on the resource. In the network energy-saving mode, the network device can wake up the first cell in the energy-saving mode based on the wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal device in the first cell.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present application, there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource. The network device can determine the corresponding paging resource based on the resource used by the received wake-up signal and send a paging message to the terminal device on the paging resource.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present application, the wake-up signal may be a periodic signal, that is, the terminal device may send the wake-up signal according to a set period.

[0083] In some other embodiments of the present application, the wake-up signal is a non-periodic signal, that is, the wake-up signal is sent based on a conditional trigger. Optionally, taking an idle / inactive terminal device in the first cell as an example, the conditions for the terminal device to send the wake-up signal based on the conditional trigger may include the following:

[0084] Case 1: The wake-up signal is sent only when the terminal device enters the paging area. A paging area, also known as a paging area, location area, or tracking area, is the area where paging is initiated for the terminal device and can include one or more cells. A paging area can be a tracking area, a RAN area, or another area consisting of one or more cells.

[0085] Case 2: When the terminal device receives a control instruction sent by the network device, such as downlink control information (DCI), the terminal device sends a wake-up signal in response to the control instruction.

[0086] Case 3: After receiving the first downlink signal in the first cell, the terminal device sends a wake-up signal according to the configuration information included in the first downlink signal. In other words, the operation of sending the wake-up signal by the terminal device is triggered based on the first downlink signal.

[0087] Case 4: The terminal device determines that the first cell is in energy-saving mode based on the received first downlink signal, and then sends a wake-up signal in the first cell. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may include indication information for indicating whether the first cell is in energy-saving mode, and the terminal device can determine whether the first cell is in energy-saving mode based on the indication information. As another example, the resources of the first downlink signal can be associated with the mode type of the first cell. For example, the time-frequency resources used to send the first downlink signal are different when the first cell is in normal mode and in energy-saving mode, thereby implicitly indicating whether the first cell is in normal mode or in energy-saving mode. Accordingly, the terminal device can determine whether the first cell is in energy-saving mode based on the resources of the first downlink signal.

[0088] It is understood that the present application does not impose any specific restrictions on the name, form, and function of the wake-up signal. For example, the wake-up signal may also be referred to as an uplink reference signal.

[0089] (2) First downlink signal

[0090] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may send a first downlink signal that carries configuration information indicating an association between a wake-up signal resource and a terminal identifier and / or an association between a wake-up signal resource and a paging resource.

[0091] In some embodiments of the present application, the first downlink signal carrying the configuration information may be SIB1, or other system message blocks (expressed as SIBs), or a master information block (MIB), or DCI, or normally-on control information in a network energy-saving mode, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, in the event of an emergency public event, the network device may send the configuration information to the terminal device by sending DCI to trigger the terminal device to send a wake-up signal according to the configuration information to wake up the cell, so that the network device can page the terminal device.

[0092] Optionally, the always-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can be used for initial access of the terminal device. Optionally, the always-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can include one or more of the following information: MIB or part of the MIB information, SIB1 or part of the SIB1 information, and can further include a synchronization signal (SS). Optionally, the always-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can be broadcast and sent periodically.

[0093] It is understood that the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the name, form, and function of the "first downlink signal." For example, the first downlink signal can also be understood as a first downlink reference signal.

[0094] (3) Second downlink signal

[0095] In the embodiment of the present application, the second downlink signal is control information sent by the network device in a cell in normal mode, or control information sent in the cell after the cell in energy-saving mode is awakened. The terminal device can perform initial access based on the second downlink signal.

[0096] Optionally, the second downlink signal may include SSB, SIB1, or other system message blocks, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0097] (4) Resources

[0098] In the embodiments of the present application, "resources" may be one or more of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources, and power domain resources. For example, the wake-up signal resources may include one or more of the wake-up signal time domain resources, the wake-up signal frequency domain resources, the wake-up signal code domain resources, and the wake-up signal power. In one possible approach, the code domain resources may be a sequence.

[0099] The communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with Figure 3. Based on the network system architecture shown in Figure 2 and the above-mentioned related technical introduction, Figure 3 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The solution in Figure 3 is described using the interaction between a network device and a terminal device as an example.

[0100] The terminals involved in the following description, unless otherwise specified, refer to idle / inactive state terminals. In the following description, in order to distinguish it from other terminals, the terminal shown in Figure 3 is referred to as the first terminal in some descriptions, that is, the first terminal is an idle / inactive state terminal in the first cell. The first terminal can send a wake-up signal on the first resource in the first cell and receive a paging message on the second resource in the first cell.

[0101] As shown in FIG3 , the communication method may include the following steps:

[0102] Step 301: The network device sends configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the association relationship between the M resources of the wake-up signal and the N terminal identifiers indicated by the configuration information may include the following situations:

[0104] Case 1: A wake-up signal resource of any one of the M wake-up signal sources is associated with multiple terminal identifiers. For example, a wake-up signal transmission frame is associated with multiple terminal identifiers, so that multiple terminals can send wake-up signals in the same wake-up signal transmission frame.

[0105] Case 2: Any one of the M resources of the wake-up signal is associated with a terminal identifier.

[0106] Case 3: Multiple resources among the M resources of the wake-up signal are associated with one terminal identifier. For example, multiple wake-up signal transmission frames are associated with one terminal identifier, so that one terminal can send the wake-up signal in multiple wake-up signal transmission frames.

[0107] It can be understood that at least two of the above situations 1, 2 and 3 may exist at the same time. For example, the M resources of the wake-up signal include M1 resources and M2 resources (M1 and M2 are both positive integers), each of the M1 resources is associated with multiple terminal identifiers, and each of the M2 resources is associated with 1 terminal identifier.

[0108] Optionally, the association between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier may include the following situations:

[0109] Case a: The code domain resource (such as sequence) of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, that is, different terminals can be associated with different code domains of the wake-up signal;

[0110] Case b: The time domain resource of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, that is, different terminals can be associated with different time domains of the wake-up signal;

[0111] Case c: The frequency domain resources of the wake-up signal are associated with the terminal identifier. This means that different terminals can be associated with different frequency domains of the wake-up signal. For example, the sequence of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, and different sequences can be associated with different terminal identifiers.

[0112] It is understandable that at least two of the uplink situations a, b, and c may be combined, for example, both the time domain resources and the code domain resources of the wake-up signal are associated with the terminal identifier.

[0113] It can be understood that the association methods between the wake-up signal resources and the terminal identification listed above are only a few possible examples, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. As long as there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resources and the terminal identification, it is within the scope of protection of this application.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may configure an association between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource. For the specific configuration parameters included in the configuration information, see the description in step 303 below. In another possible implementation, the configuration information may configure a correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, so that the network device can determine the corresponding terminal identifier based on the corresponding relationship according to the resource of the received wake-up signal, and then determine the paging resource based on the terminal identifier and the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the paging resource.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is at a cell level. For example, the configuration information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell. That is, the configuration information only indicates the resource used to send a wake-up signal in one cell. It can be understood that the configuration information includes not only the first configuration information but also more configuration information such as the second configuration information, that is, the configuration information includes N (N is a positive integer) configuration information, and the N configuration information indicates N different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the same cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers.

[0116] For another example, the configuration information includes first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell, and the second configuration information indicates a second resource, the second resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in the second cell. That is, the configuration information may include multiple configuration information to respectively indicate the resources used to send wake-up signals in the multiple cells, and the resources used to send wake-up signals in different cells may be the same or different. It can be understood that the first configuration information may include N1 (N1 is a positive integer) configuration information, the N1 configuration information indicates N1 different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers. The second configuration information may include N2 (N2 is a positive integer) configuration information, the N2 configuration information indicates N2 different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers. Optionally, N1+N2=N, where N is the number of configuration information contained in the configuration information.

[0117] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is at the cell group level. For example, the configuration information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates a first resource, which is a resource used by a cell in the first cell group to send a wake-up signal. That is, the configuration information can indicate the resources used to send a wake-up signal in a cell group (including the first cell), and the configuration information of the resources used to send a wake-up signal in each cell in the cell group is the same. For example, on each cell in the cell group, the sending period, time domain offset and frequency domain offset of the wake-up signal are the same, and the wake-up signal resources of the multiple cells can share one configuration information. Based on the configuration information, the terminal can send a wake-up signal on multiple cells. Taking the first cell and the second cell as cells in a cell group as an example, it can be understood that the configuration information can include N (N is a positive integer) configuration information to indicate N wake-up signal resources shared by the first cell and the second cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers.

[0118] In one possible implementation, when the terminal enters a paging area (which may be a tracking area, a RAN area, or an area consisting of one or more cells), the terminal receives the above configuration information. The terminal can then determine the resource for the wake-up signal based on the configuration information and the terminal's identity and send the wake-up signal on that resource. The specific implementation method can be found below.

[0119] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may be carried in a first downlink signal. For details about the content and sending method of the first downlink signal, refer to the above description.

[0120] Step 302: The terminal sends a wake-up signal on a first resource, where the first resource is one of the M wake-up signal resources, wherein the terminal is one of the terminals corresponding to the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal is in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0121] In this step, taking the first terminal as an example, the first terminal can determine the first resource based on the received configuration information and the identifier of the first terminal, and then send the wake-up signal on the first resource. Since the configuration information indicates the association between M resources of the wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, the first terminal can determine the wake-up signal resource associated with the terminal (herein referred to as the first resource) among the M resources based on its own terminal identifier and the association, and send the wake-up signal on the first resource.

[0122] In one possible implementation, if the configuration information received by the first terminal indicates resources for sending wake-up signals in multiple cells, and the resources used to send wake-up signals in different cells are different, the first terminal can send wake-up signals in the multiple cells according to the configuration information.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent periodically. In another possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on a conditional trigger. For specific implementations, please refer to the relevant content above.

[0124] In one possible implementation method, taking the sending of a wake-up signal in the first cell as an example, after the network device receives the wake-up signal in the first cell, it can wake up the first cell in energy-saving mode and put it into normal mode, or release the restriction on the transmission capacity of the first cell. After that, the network device can send a second downlink signal in the first cell. When it is necessary to initiate paging for the terminal, the activation paging resource corresponding to the terminal is determined according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, and a paging message is sent on the activation paging resource. The specific implementation method can refer to the description below.

[0125] Optionally, in order to further achieve network energy saving, the network device may send a second downlink signal on a corresponding beam according to the beam of the wake-up signal to achieve the effect of partially waking up the cell.

[0126] Step 303: The network device determines a second resource according to the first resource or according to the identifier of the terminal. The second resource is used to send a paging message, or in other words, the second resource is a paging resource.

[0127] The first terminal is the terminal to be paged, and the second resource can be referred to as the activated paging resource corresponding to the first terminal. Optionally, the network device determines the activated paging resource corresponding to the first terminal only when it determines that paging needs to be initiated for the first terminal.

[0128] In one possible implementation, there is a correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource. For example, since the terminal identifier is associated with the paging frame and the paging occasion in the related art, by associating the sending frame and the sending occasion of the wake-up signal with the terminal identifier, it is possible to associate the sending frame of the wake-up signal with the paging frame, and the sending occasion of the wake-up signal with the paging occasion. Accordingly, for the wake-up signal received by the network device, there is a correspondence between the first resource used and the second resource used to paging the corresponding terminal (i.e., the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier associated with the first resource, including the first terminal identifier). The network device can determine the second resource corresponding to the first resource based on the first resource and the above-mentioned correspondence (i.e., the correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource), and can initiate paging of the terminal (i.e., the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier associated with the first resource) by sending a paging message on the second resource.

[0129] In the embodiment of the present application, the correspondence between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources may include one or more of the following:

[0130] - The correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame. Furthermore, there is a correspondence between the transmission timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing.

[0131] Exemplarily, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal time domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal time domain configuration indicates the corresponding wake-up signal time domain resource, different candidate time domain configurations are distinguished using an index, and there is an association between the index of the candidate time domain configuration and the time domain resource of the paging message.

[0132] - The correspondence between the frequency domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the frequency band where the wake-up signal is located and the paging frame, and further, there is a correspondence between the subcarrier where the wake-up signal is located and the paging opportunity.

[0133] Exemplarily, similar to the correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal frequency domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal frequency domain configuration indicates the corresponding wake-up signal frequency domain resource, different candidate frequency domain configurations are distinguished using indexes, and there is an association between the index of the candidate frequency domain configuration and the paging frame, or there is an association between the paging frame and the paging opportunity.

[0134] - The correspondence between the code domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the root sequence and / or zero correlation field of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, and further, there is a correspondence between the root sequence and / or zero correlation field of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity.

[0135] Exemplarily, similar to the correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal code domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal code domain configuration indicates the corresponding wake-up signal code domain resource, and different candidate code domain configurations are distinguished using indexes. There is an association between the index of the candidate code domain configuration and the paging frame, or there is an association between the paging frame and the paging opportunity.

[0136] -The correspondence between the power domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message.

[0137] It can be understood that the correspondence between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources can also be: at least two of the time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources and power domain resources of the wake-up signal have a correspondence with the time domain resources of the paging message.

[0138] It can be understood that the association methods between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources listed above are only a few possible examples, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. As long as there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources (such as including paging frames, or including paging frames and paging opportunities), they are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0139] Since there may be a corresponding relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, accordingly, the network device may determine the paging frame according to the transmission frame of the wake-up signal.

[0140] FIG. 4 exemplarily shows the correspondence between several possible wake-up signal transmission frames and paging frames.

[0141] As shown in (a) in Figure 4, one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to one paging frame, that is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this one-to-one correspondence, the use of paging resources can be reduced. Taking the wake-up signal sending frame 1 associated with the first terminal identifier as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal, it only needs to send the paging message of the terminal on the paging frame 1 associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1. Since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the network device can use fewer paging resources to page the target terminal, thereby achieving network energy saving. In addition, using this implementation method, the paging range can also be refined and the number of cells for paging the terminal can be reduced.

[0142] As shown in (b) in Figure 4, multiple wake-up signal sending frames correspond to one paging frame, that is, there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this many-to-one relationship, the overhead of paging resources can be reduced as much as possible. Taking the association of the first terminal identifier with the wake-up signal sending frame 1 and the association of the second terminal identifier with the wake-up signal sending frame 2 as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal and the second terminal, it only needs to send the paging message of the first terminal and the second terminal on the paging frame 1 that is jointly associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1 and the wake-up signal sending frame 2. Since there is a many-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the network device can minimize the use of paging resources when paging multiple terminals.

[0143] As shown in (c) in Figure 4, one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to multiple paging frames, that is, there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this one-to-many correspondence, the paging performance can be improved relative to the above-mentioned one-to-one correspondence or many-to-one correspondence. Taking the wake-up signal sending frame 1 associated with the first terminal identifier as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal, the paging message of the terminal can be sent on the N paging frames associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1, thereby improving the paging performance of the target terminal. In addition, in this case, the wake-up signal sending frame 1 can be associated with multiple terminal identifiers, which can reduce the amount of configuration information to save resource overhead.

[0144] Based on the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame shown in Figure 4 above, for all terminals associated with the same wake-up signal sending frame, the network device can page these terminals on one or more paging frames corresponding to the wake-up signal sending frame, or in other words, for all terminals on the same paging frame, these terminals can be associated with one or more wake-up signal sending frames.

[0145] In a possible implementation, the relationship between the wake-up signal transmission frame and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n)…………………………(3)

[0146] Among them, SFN is the system frame number of the wake-up signal transmission frame, SFN offset is the offset of the wake-up signal transmission frame, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is the multiple or approximate number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the terminal identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0147] Based on Formula 3 above, the parameter n can indicate how many paging frames are associated with one wake-up signal transmission frame, or how many paging frames are associated with one paging frame. For example, if n is a multiple of N, n is written as k*N (k is a positive integer), and k wake-up signal transmission frames are associated with one paging frame. If n is a divisor of N, n is written as 1 / k*N (k is a positive integer), and one wake-up signal transmission frame is associated with k paging frames.

[0148] Exemplarily, when n=N (N is the number of paging frames included in the paging cycle), that is, when n is both the smallest multiple of N and the largest divisor of N (that is, N itself), it indicates that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. When n is a multiple of N (that is, n is equal to 2 times or more of N), it indicates that there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. For example, when n=4N (that is, n is equal to 4 times N), 4 wake-up signal sending frames correspond to the same paging frame. When n is a divisor of N, it indicates that there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. For example, when n=1 / 4N (that is, n is equal to one-quarter of N), one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to 4 paging frames.

[0149] It can be understood that the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame shown in the above formula 3 is only a possible example, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0150] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may include a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to a wake-up signal sending frame, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to a paging frame. Exemplarily, when the corresponding relationship shown in the above formula 3 is satisfied between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the parameter n in formula 3. Optionally, the configuration information may also include the offset of the wake-up signal sending frame (such as SFN in formula 3). offset Optionally, the configuration information may further include the length T of the paging cycle and / or the number N of paging frames included in the paging cycle. Accordingly, in step 302, the terminal may determine the frame for sending the wake-up signal based on the above formula 3 according to the terminal identifier and the above parameters included in the configuration information.

[0151] Since there may be a corresponding relationship between the sending timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing, accordingly, the network device may determine the paging timing according to the sending timing of the wake-up signal.

[0152] FIG5 exemplarily shows the correspondence between several possible wake-up signal sending occasions and paging occasions.

[0153] As shown in (a) in Figure 5, one wake-up signal sending opportunity corresponds to one paging opportunity, that is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a one-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0154] As shown in (b) in Figure 5, multiple wake-up signal sending opportunities correspond to one paging opportunity, that is, there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a many-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0155] As shown in (c) in Figure 5, one wake-up signal sending opportunity corresponds to multiple paging opportunities, that is, there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a one-to-many relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0156] Based on the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing shown in Figure 5 above, for terminals associated with the same wake-up signal sending timing, the network device can page the terminal at one or more paging timings corresponding to the wake-up signal sending timing, or in other words, for all terminals on the same paging timing, these terminals can be associated with one or more wake-up signal sending timings.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the relationship between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging occasion satisfies the following formula:

[0158] Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is the multiple or approximate number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximate number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the terminal identifier, mod is the modulo operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0159] Based on the above formula 4, the parameter n s It can indicate how many paging occasions a wake-up signal transmission opportunity is associated with, or how many wake-up signal transmission occasions a paging occasion is associated with. s N s When n is a multiple of s Denoted as k*N s (k is a positive integer), then k wake-up signal sending opportunities are associated with one paging frame; n s N sWhen n is a divisor of s (k is a positive integer), then one wake-up signal sending opportunity is associated with k paging occasions.

[0160] For example, when n s =N s (N s is the number of paging opportunities included in the paging cycle), it means that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. s Yes N s When n is a multiple of , it indicates that there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. s Yes N s When the number is a divisor of , it indicates that there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity.

[0161] It can be understood that the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing shown in the above formula 4 is only a possible example, and the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0162] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may include a second parameter, which is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one wake-up signal transmission opportunity, or the number of wake-up signal transmission opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity. Exemplarily, when the correspondence between the wake-up signal transmission opportunity and the paging opportunity satisfies the above formula 4, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the parameter n in formula 4. s Optionally, the configuration information may also include an offset of the wake-up signal sending timing (such as the URS in Formula 4). offset Optionally, the configuration information may also include the length T of the paging cycle and / or the number N of paging opportunities included in the paging cycle. s Accordingly, in step 302, the terminal may determine the timing of sending the wake-up signal according to the terminal identifier and the parameters included in the configuration information and based on the above formula 4.

[0163] It can be understood that in some embodiments, the correspondence between the time domain resources in the first resource and the time domain resources in the second resource can include both the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame and the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing.

[0164] As described above, the network device can also determine the second resource based on the terminal identifier. Since there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, and there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, there is also a corresponding relationship between the paging resource and the terminal identifier. Therefore, the network device can determine the paging resource corresponding to the terminal identifier (referred to as the second resource in the embodiment of the present application) based on the terminal identifier. The specific implementation principle is the same as the aforementioned embodiment.

[0165] Exemplarily, since there is an association between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, the network device can determine the terminal identifier associated with the first resource based on the first resource used by the received wake-up signal (the number of terminal identifiers associated with the first resource can be one or more, expressed as UE_IDs, including the identifier of the first terminal). When the network device needs to page the terminal corresponding to one or more terminal identifiers in the UE_IDs, for example, the terminal to be paged is the first terminal, the network device determines the corresponding paging resource based on the first terminal identifier and sends a paging message for the first terminal on the paging resource. In this embodiment of the present application, there is no restriction on the method for the network device to determine the corresponding paging resource based on the identifier of the first terminal. For example, in one possible implementation, similar to the association between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, there is also an association between the paging resource and the terminal identifier, so that the network device can determine the paging resource associated with it based on the first terminal identifier. In another possible implementation, the network device can determine the paging frame based on the identifier of the first terminal and based on the above formula 1, and the paging frame corresponds to the transmission frame of the wake-up signal. Furthermore, the network device may also determine a paging opportunity according to the identifier of the first terminal and based on Formula 2, where the paging opportunity corresponds to a timing for sending the wake-up signal.

[0166] Step 304: The network device sends a paging message on the second resource.

[0167] In this step, the second resource is the part of the paging resources corresponding to the first resource in all the paging resources. The network device only activates this part of the paging resources, sends paging messages on this part of the paging resources, and does not send the paging messages on other paging resources, thereby achieving network energy saving. Taking the first cell as an example, in energy-saving mode, there are usually only a small number of idle / inactive terminals in the first cell. If the paging method provided by the relevant technology is adopted, although only a small number of idle / inactive terminals are paged, since the network device cannot achieve a more refined perception of the paging area of ​​the idle / inactive terminals, it is necessary to page the terminals in the entire paging area, which will use a large amount of paging resources in the first cell and may also need to use paging resources from other cells. By adopting the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can receive the wake-up signal sent by the idle / inactive terminal in the first cell. Since the first resource used by the wake-up signal is associated with one or more terminals, the network device can perceive the idle / inactive terminals in the first cell. When the network device needs to page these terminals, it can send paging messages only in the first cell or a few adjacent cells. Compared with the above-mentioned related technologies, the paging range is reduced; further, in the embodiment of the present application, since there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, the network device can determine the corresponding paging resource (second resource) based on the first resource used by the wake-up signal, and send a paging message on the paging resource, thereby further reducing the use of paging resources and achieving network energy saving.

[0168] In one possible implementation, if the network device determines that the strength of the wake-up signal received on the first resource (such as the reference signal receiving power (RSRP)) is greater than a set threshold, it sends a paging message on the second resource. Since the terminal may be at the edge of the cell, the signal strength of the wake-up signal received by the network device for the terminal is relatively weak. In this case, if the network device sends a paging message to the terminal, there is a high probability that the paging may fail. By adopting the above implementation, the occurrence of paging failures can be reduced, invalid paging can be reduced, and network energy saving can be achieved. On the other hand, within a cell, the network device may also receive a wake-up signal sent by a terminal in a neighboring cell of the cell. The signal strength of the wake-up signal is usually weak. By adopting the above implementation, paging to the terminal can be avoided to save power consumption of the network device.

[0169] In a possible implementation, after receiving a wake-up signal sent by a terminal on a first resource in a first cell, the network device sends a paging message corresponding to the terminal only on a second resource in the first cell.

[0170] In another possible implementation, the network device can send a paging message not only in the first cell but also in one or more neighboring cells of the first cell, and the resources used by the paging message in each cell correspond to the first resources. In this way, the robustness of network paging can be improved. Exemplarily, in the above step 302, according to the wake-up signal resources of multiple cells indicated by the configuration information, the terminal can send a wake-up signal on the multiple cells, or notify the neighboring cells through the first cell to wake up the multiple cells, so that the network device can perform paging on the multiple cells to improve the robustness of paging. In addition, although the configuration information can configure the resources for sending wake-up signals in multiple cells, the number of the multiple cells is usually less than the number of cells included in the paging area; further, although the terminal can send a wake-up signal on the wake-up signal resources of multiple cells according to the configuration information, for the network device, the signal strength of the wake-up signal received in some of the cells may be weak, so the network device will not initiate paging to the terminal in these cells. That is, compared to the related art that requires initiating paging on a large number of paging resources, the embodiments of the present application can reduce the use of paging resources, thereby achieving network energy saving.

[0171] In one possible implementation, a network device may receive a paging message from a core network. For a target terminal of the paging message, if the paging resource used by the paging message from the core network is an activated paging resource corresponding to the target terminal, the network device sends the paging message; otherwise, the network device may not send the paging message. The activated paging resource corresponding to the target terminal refers to the paging resource corresponding to the resource used by the target terminal to send a wake-up signal.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the paging message may include one or more items of the paging messages shown in Table 1.

[0173] Table 1: Paging Messages

[0174] Optionally, paging messages for other functions may be sent in a manner defined by the current protocol, such as sending paging messages on all paging resources, thereby achieving flexible design based on the robustness requirements of different services.

[0175] After the network device sends a paging message on the second resource, the terminal can correspondingly receive the paging message on the second resource. In the embodiment of the present application, taking the first terminal as an example, the first terminal can determine the corresponding paging resource based on the first terminal's identifier and monitor the paging message on the paging resource. The method by which the first terminal determines the corresponding paging resource based on the first terminal's identifier is similar to the method by which the network device determines the corresponding paging resource (second resource) based on the first terminal's identifier.

[0176] Based on the process shown in Figure 3 above, the Idle / Inactive state terminal can send a wake-up signal to enable the network device to perceive the terminal and the resources used by the wake-up signal sent by the terminal. In this way, when the network device needs to initiate paging for the terminal, it can determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources used by the terminal to send the wake-up signal, and page the terminal on the paging resource. The paging message may not be sent on other paging resources. Compared with the related technology that requires paging the terminal on a large number of paging resources, the embodiment of the present application can realize the network side's accurate perception capability of the Idle / Inactive state terminal, enabling the network device to determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources of the wake-up signal, so as to reduce the paging energy consumption overhead.

[0177] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network devices and terminals include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0178] Figures 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be the base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal or base station.

[0179] As shown in Figure 6, a communication device 600 includes a processing unit 610 and a transceiver unit 620. The communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the terminal or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0180] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3: the processing unit 610 is used to send configuration information through the transceiver unit 620, and the configuration information indicates the association relationship between M resources and N terminal identifiers of the wake-up signal, and M and N are both positive integers; the transceiver unit 620 is used to receive the wake-up signal on the first resource, and the first resource is one of the M resources; the processing unit 610 determines the second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal, and the identifier of the first terminal is the terminal identifier associated with the first resource, and sends the paging message on the second resource through the transceiver unit 620.

[0181] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the function of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3: the transceiver unit 620 receives configuration information, and the configuration information indicates the association relationship between M resources of the wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; the processing unit 610 is used to determine a first resource based on the configuration information and the terminal identifier, where the first resource is one of the M resources, the terminal identifier is one of the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal is in an idle state or an inactive state; and a wake-up signal is sent on the first resource through the transceiver unit 620, where the wake-up signal is used to identify the terminal.

[0182] A more detailed description of the processing unit 610 and the transceiver unit 620 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , and is not repeated here.

[0183] As shown in Figure 7, communication device 700 includes a processor 710 and an interface circuit 720. Processor 710 and interface circuit 720 are coupled to each other. It will be appreciated that interface circuit 720 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 700 may further include a memory 730 for storing instructions executed by processor 710, input data required by processor 710 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 710 executes instructions.

[0184] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3 , the processor 710 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 610 , and the interface circuit 720 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 620 .

[0185] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the terminal chip implements the terminal functions in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or the terminal chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device.

[0186] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device; or the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0187] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0188] This application provides another example of a communication device, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being coupled together, the at least one memory being used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device performs the method described in the above embodiments. For example, as shown in FIG7 , a communication device 700 includes a processor 710 and a memory 730. The processor 710 and the memory 730 are coupled together, and the memory 730 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 730 are executed by the processor 710, the communication device 700 performs the method described in the above embodiments by the terminal or network device.

[0189] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a network device or a terminal as discrete components.

[0190] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0191] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0192] In this application, "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. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0193] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; Receiving a wake-up signal on a first resource, where the first resource is one of the M resources; Determine a second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal device, where the identifier of the first terminal device is the identifier of the terminal device associated with the first resource; A paging message is sent on the second resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, there is a corresponding relationship between the resource of the wake-up signal and the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources or power domain resources.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain. The relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n) Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one sending frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to one paging frame.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain. The relationship between the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity satisfies the following formula: Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, and URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, characterized in that: The first resource includes the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes the paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sending of the paging message on the second resource includes: If it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, a paging message corresponding to the first terminal device is sent on the second resource.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; Determine a first resource according to the configuration information and an identifier of a first terminal device, where the first resource is one of the M resources, the identifier of the first terminal device is one of the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state; A wake-up signal is sent on the first resource, where the wake-up signal is used to identify the first terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: Determine a second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal device; A paging message is received on the second resource.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, there is a corresponding relationship between the resource of the wake-up signal and the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources or power domain resources.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain. The relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n) Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one sending frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to one paging frame.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first resource includes a sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain. The relationship between the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity satisfies the following formula: Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, and URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

14. The method according to claim 9, 10 or 13, characterized in that The first resource includes the wake-up signal sending opportunity in the time domain, the second resource includes the paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one wake-up signal sending opportunity, or the number of wake-up signal sending opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The one or more processors are configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-7, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 8-14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is called by a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or executes the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

19. A chip system, characterized in that: include: A memory for storing a computer program; a processor; when the processor calls and runs the computer program from the memory, the communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 14.

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