Communication method and apparatus, and storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, and a storage medium and a computer program product, which relate to the technical field of wireless communications, and are used for enabling a plurality of first common signals to be sent on a plurality of frequency-domain resources, thereby improving the flexibility of sending first common signals. In the present application, a terminal apparatus receives a first common signal, wherein the first common signal is one of a plurality of first common signals, and the plurality of first common signals are sent by a network apparatus by means of a plurality of time-frequency resources; and the plurality of time-frequency resources correspond to N time-domain resources, and the plurality of time-frequency resources correspond to M frequency-domain resources, N being a positive integer, and M being an integer greater than 1. It can be seen that the plurality of time-frequency resources may correspond to a plurality of frequency-domain resources, and therefore the flexibility of the network apparatus sending the first common signals can be improved. In addition, since the plurality of first common signals may occupy a plurality of frequency-domain resources, the number of time-domain resources occupied by the plurality of first common signals can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption.

Description

Communication method, device, storage medium and computer program product

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on October 18, 2023, with application number 202311349189.0 and application name "A communication method, device, storage medium and computer program product", 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 communication technology, and specifically to a communication method, device, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0004] Compared with the fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) system, the fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) system provides more flexibility in system design, including basic parameters, frame structure, and channel time-frequency resource design, which can better support forward compatibility and scalability.

[0005] In the 5G NR communication system, network devices can transmit various common signals. For example, the 5G NR downlink synchronization channel and its channels can be composed of multiple synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) sets. Each SSB set contains one or more SSBs. SSBs are primarily used for cell search, cell synchronization, and the transmission of broadcast information or system information.

[0006] Currently, public signals in communication systems can only be sent through time division multiplexing, which is not flexible enough.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and computer program product for transmitting multiple first common signals on multiple frequency domain resources to improve the flexibility of transmitting the first common signals.

[0009] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method applicable to a terminal device. The terminal device may be a terminal or a chip system within the terminal. This application describes the method as executed by a terminal device.

[0010] In this method, a terminal device receives a first common signal. The first common signal occupies a frequency domain resource. The first common signal is one of multiple first common signals transmitted by a network device. The multiple first common signals occupy M frequency domain resources, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the frequency domain resource occupied by the first common signal is one of the M frequency domain resources. The multiple first common signals are common signals of the same serving cell, and the multiple first common signals are common signals within a common signal transmission cycle.

[0011] It can be seen that multiple first common signals can be sent by frequency division multiplexing, or by frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing. In this way, the flexibility of the network device in sending the first common signal can be improved. On the other hand, since multiple first common signals can occupy multiple frequency domain resources, the number of time domain resources occupied by the multiple first common signals can be reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption. For example, since multiple first common signals occupy fewer time domain resources, the time for the network device to send multiple first common signals is shorter, and then the network device can extend the shutdown time, thereby reducing energy consumption. On the other hand, the time required for the terminal device to detect multiple first common signals is also reduced. This solution makes it possible for the terminal device to detect the first common signal more quickly, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first common signal includes: at least one of a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, system information, or a paging message.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the first common signal occupies one time domain resource, and multiple first common signals occupy N frequency domain resources, where N is a positive integer, and the time domain resource occupied by the first common signal belongs to one of the N time domain resources.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the interval between two frequency domain resources in the M frequency domain resources is the first frequency value or the first number of resource blocks. In the present application, the multiple first common signals may be sent by the network device through multiple time-frequency resources. The multiple time-frequency resources may include M frequency domain resources and N time domain resources. The interval between two frequency domain resources in the M frequency domain resources may also be referred to as the interval between two time-frequency resources in the multiple time-frequency resources in the frequency domain.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first frequency value includes: F*1200 kilo hertz (kHz), F*1.44 mega hertz (MHz), F*2.88 MHz, F*4.32 MHz, F*5.76 MHz, F*8.64 MHz, F*11.52 MHz, F*17.28 MHz, F*28.28 MHz, F*34.56 MHz, F*69.12 MHz, or F*138.24 MHz. F is a positive integer. The first frequency value is relatively well matched with the synchronization grid. Therefore, when the terminal device searches for the first common signal based on these first frequency values, the difficulty of searching for the first common signal can be reduced and the efficiency of searching for the first common signal can be improved.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first number of resource blocks includes: F*12, where F is a positive integer. A resource block can be an RB or an RE. For another example, a resource block can also be a PRB. The number of resource blocks is used as the unit of the interval between two time-frequency resources in the frequency domain, and the first number of resource blocks is a multiple of 12. Since the size of the subband in the resource block is 12 subcarriers, this solution can be more compatible with existing standards. On the other hand, it can make it easier for the terminal device to determine the frequency domain position of another time-frequency resource based on the frequency domain position of one time-frequency resource.

[0017] In a possible implementation, M and / or N are associated with the carrier frequency. Thus, the values ​​of M and / or N can be set according to the actual situation of the carrier frequency, so that the candidate resources of the first common signal are more closely matched with the actually used carrier frequency.

[0018] In one possible implementation, a set of M and N values ​​is associated with a carrier frequency. Thus, a set of M and N values ​​can be pre-set, and then a set of pre-set associated values ​​can be selected based on the carrier frequency. In this solution, M and N are pre-set, making this set of values ​​a more preferred configuration. Furthermore, the carrier frequency can be directly associated with one or more sets of M and N values, simplifying the M and N selection process.

[0019] In a possible implementation, M and / or N are preset values. In this way, the network device does not need to indicate the values ​​of M and / or N to the terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0020] In this application, M refers to the number of frequency domain resources occupied by multiple first common signals, and N refers to the number of time domain resources occupied by multiple first common signals. The meanings of M and N can also be found in the above content, and no further repetition will be given.

[0021] In one possible implementation, M and / or N are determined based on at least one of the following: a sequence of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) in the first common signal; a sequence of a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in the first common signal; cell identification information associated with the first common signal; and a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence in the first common signal and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In this way, the network device can implicitly indicate the value of M and / or N, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0022] In one possible implementation, M and / or N are determined based on at least one of the following: received information indicating M; or received information indicating N. In this way, the network device can indicate the values ​​of M and / or N through signaling, thereby simplifying the process of the terminal device determining the values ​​of M and / or N and simplifying operations on the terminal device side.

[0023] In one possible implementation, a first common signal among the multiple first common signals corresponds to a time-frequency index. The time-frequency index indicates the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal among the multiple time-frequency resources occupied by the multiple first common signals. The multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in the time domain first and then in the frequency domain, which is more compatible with existing technologies.

[0024] In a possible implementation, multiple time-frequency resources are sorted in a frequency domain first and then a time domain. This can provide more implementation methods and improve solution flexibility.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the time-frequency index includes a first value and a second value. The first value indicates the order of the time domain resources of the first common signal among the N time domain resources, and the second value indicates the order of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal among the M frequency domain resources. Or it can also be understood as: the first value indicates the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal in the time domain among multiple time-frequency resources, and the second value indicates the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal in the frequency domain among multiple time-frequency resources. In this way, the terminal device can more quickly determine the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal in the time domain and the frequency domain, and this solution can simplify the operations on the terminal device side.

[0026] In one possible implementation, a terminal device receives a second common signal or a control channel corresponding to the second common signal based on a first common signal, where the second common signal includes system information. One first common signal may be associated with one second common signal. The terminal device may receive the second common signal associated with the first common signal on a corresponding resource based on the received first common signal.

[0027] In one possible embodiment, the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal satisfy one of the following: the starting frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are the same; the center frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are the same; the frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are separated by a second value, and the second value is a preset value; the frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are separated by a third value, and the third value is associated with the bandwidth of the second common signal; the frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are separated by a fourth value, and the fourth value is associated with the difference between the bandwidth of the second common signal and the bandwidth of the first common signal; or, the frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of another first common signal is associated with the frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal. Since multiple first common signals can be frequency-division multiplexed, the above settings can specify the relationship between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the second common signal associated with the first common signal, and then the terminal device can determine the position of the frequency domain resources of the second common signal based on the relationship.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the time domain resource of the first common signal is the same as the time domain resource of the second common signal, so that the terminal device can acquire the second common signal more quickly.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the time domain resources of the second common signal are associated with at least one of: the time domain resources of the first common signal, the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, the value of M, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal. Thus, since the above-mentioned time-frequency index is affected by multiple frequency domain resources, and the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal also takes into account the number of frequency domain resources, the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal can be more applicable to a frequency division multiplexing scheme of multiple time-frequency resources.

[0030] The time domain resource position of the second resource can be calculated by a formula. For detailed formula, please refer to the content in subsequent specific embodiments and will not be explained here.

[0031] In one possible embodiment, two first common signals among the multiple first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the radio frequency channels corresponding to the two first common signals are different, the antenna ports corresponding to the two first common signals are different, or the spatial relationships corresponding to the two first common signals are different. Two first common signals among the multiple first common signals can be sent by a network device through two different radio frequency channels (or different antenna ports, or based on two different spatial relationships). In this way, a common signal can be sent through a dedicated radio frequency channel (or antenna port, or spatial relationship), and then the selected radio frequency channel (or antenna port, or spatial relationship) can be made to better match the sending of the common signal. In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship corresponding to the two first common signals can also be replaced by the beam corresponding to the two first common signals.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the plurality of first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the plurality of first common signals correspond to the first radio frequency channel, the first antenna port, or the first spatial relationship. The plurality of first common signals may be sent by the network device through the first radio frequency channel (or through the first antenna port). In another possible implementation, the second common signal is also sent through the first radio frequency channel (or the first antenna port, or based on the first spatial relationship) of the network device. In one possible implementation, the signal sent through the first radio frequency channel (or the first antenna port) is a common signal. The data signal may be sent through other radio frequency channels other than the first radio frequency channel (or other than the first antenna port). It can also be understood that the data signal and the common signal are sent through different radio frequency channels (or antenna ports). In another possible implementation, the signal whose spatial relationship is the first spatial relationship is a common signal, which can also be understood as the spatial relationship associated with the data signal and the common signal is different. This can increase the transmission power of the common signal.

[0033] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method applicable to a network device. The network device may be a network device or a chip system within the network device. This application describes the method as being executed by a network device.

[0034] The network device transmits multiple first common signals. The multiple first common signals occupy M frequency domain resources, where M is an integer greater than 1, and one of the multiple first common signals occupies one frequency domain resource of the M frequency domain resources. The multiple first common signals are common signals of the same serving cell and belong to common signals within a common signal transmission period.

[0035] Multiple first common signals can be sent through frequency division multiplexing, or through frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing. In this way, the flexibility of the network device in sending the first common signal can be improved. On the other hand, since multiple first common signals can occupy multiple frequency domain resources, the number of time domain resources occupied by the multiple first common signals can be reduced, thereby saving time domain resources and reducing energy consumption. For example, since multiple first common signals occupy fewer time domain resources, the time for the network device to send multiple first common signals is shorter, and then the network device can extend the shutdown time, thereby reducing energy consumption. On the other hand, the time required for the terminal device to detect multiple first common signals is also reduced. This solution makes it possible for the terminal device to detect the first common signal more quickly, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0036] For the relevant contents of the first common signal and the resources occupied by the first common signal, please refer to the description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementation methods of the first aspect, and the description will not be repeated here.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the network device sends a second common signal or a control channel corresponding to the second common signal, where the second common signal includes system information.

[0038] For relevant contents of the first common signal and the second common signal, reference may be made to the description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and no repetitive description will be given.

[0039] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit to perform any of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to second aspects. The communication unit is used to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0040] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0041] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to second aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to perform any of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to second aspects. Optionally, it also includes a transceiver, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device performs any of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0043] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0044] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0045] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0046] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a processor to perform any of the aforementioned aspects 1 and 2, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects 1 and 2. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0047] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0048] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the above-mentioned terminal device.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the system may further include one or more network devices.

[0051] In the seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the computer to execute any one of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or executes any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0053] In the ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, which may include a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and may be used to perform any of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to second aspects. Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). The processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory so that the device equipped with the chip system performs any of the above-mentioned first to second aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and transmit signals via the output circuit, thereby implementing any of the first and second aspects above, or any possible implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0055] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0056] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device, a network device, or a positioning management device, the interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the terminal device, the network device, or the positioning management device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the terminal device, the network device, or the positioning management device.

[0057] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of a terminal device, a network device, or a location management device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a communication chip. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a possible SSB transmission cycle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a possible SSB resource location in a 5G NR system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG4 is a possible flow diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the application;

[0062] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of possible locations of time-frequency resources of a first common signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG6 is a possible example of a time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG7 is another possible example of a time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG8 is another possible example of a time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between resource locations of a first common signal and a second common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between resource locations of a first common signal and a second common signal provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0072] The following is an introduction to the nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] (1) Time-frequency resources.

[0074] The time-frequency resources involved in the embodiments of the present application can be replaced by resources. The time-frequency resources may include time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources.

[0075] (1.1) Time domain resources.

[0076] The time domain resource includes at least one of a symbol, a slot, a mini-slot, a partial slot, a sub-frame, a radio frame, or a sensing slot.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, the time domain symbol may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, a time domain resource can be understood as a time domain resource occupied by a first common signal. In the embodiments of the present application, a network device is used as an example to transmit multiple first common signals via N time domain resources, where N is a positive integer. A first common signal occupies one time domain resource among the N time domain resources.

[0079] A time domain resource may include at least one of the following: at least one symbol; at least one slot; at least one mini-slot; at least one partial slot; at least one sub-frame; at least one radio frame; or at least one sensing slot.

[0080] (1.2) Frequency domain resources.

[0081] Frequency domain resources include resource elements (RE), resource blocks (RB), subchannels, resource pools, bandwidth, bandwidth part (BWP), carriers, channels, and interlaces.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, a frequency domain resource can be understood as a frequency domain resource occupied by a first common signal. In the embodiments of the present application, a network device is used to send multiple first common signals through M frequency domain resources as an example, where M can be a positive integer greater than 1. In some possible implementations, M can also be 1. For details, please refer to the description in the subsequent implementations. A first common signal occupies one frequency domain resource among the M frequency domain resources.

[0083] A frequency domain resource may include at least one of the following: at least one RE; at least one RB; at least one subchannel; at least one resource pool; at least one bandwidth; at least one BWP; at least one carrier; at least one channel; or at least one interlace.

[0084] (2)SSB.

[0085] The downlink synchronization channel and channel can be composed of multiple SSB sets. An SSB set contains one or more SSBs. An SSB contains at least one of the PSS, SSS, and PBCH. When an SSB contains a PBCH, each physical resource block (PRB) containing the PBCH also contains the PBCH DMRS.

[0086] The SSB may also be the signal used for initial access in the NR system. The SSB may be used for cell search, cell synchronization, and sending broadcast information or system information. It may also be used for radio resource management (RRM) measurements and / or channel quality measurements.

[0087] In terms of time domain periodicity, NR supports multiple SSB transmission periods. During the initial access phase, the terminal assumes an SSB transmission period of 20ms, which is the duration of two radio frames. To improve coverage, the NR system introduces a beamforming mechanism for common channels, and achieves omnidirectional coverage by scanning and transmitting multiple SSBs.

[0088] FIG2 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of a possible SSB transmission cycle provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the transmission of the public signal is periodic, and there is a time window within the duration of each public signal transmission cycle. For example, the public signal transmission cycle is 20 ms, and there is a time window within each 20 ms. The time window is, for example, 5 ms or at least one time slot, and the public signal within the public signal transmission cycle is transmitted within this time window.

[0089] (3) Antenna port.

[0090] An antenna port is a logical concept and does not directly correspond to a physical antenna. An antenna port is typically associated with a signal (such as a reference signal) and can be understood as a transceiver interface on the channel through which the signal (such as a reference signal) passes. For low frequencies, an antenna port may correspond to one or more antenna elements, which jointly transmit reference signals. The receiver can treat them as a whole without distinguishing between the elements. For high-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to a spatial relationship (also called a beam). Similarly, the receiver only needs to consider this spatial relationship as corresponding to an interface, without distinguishing between each element.

[0091] (4) Spatial relation.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the spatial relationship between two signals (such as the spatial relationship between the two first common signals involved later) may refer to the relationship between the two signals when the two signals propagate in space. The spatial relationship in the embodiments of the present application may also be replaced by other names, such as beam, beam direction, transmission direction, transmission beam direction, reception direction, reception beam direction, etc.

[0093] In the embodiment of the present application, the same spatial relationship of two signals may refer to that the directions of the two signals are consistent or close when the two signals propagate in space. In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship of a signal may be associated with another signal (such as a reference signal). In the embodiment of the present application, the same spatial relationship of two signals may refer to that the reference signals associated with the spatial relationship of the two signals are the same. For example, the spatial relationship of the first common signal #1 is associated with the reference signal #1, and the spatial relationship of the first common signal #2 is associated with the reference signal #1. In this case, it can be said that the reference signals associated with the spatial relationship of the first common signal #1 and the first common signal #2 are the same, or it can be said that the spatial relationship of the first common signal #1 and the first common signal #2 is the same.

[0094] The spatial relationship association between two signals in the embodiments of the present application may also refer to the spatial association between the transmit beam or receive beam of one signal and the transmit beam or receive beam of another signal, for example, the beam direction of the transmit beam or receive beam of one signal is consistent with or close to the beam direction of the transmit beam or receive beam of another signal.

[0095] The spatial relationship in the embodiments of the present application can also be replaced by other names such as beam. A beam can be understood as a communication resource. A beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology for forming a beam can be beamforming technology or other technical means. Beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, and hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology. Different beams can be considered as different resources. The same information or different information can be sent through different beams. Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be regarded as a beam. A beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and detection signals, etc. For example, a transmit beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength formed in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted by an antenna, and a receive beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength of a wireless signal received from an antenna in different directions in space. It can be understood that one or more antenna ports that form a beam can also be regarded as an antenna port set. The embodiment of the beam in the protocol can also be a spatial filter.

[0096] 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 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one radio access network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 ) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 ). The terminal is wirelessly connected to the radio access network device, and the radio access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network. The core network device and the radio access network device may be independent, distinct physical devices, or the core network device's functions and the radio access network device's logical functions may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the core network device's functions and some of the radio access network device's functions. Terminals and radio access network devices may be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is merely a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1 .

[0097] The wireless access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 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 wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc.; it can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The wireless access network device 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, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the wireless access network device. For ease of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of a wireless access network device.

[0098] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal 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. The 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 device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0099] 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 in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0104] In 5G NR communication systems, for example, in the hybrid beamforming (HBF) architecture, data channels often utilize high-gain narrow beams to achieve better coverage and spectral efficiency. Cell common channels utilize slightly lower-gain wide beams to achieve wide coverage with lower overhead. Common signals carried on cell common channels can only be transmitted using time division multiplexing (TDM), also known as beam scanning. The following describes a common signal transmission method using SSB as an example.

[0105] FIG3 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of the resource location of SSBs in a possible 5G NR system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG3 , a network device may periodically transmit SSBs. Within an SSB period, the network device may transmit a set of SSB beams in a TDM manner. The set of SSB beams is represented by an SSB index. For example, for an NR system deployed in the 3 GHz to 6 GHz frequency band, the set of SSBs includes eight SSB beams with SSB indices #0, #1, ..., #7.

[0106] The time domain resources of the 8 SSBs are sent in a TDM manner, that is, the SSB is sent at a frequency point (frequency) of a carrier or bandwidth part, and the SSB is not sent at other frequencies at the same time. For the time domain position, the set of SSBs can be located in the first half of a wireless frame, and the time domain position of each SSB is fixed. Referring to Figure 3, taking 30KHz SCS as an example, the 8 SSBs are located in the first 4 time slots of the first half of the frame, and the specific symbol positions are also shown in Figure 3. The frequency domain position of each SSB in the 8 SSBs is relatively flexible and only needs to be on a predefined frequency grid.

[0107] It can be seen from the above examples that the current method of sending public signals is not flexible enough and can only be sent through time division multiplexing. This will cause the public signal to occupy more time domain resources, which is not conducive to energy saving. For example, since the public signal occupies more time domain resources, the network device also needs a longer time to send the public signal, which in turn leads to a limited shutdown time of the network device (such as in a low-load system), which in turn leads to lower energy efficiency of the network device. For another example, since the public signal occupies more time domain resources, the terminal device also needs to detect the public signal within a longer time delay. It can be seen that this method is also not conducive to energy saving of the terminal device. On the other hand, sending the public signal through time division multiplexing may cause the public signal to use a wide beam with medium and low gain for many times, reducing system performance.

[0108] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a possible implementation method, in which multiple first common signals can be sent through multiple time-frequency resources. Multiple time-frequency resources can correspond to multiple frequency domain resources. That is to say, multiple first common signals can also be sent through frequency division. In this way, the sending method of the first common signal can be more flexible. On the other hand, when multiple first common signals are sent through frequency division, the number of time domain resources occupied by the multiple first common signals can be reduced, thereby saving time domain resources and then reducing energy consumption. On the other hand, since the time domain resources occupied by the multiple first common signals are reduced, the multiple first common signals can adopt high-gain narrow beams to achieve better coverage and spectral efficiency, thereby improving system performance.

[0109] Based on the content shown in Figure 1 and the other contents mentioned above, Figure 4 exemplarily shows a possible flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. For ease of understanding, Figure 4 is described from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. The terminal device involved in Figure 4 can be the terminal device in Figure 1 or the chip system inside the terminal device. The network device involved in Figure 4 can be the network device in Figure 1 (such as a wireless access network device or a wireless backhaul device, etc.) or the chip system inside the network device.

[0110] As shown in Figure 4, the method includes steps 401 and 402. The method may or may not include step 403. Each step will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0111] Step 401: A network device sends a plurality of first common signals.

[0112] Step 402: The terminal device receives a first common signal.

[0113] The first common signal received by the terminal device is one of a plurality of first common signals sent by the network device.

[0114] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways to send two first common signals among multiple first common signals, for example, they can be sent in a time division multiplexing manner, or in a frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing manner.

[0115] The network device can flexibly select a transmission method for transmission. In one possible implementation, the network device can select a transmission method based on the load. For example, when it is determined that the system load is large, multiple first common optical signals are sent in a time-division manner, which can facilitate the terminal device to quickly access the network. When the system load is small, multiple first common signals can be sent in a frequency-division manner, which can save energy consumption of the network device. In the embodiment of the present application, two first common signals among multiple first common signals are sent in frequency-division multiplexing, or two first common signals are sent in time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing as an example.

[0116] The first common signal includes: at least one of a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, system information, or a paging message. In one possible implementation, the first common signal is an SSB.

[0117] In the embodiment of the present application, the multiple first common signals sent by the network device belong to the common signals of the same service cell. In the embodiment of the present invention, the definitions of carrier and service cell are the same, and the two can be replaced by the same terminology hereinafter. The sending of the first common signal in the embodiment of the present invention can be understood as being for a single carrier or a single service cell or a single bandwidth part (BWP). BWP is a subset of the service cell. For example, a service cell can include up to S BWPs, where S can be an integer, such as S=4. A terminal device can only transmit signals on an activated BWP at a time, for example, a terminal device activates one BWP at a time. In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission method of the multiple first common signals is relatively flexible, for example, it can be time division multiplexing or frequency division multiplexing, or it can be time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing. When there are two first common signals frequency division multiplexing among the multiple first common signals, in one possible example, the network device sends two first common signals (such as two SSBs) on at least two frequency points of a carrier or a BWP at the same time.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may periodically send the first common signal. In the embodiment of the present application, one cycle is used as an example for introduction. The multiple first common signals involved in the embodiment of the present application belong to common signals within one common signal sending cycle.

[0119] Multiple first common signals are sent by a network device through multiple time-frequency resources. A time-frequency resource includes a time-frequency resource for sending a first common signal. A time-frequency resource can also be understood as a time-frequency resource occupied by a first common signal. There is a frequency deviation between any two time-frequency resources among the multiple time-frequency resources in the frequency domain. The two time-frequency resources can be two adjacent time-frequency resources among the multiple time-frequency resources, or they can be non-adjacent time-frequency resources. The frequency deviation can be expressed by a frequency value or by the number of resource blocks. The following is an introduction through Example 1 and Example 2 respectively.

[0120] Example 1: The interval between two time-frequency resources among multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit multiple first common signals in the frequency domain is a first frequency value.

[0121] In one possible implementation, multiple first common signals occupy M frequency domain resources, where M is an integer greater than 1, and one of the multiple first common signals occupies one frequency domain resource among the M frequency domain resources. An interval between two frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources (the two frequency domain resources may be two adjacent frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources, or two non-adjacent frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources) is a first frequency value.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the first frequency value includes one of: F*1200kHz, F*1.44MHz, F*2.88MHz, F*4.32MHz, F*5.76MHz, F*8.64MHz, F*11.52MHz, F*17.28MHz, F*28.28MHz, F*34.56MHz, F*69.12MHz, or F*138.24MHz. * represents multiplication, and F is a positive integer. The first frequency values ​​are closely matched with the synchronization grid. Therefore, when the terminal device searches for the first common signal based on these first frequency values, the difficulty of searching for the first common signal can be reduced, and the efficiency of searching for the first common signal can be improved.

[0123] Figure 5 exemplarily shows a possible position diagram of the time-frequency resources of a first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 exemplarily shows two first common signals that are adjacent (or non-adjacent) in the frequency domain at the same time. The frequency corresponding to the mth first common signal (which may be the center frequency point, or the starting frequency point) is f_m, and the frequency corresponding to the (m+1)th first common signal (which may be the center frequency point, or the starting frequency point) is f_(m+1). The frequency deviation (f_(m+1)-f_m) between the time-frequency resources corresponding to the two first common signals is the above-mentioned first frequency value.

[0124] In another possible implementation, the first frequency value is related to the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resource CORESET).

[0125] For example, the first frequency value is the same as the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET), or the first frequency value is half the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET), or the first frequency value is twice the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET).

[0126] In another possible implementation, the value of the first frequency value is related to a carrier frequency range (or frequency band).

[0127] For example, different carrier frequency ranges (or frequency bands) may correspond to different first frequency values. Or it can be understood that different carrier frequency ranges (or frequency bands) may correspond to different values ​​of the first frequency value. In this way, the value of the first frequency value can be set according to the actual situation of the carrier frequency range (or frequency band), so that the interval between the two time-frequency resources in the frequency domain is more matched with the actually used carrier frequency range (or frequency band).

[0128] Table 1 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to a carrier frequency range. As shown in Table 1, when the carrier frequency falls within the frequency range 0-f0, the candidate values ​​for the first frequency value may be {F00, F01, ...}, and the first frequency value may be one of these candidate values. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not further described.

[0129] Table 1 A possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency range

[0130] In one possible implementation, the first frequency value may have a candidate value set, and the first frequency value may be selected from the candidate value set. In one possible implementation, the values ​​in the candidate value set for the first frequency value may be related to the bandwidth, frequency band, or carrier frequency range of the system information. For related details, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0131] Example 2: An interval in the frequency domain between two time-frequency resources among a plurality of time-frequency resources used to transmit a plurality of first common signals is the number of first resource blocks.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the interval between two frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources (the two frequency domain resources may be two adjacent frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources, or two non-adjacent frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources) is the first number of resource blocks.

[0133] The bandwidth and / or time domain resources (such as time slots, OFDM symbols) of a resource block (or the subcarriers corresponding to the resource block) can be determined according to the subcarrier spacing of the common signal. In the embodiment of the present application, a resource block may include time domain resources and frequency domain resources. The number of time domain resources included in a resource block may be preset, and the number of frequency domain resources included in a resource block may also be preset. For example, a resource block may be an RB or an RE. For another example, a resource block may also be a PRB.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the first number of resource blocks includes: F*12. F is a positive integer. Using the number of resource blocks as the unit of frequency domain separation between two time-frequency resources, and with the first number of resource blocks being a multiple of 12, this solution is more compatible with existing standards because the subband size in a resource block is 12 subcarriers. Furthermore, it makes it easier for a terminal device to determine the frequency domain position of one time-frequency resource based on the frequency domain position of another time-frequency resource.

[0135] Multiple first common signals are sent by a network device through multiple time-frequency resources. Multiple time-frequency resources correspond to N time domain resources, and multiple time-frequency resources correspond to M frequency domain resources. It can also be understood that the time domain resources occupied by all resources in the multiple time-frequency resources are the N time domain resources, and the frequency domain resources occupied by all resources in the multiple time-frequency resources are the M frequency domain resources. N is a positive integer. M is a positive integer. M can be 1, or M can be an integer greater than 1. When M is 1, it can also be understood that the multiple first common signals are sent in a time division multiplexing manner. When M is greater than 1, two first common signals in the multiple first common signals are sent in frequency division multiplexing, or the two first common signals are sent in time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing. The network device can flexibly select the sending method of the multiple first common signals.

[0136] In addition to the above-mentioned examples 1 and 2, there are other implementations for the network device to send the first common signal in the embodiments of the present application.

[0137] For example, in another possible implementation, if a network device needs to send multiple first common signals at two candidate frequency domain locations, then for a time domain location (or for a time domain resource, or at the same time location), if the network device sends a first common signal at one of the candidate frequency domain locations, the network device needs to also send the first common signal at the other candidate frequency domain location (at the same time location). This implementation can improve the transmission efficiency of common signals, simplify the signaling used to indicate the common signal transmission location, and reduce resource overhead.

[0138] In another possible implementation, if the network device needs to send multiple first common signals respectively at two candidate time domain positions, then for a frequency domain position (or for a frequency domain resource, or at the same frequency domain position), if the network device sends the first common signal at one of the candidate time domain positions, the network device needs to also send the first common signal at the other candidate time domain position (at the same time position).

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, the first common signal among the multiple first common signals corresponds to a time-frequency index. The time-frequency index in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by an index or an identifier. The time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal can indicate the time-frequency resource of the first common signal. The time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal can also be understood as the index corresponding to the time-frequency resource of the first common signal.

[0140] There are multiple possible implementations of the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal, and several of them are exemplarily introduced below through Implementation A1, Implementation A2, and Implementation A3.

[0141] In implementation A1, the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal indicates the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal among multiple time-frequency resources, and the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in the time domain first and then in the frequency domain.

[0142] Figure 6 exemplarily shows a possible example of the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 6. Figure 6 takes the first common signal as SSB as an example. In actual applications, the first common signal may also be other signals. The network device can periodically send the first common signal. Figure 6 exemplarily shows two sending cycles of the first common signal, which are the tth cycle of the first common signal and the (t+1)th cycle of the first common signal. For one sending cycle of the first common signal, the multiple time-frequency resources used to send multiple first common signals within the sending cycle may include N time domain resources and M frequency domain resources. The number of the multiple time-frequency resources is M*N, where * represents multiplication. M*N in the embodiment of the present application may also be expressed as MN or NM, and MN or NM appearing in other positions in the embodiment of the present application may also be understood as M*N.

[0143] As shown in Figure 6, the MN time-frequency resources are sorted in the order of time domain first and frequency domain second. The sequence number can be understood as the time-frequency index of the time-frequency resource, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on the time-frequency resource. For example, in Figure 6, the N time-domain resources corresponding to the first frequency domain resource (or frequency position) have a time-frequency index of 0 to (N-1) for the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order of the time domain; thereafter, the N time-domain resources corresponding to the second frequency domain resource (or frequency position) have a time-frequency index of N to (2N-1) for the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order of the time domain; and so on, until the N time-domain resources corresponding to the (M-1)th frequency domain resource (or frequency position) have a time-frequency index of (M-1)N to (MN-1) for the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order of the time domain. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the time-frequency index of the first common signal is 0, represented as SSB#0 in Figure 6. Following the order of time domain first and frequency domain second, the time-frequency index of the second common signal is 1, represented as SSB#1 in Figure 6. SSB#0 and SSB#1 have different time domain resources but the same frequency domain resources. Other time-frequency indexes are similar and will not be further described.

[0144] In this implementation A1, multiple time-frequency resources are sorted in the time domain first and then the frequency domain, and the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on each time-frequency resource is set in sequence according to this sorting method. In this way, the indexing method of the first common signal of 5G (such as SSB) can be consistent on a single frequency, thereby achieving better compatibility with existing technologies.

[0145] In implementation A2, the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal indicates the order of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal among multiple time-frequency resources, and the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in the frequency domain first and then in the time domain.

[0146] Figure 7 exemplifies another possible example of the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6, and the relevant contents can be referred to each other without repetitive description. The difference from Figure 6 is that the MN time-frequency resources in Figure 7 are sorted in the order of frequency domain first and time domain later, and the sequence number can be understood as the time-frequency index of the time-frequency resource, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on the time-frequency resource. For example, in Figure 7, the M frequency domain resources corresponding to the first time domain resource (or time domain position) are sequentially 0 to (M-1) for the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order on the frequency domain; thereafter, the M frequency domain resources corresponding to the second time domain resource are sequentially M to (2M--1) for the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order on the frequency domain; and so on, until the M frequency domain resources corresponding to the (N-1)th time domain resource, the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on each resource in the order on the frequency domain is sequentially (N-1)M- to (MN-1). For example, as shown in Figure 7, the time-frequency index of the first common signal is 0, represented as SSB#0 in Figure 7. Following the order of frequency domain first and time domain second, the time-frequency index of the second common signal is 1, represented as SSB#1 in Figure 7. SSB#0 and SSB#1 have different frequency domain resources but the same time domain resources. Other time-frequency indexes are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0147] In this implementation A2, multiple time-frequency resources are sorted in the frequency domain first and then in the time domain, and the time-frequency index of the first common signal transmitted on each time-frequency resource is set in sequence according to this sorting method. This implementation provides more options for setting the time-frequency index, thereby providing solution flexibility.

[0148] In implementation A3, the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal includes a first value and a second value. The first value indicates the order of the time-frequency resource of the first common signal in the time domain among multiple time-frequency resources. The second value indicates the order of the time-frequency resource of the first common signal in the frequency domain among multiple time-frequency resources.

[0149] It can also be understood that: the first value indicates the order of the time domain resources of the first common signal in the N time domain resources, and the second value indicates the order of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal in the M frequency domain resources.

[0150] FIG8 exemplarily shows another possible example of the time-frequency index corresponding to the first common signal provided in the embodiment of the application. FIG8 is similar to FIG6 , and the relevant contents can be referred to each other and are not described repeatedly. The difference from FIG6 is that the time-frequency index of the MN time-frequency resources in FIG8 includes two parameters, the first parameter is used to indicate the order of the time domain resource of the time-frequency resource among the N time domain resources, and the second parameter is used to indicate the order of the frequency domain of the time-frequency resource among the M frequency domain resources. As shown in Figure 8, the first parameter in the time-frequency index of the N time-domain resources corresponding to the first frequency-domain resource (or frequency position) is the same, which is 0. The second parameter in the time-frequency index of each resource is 0 to N-1 in order on the time domain. Therefore, the time-frequency indexes of the N time-frequency resources corresponding to the first frequency-domain resource are (0, 0) to (0, N-1). Similarly, the first parameter in the time-frequency index of the N time-domain resources corresponding to the (M-1)th frequency-domain resource (or frequency position) is the same, which is (M-1). The second parameter in the time-frequency index of each resource is 0 to N-1 in order on the time domain. Therefore, the time-frequency indexes of the N time-frequency resources corresponding to the first frequency-domain resource are (M-1, 0) to (M-1, N-1). For example, as shown in Figure 6, SSB#(0, 0) and SSB#(0, 1) have the same frequency-domain resources but different time-domain resources. Other time-frequency indexes are similar and will not be described in detail.

[0151] In this implementation A3, the time-frequency index corresponding to the multiple time-frequency resources may include two parameters for indicating the ordering of the time-frequency resources in the time domain and the frequency domain, respectively. This implementation provides more options for setting the time-frequency index, thereby providing solution flexibility. In this solution, the terminal device can more quickly determine the ordering of the time-frequency resources of the first common signal in the time domain and the frequency domain, and this solution can simplify operations on the terminal device side.

[0152] In another possible implementation, the maximum number of multiple first common signals sent by the network device may be less than MN, so the number of resources actually used by the multiple first common signals is also less than MN, for example, multiple first common signals use K resources. The K resources may be any K resources among the MN resources. In another possible implementation, in implementation A1 or implementation A2, the K resources may be resources with time-frequency indexes from 0 to (K-1) among the MN resources, where K is a positive integer. In implementation A3, the K resources may be the first K resources among the MN resources sorted by time domain first and frequency domain second, or frequency domain first and time domain second.

[0153] In the embodiments of the present application, there may be multiple ways to implement the value of M and / or the value of N. The following describes some examples.

[0154] In example B1, the value of M can be any one of {1, 2, 4, 8, 12}.

[0155] In example B2, the value of N can be any one of {1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64}.

[0156] In Example B3, M and N can be paired values, for example, the values ​​of M and N can be (1, 4), where M is 1 and N is 4. Similarly, the values ​​of M and N can be any of the following: (4, 1), (2, 2), (1, 8), (8, 1), (4, 2), (2, 4), (1, 16), (2, 8), (4, 4), (8, 2), (1, 64), (2, 32), (4, 16), or (8, 8).

[0157] Example B4, M and / or N are associated with a carrier frequency.

[0158] In Example B4, the values ​​of M and N can be independently determined. In one possible implementation, the value of M can be associated with the carrier frequency. For example, different carrier frequencies may correspond to different values ​​of M. In another possible implementation, the value of N can be associated with the carrier frequency. For example, different carrier frequencies may correspond to different values ​​of N. In this way, the values ​​of M and / or N can be set according to the actual conditions of the carrier frequency, so that the candidate resources of the first common signal are more closely matched with the carrier frequency actually used.

[0159] Table 2 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to carrier frequencies. As shown in Table 2, when the carrier frequency falls within the frequency range 0-f0, the candidate values ​​for M are {M00, M01, ...}, where M can be one of these candidate values. When the carrier frequency falls within the frequency range 0-f0, the candidate values ​​for N are {N00, N01, ...}, where N can be one of these candidate values. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not further described.

[0160] Table 2 A possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency

[0161] Table 3 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency. As shown in Table 3, when the carrier frequency is in the frequency range of 0-3000 MHz, the candidate values ​​for M are {1, 2, 4}, and M can be one of these candidate values. When the carrier frequency is in the carrier frequency range of 0-3000 MHz, the candidate values ​​for N are {1, 2, 4}, and N can be one of these candidate values. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not repeated here.

[0162] Table 3 A possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency

[0163] All tables in the embodiments of this application are examples and do not limit the number of rows, columns, or specific values ​​in the tables. In actual applications, any row or column in the table can be retained or deleted, or the tables can be arbitrarily recombined to form new embodiments.

[0164] Example B5, a set of values ​​for M and N is associated with a carrier frequency.

[0165] In example B5, the value of M and the value of N are paired values, which can also be understood as a set of M and N values ​​being associated with the carrier frequency. A set of M and N values ​​in the embodiment of the present application can also be expressed as (M, N), such as the subsequent (M00, N00) can be understood as the value of M being M00 and the value of N being N00. In this scheme, a set of M and N values ​​can be set in advance, and then a set of set associated values ​​can be selected based on the carrier frequency. In this scheme, M and N are a set of values ​​set in advance, so this set of values ​​can be a more preferred configuration. In addition, the carrier frequency can be directly associated with one or more sets of M and N values, thereby simplifying the selection process of M and N.

[0166] Table 4 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency. As shown in Table 4, when the carrier frequency falls within the frequency range 0-f0, the candidate values ​​for M and N may be {(M00, N00), (M01, N01), ...}. The paired values ​​for M and N may be one of these candidate values. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not further described.

[0167] Table 4 A possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency

[0168] Table 5 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to a carrier frequency. As shown in Table 5, when the carrier frequency falls within the frequency range of 0-3000 MHz, the candidate values ​​for M and N may be {(1, 4), (4, 1), (2, 2)}. The paired values ​​for M and N can be one of these candidate values, for example, M is 1 and N is 4; or another example, M is 4 and N is 1. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not further explained.

[0169] Table 5 A possible example of M and N corresponding to the carrier frequency

[0170] In another possible implementation, the number of paired candidate values ​​corresponding to different carrier frequency ranges may be the same or different. For example, the number of paired candidate values ​​of M and N corresponding to the first carrier frequency range (e.g., 0-f0) is 3, and the number of paired candidate values ​​of M and N corresponding to the second carrier frequency range (e.g., f0-f1) is 4.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may obtain the values ​​of M and N. There are multiple implementations. Implementation C1, Implementation C2, and Implementation C3 are used below to illustrate several implementations in which the terminal device obtains M and N. In Implementation C1, the values ​​of M and / or N may be preset values. In Implementations C2 and C3, the network device may indicate the values ​​of M and / or N to the terminal device. The difference is that in Implementation C2, the network device indicates the values ​​of M and / or N explicitly, while in Implementation C3, the network device indicates the values ​​of M and / or N implicitly.

[0172] In implementation C1, the values ​​of M and / or N may be preset values.

[0173] In implementation C1, the value of M and / or the value of N can be preconfigured. In this way, the network device does not need to indicate the value of M and / or N to the terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0174] In another possible implementation, the network device may pre-configure the association between the values ​​of M and / or N and the carrier frequency range in advance, and the terminal device determines the corresponding values ​​of M and / or N based on the carrier frequency range used and the association. When a carrier frequency range corresponds to multiple candidate values ​​of M, a candidate value may be selected as the value of M according to a pre-agreed rule (such as a minimum value). Similarly, when a carrier frequency range corresponds to multiple candidate values ​​of N, a candidate value may be selected as the value of M according to a pre-agreed rule (such as a minimum value).

[0175] In implementation C2, the network device sends information indicating M to the terminal device, and / or the network device may send information indicating N to the terminal device.

[0176] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive information indicating M and / or information indicating N. The information indicating M and the information indicating N can be the same or different, and can also be carried in the same or different signaling. In this way, the network device can indicate the value of M and / or N through signaling, thereby simplifying the process of the terminal device determining the value of M and / or N and simplifying the operation on the terminal device side.

[0177] In implementation C2, the network device may indicate the values ​​of M and / or N to the terminal device through some signaling or signals, such as system information, synchronization signal, or demodulation reference signal.

[0178] In implementation C3, the network device indicates the value of M and / or N to the terminal device in an implicit manner.

[0179] In implementation C3, the network device may indicate the values ​​of M and / or N using existing information. This allows the network device to implicitly indicate the values ​​of M and / or N, thereby reducing signaling overhead. For example, the values ​​of M and / or N may be determined using at least one of the following information: C3.1, C3.2, C3.3, or C3.4.

[0180] Information C3.1: cell identification information associated with the first public signal.

[0181] The cell identification information is, for example, a physical-layer cell identity.

[0182] In one possible implementation, the network device may pre-configure the association between the values ​​of M and / or N and the cell identification information, and the terminal device may determine the corresponding values ​​of M and / or N based on the current cell identification information and the association. When a cell identification information corresponds to multiple candidate values ​​of M, a candidate value may be selected as the value of M based on a pre-agreed rule (such as a minimum value). Similarly, when a cell identification information corresponds to multiple candidate values ​​of N, a candidate value may be selected as the value of M based on a pre-agreed rule (such as a minimum value).

[0183] Table 6 illustrates a possible example of M and N corresponding to cell identification information. As shown in Table 6, when the cell identification information belongs to 0-v0, the candidate values ​​of M may be {M00, M01, ...}, and M can be one of these candidate values. When the cell identification information belongs to 0-v0, the candidate values ​​of N may be {N00, N01, ...}, and N can be one of these candidate values. In one possible embodiment, v0 can be 336 and v1 can be 672. The meanings of other rows are similar and are not repeated here.

[0184] Table 6: Possible examples of M and N corresponding to cell identification information

[0185] Table 7 illustrates one possible example of M and N corresponding to cell identification information. As shown in Table 7, when the cell identification information is 0-v0-1, the candidate values ​​for M and N pairs may be {(M00, N00), (M01, N01), ...}. The paired values ​​for M and N can be one of these candidate values. The meanings of the other rows are similar and are not further described.

[0186] Table 7: A possible example of M and N corresponding to cell identification information

[0187] Information C3.2, the sequence of SSS in the first common signal.

[0188] In one possible implementation, the network device may pre-configure the association between the values ​​of M and / or N and the sequence of SSS in advance, and the terminal device determines the corresponding values ​​of M and / or N based on the current sequence of SSS and the association. For example, when the cell identification information belongs to v0-v1, the candidate values ​​of M may be {M10, M11, ...}, and M may be one of these candidate values. When the cell identification information belongs to v0-v1, the candidate values ​​of N may be {N10, N11, ...}. In one possible implementation, v0 may be 112, and v1 may be 224. The way in which the network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.2 is similar to the way in which the aforementioned network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.1, and will not be repeated.

[0189] Information C3.3, the sequence of the PSS in the first public signal.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the network device may pre-configure an association between the values ​​of M and / or N and the sequence of the PSS, and the terminal device determines the corresponding values ​​of M and / or N based on the current PSS sequence and the association. The manner in which the network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.3 is similar to the manner in which the network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.1, and will not be further described.

[0191] Information C3.4: DMRS sequence in the PBCH of the first public signal.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the network device may pre-configure an association between the values ​​of M and / or N and the DMRS sequence in the PBCH, and the terminal device determines the corresponding values ​​of M and / or N based on the DMRS sequence in the current PBCH and the association. The manner in which the network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.4 is similar to the manner in which the network device implicitly indicates the values ​​of M and / or N through information C3.1, and will not be repeated here.

[0193] In another possible implementation, the network device determines a plurality of transmission modes of the first common signals and may indicate the transmission modes to the terminal device. Several possible modes are exemplified below through Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3.

[0194] In a first example, the network device may implicitly indicate to the terminal device the sending method of the plurality of first common signals by indicating the values ​​of M and / or N to the terminal device.

[0195] For example, when the network device indicates that the value of M is 1, the terminal device may determine that the multiple first common signals are sent via time division multiplexing. For another example, when the network device indicates that the value of N is 1, the terminal device may determine that the multiple first common signals are sent via frequency division multiplexing. For another example, when the network device indicates that M is greater than 1 and N is greater than 1, the terminal device may determine that the multiple first common signals are sent via frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing.

[0196] Example 2: The network device implicitly indicates to the terminal device the sending method of multiple first common signals through at least one of the PSS sequence and / or SSS sequence.

[0197] The terminal device can pre-acquire the association between at least one of the PSS sequence and / or SSS sequence and the sending method of multiple first common signals, and then determine the sending method of multiple first common signals based on at least one of the received PSS sequence and / or SSS sequence and the association.

[0198] For example, when the PSS sequence belongs to 0-336, the terminal device can determine that the multiple first common signals are sent by frequency division multiplexing. For another example, when the PSS sequence belongs to 336-771, the terminal device can determine that the multiple first common signals are sent by frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing. For another example, when the PSS sequence does not belong to 0-771, the terminal device can determine that the multiple first common signals are sent by time division multiplexing.

[0199] Example 3: The network device indicates the sending mode of multiple first common signals through the PBCH DMRS.

[0200] In this example, the terminal device can determine the sending method of multiple first common signals through the information carried in the received PBCH DMRS.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the network device periodically broadcasts multiple first common signals (such as SSB). For example, the period is 20ms, and the time length occupied by multiple first common signals (such as SSB) in one period is 4 OFDM symbols. The protocol stipulates that the maximum number of first common signals (such as SSB) that can be preset is L. max , where L max =4,8,10,20,64, and the corresponding candidate positions. In practice, the number of first public signals (such as SSB) transmitted by the network does not exceed L max The protocol predefines L maxThe time position of the first common signal (such as SSB). In a period (or a transmission period of the first common signal), the starting OFDM symbol position of the nth first common signal (such as SSB) has the following possible situations (wherein n is also called the time index of the first common signal (such as SSB), and the time index can indicate the time domain resource of the first common signal).

[0202] Example 1: {2,8}+14·n. Here, n=0,1; or n=0,1,2,3; or n=0,1,2,3,4; or n=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

[0203] Example 2: {4,8,16,20}+28·n. Here, n=0,1; or n=0,1,2,3; or n=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9; or n=0,1,2,3,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18.

[0204] Example 3: {8, 12, 16, 20, 32, 36, 40, 44} + 56·n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8.

[0205] Example 4: {2,9}+14·n. Where n=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.

[0206] Step 403: The network device sends a second common signal.

[0207] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second common signal.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present application, a network device may transmit multiple second common signals. A second common signal received by a terminal device is one of the multiple second common signals transmitted by the network device. A first common signal may be associated with a second common signal. The terminal device may receive a second common signal or a control channel corresponding to the second common signal based on the first common signal. The second common signal includes system information.

[0209] For example, the second common signal may include at least one of system information block (SI), downlink control information (DCI) or control resource set (CORESET) corresponding to the first common signal.

[0210] The control channel corresponding to the second common signal may include, for example, a physical downlink control channel (physical downlink control channel, PDCCH) and / or a physical downlink shared channel (Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH).

[0211] In one possible implementation, the second common signal includes a system information block (SIB). For example, SIB1. SIB1 can carry information such as random access configuration information, PDCCH search space (search space 1) information such as Message 2 / Message 4, and necessary system information other than system information in the MIB, including RACH configuration and time division duplexing (TDD) frame structure configuration.

[0212] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device obtains the second common signal, the terminal can detect the system paging message, or the terminal sends a random access to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the base station. After the RRC connection is successfully established, the terminal and the base station can perform normal data transmission.

[0213] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways to send two second common signals among the multiple second common signals, for example, they can be sent in a time division multiplexing manner, they can also be sent in a frequency division multiplexing manner, or they can be sent in a frequency division multiplexing and time division multiplexing manner. Multiple second common signals are sent by a network device through multiple time-frequency resources, and there is a frequency deviation between any two time-frequency resources in the multiple time-frequency resources in the frequency domain. The two time-frequency resources can be two adjacent time-frequency resources among the multiple time-frequency resources, or they can be non-adjacent time-frequency resources. The frequency deviation can be expressed by a frequency value or by the number of resource blocks. The following is an introduction through Example 1 and Example 2 respectively.

[0214] Example 1: The interval between two time-frequency resources among multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit multiple second common signals in the frequency domain is a second frequency value.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the second frequency value includes one of: F*1200kHz, F*1.44MHz, F*2.88MHz, F*4.32MHz, F*5.76MHz, F*8.64MHz, F*11.52MHz, F*17.28MHz, F*28.28MHz, F*34.56MHz, F*69.12MHz, or F*138.24MHz. * represents multiplication, and F is a positive integer. In an embodiment of the present application, a plurality of second common signals are sent on a plurality of time-frequency resources, and the interval in the frequency domain between two time-frequency resources among the plurality of time-frequency resources is a second frequency value, and the second frequency value is relatively matched with the synchronization grid. Therefore, the terminal device searches for the second common signal based on these second frequency values, which can reduce the difficulty of searching for the second common signal and improve the efficiency of searching for the second common signal.

[0216] For example, two second common signals are adjacent (or non-adjacent) in the frequency domain at the same time. The frequency corresponding to the m'th second common signal (which can be the center frequency or the starting frequency) is f_m', and the frequency corresponding to the (m'+1)th second common signal (which can be the center frequency or the starting frequency) is f_(m'+1). The frequency deviation (f_(m'+1)-f_m') between the time-frequency resources corresponding to the two second common signals is the above-mentioned second frequency value.

[0217] In another possible implementation, the second frequency value is related to the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resource CORESET).

[0218] For example, the second frequency value is the same as the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET), or the second frequency value is half the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET), or the second frequency value is twice the bandwidth of the system information (or the bandwidth of the control channel resources CORESET).

[0219] In another possible implementation, the value of the second frequency value is related to the carrier frequency range (or frequency band).

[0220] For example, different carrier frequency ranges (or frequency bands) may correspond to different second frequency values. Or it can be understood that different carrier frequency ranges (or frequency bands) may correspond to different values ​​of the second frequency value. In this way, the value of the second frequency value can be set according to the actual situation of the carrier frequency range (or frequency band), so that the interval between the two time-frequency resources in the frequency domain is more closely matched with the actually used carrier frequency range (or frequency band).

[0221] In one possible implementation, the second frequency value may have a candidate value set, and the second frequency value may be selected from the candidate value set. In one possible implementation, the values ​​in the candidate value set for the second frequency value may be related to the bandwidth, frequency band, or carrier frequency range of the system information. For related content, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0222] Example 2: The interval in the frequency domain between two time-frequency resources among the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals is the number of second resource blocks.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the second number of resource blocks includes: F*12. F is a positive integer. The number of resource blocks is used as the unit of the frequency domain interval between two time-frequency resources, and the second number of resource blocks is a multiple of 12. Since the subband size in a resource block is 12 subcarriers, this solution can be more compatible with existing standards. On the other hand, it can make it easier for terminal devices to determine the frequency domain position of one time-frequency resource based on the frequency domain position of another time-frequency resource. For related content, please refer to the aforementioned description of the first number of resource blocks. Similar to this, it will not be repeated here.

[0224] In step 403, the terminal device may determine, based on the received first common signal, the time-frequency resources of the second common signal associated with the first common signal.

[0225] In one possible implementation, the relationship between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal may be as shown in the following implementation D1, implementation D2, implementation D3, implementation D4, implementation D5, and implementation D6. The terminal device may determine the frequency domain resources of the second common signal based on the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the relationship between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal.

[0226] In implementation mode D1, the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal have the same starting frequency and / or center frequency.

[0227] In implementation D1, in one possible implementation, the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency domain resource of the second common signal are the same.

[0228] Figure 9 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the resource positions of a first common signal and a second common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 9, the first common signal is SSB and the second common signal is SI as an example for introduction. The two first common signals shown in Figure 9 are SSB#m+1 and SSB#m respectively. The SI associated with SSB#m is SI#m, and the SI associated with SSB#m+1 is SI#m+1. The frequency deviation between the frequency point (starting frequency point or center frequency point) of SSB#m and the frequency point (starting frequency point or center frequency point) of SI#m is represented as offset#m. In Figure 9, the frequency deviation between the frequency point (starting frequency point or center frequency point) of SSB#m+1 and the frequency point (starting frequency point or center frequency point) of SI#m+1 is also represented as offset#m+1.

[0229] In implementation D1, the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal have the same starting frequency and / or the same center frequency. For example, offset#m is 0. In this case, the starting frequency of SSB#m and SI#m is the same.

[0230] Through the above implementation, the bandwidths of the first common signal and the second common signal can be aligned, thereby simplifying the process of the terminal device receiving the first common signal and the second common signal.

[0231] In implementation mode D2, the frequency points of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the second common signal are separated by a second value, which is a preset value.

[0232] In another possible implementation, the frequency offset between the frequency point of any first common signal and the frequency point of the second common signal corresponding to the first common signal is a preset value. For example, in FIG9 , offset#m+1 is equal to offset#m and is a preset value.

[0233] In another possible implementation, the bandwidths of the two second common signals may be the same, for example, the bandwidths of SI#m+1 and SI#m may be the same.

[0234] In implementation method D3, the frequency points (starting frequency points or center frequency points) of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the second common signal are separated by a third value, which is associated with the bandwidth of the second common signal.

[0235] For example, the third value is half or an integer multiple of the bandwidth of the second common signal.

[0236] In implementation D4, the frequency of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency of the frequency domain resources of the second common signal are separated by a fourth value, and the fourth value is associated with the difference between the bandwidth of the second common signal and the bandwidth of the first common signal.

[0237] For example, the fourth value is half or an integer multiple of the difference between the bandwidth of the second common signal and the bandwidth of the first common signal.

[0238] In implementation D5, the frequency offset between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of another first common signal is associated with the frequency offset between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal.

[0239] Taking Figure 9 as an example, the frequency offset between the frequency points (starting frequency or center frequency) of SSB#m and SSB#m+1 is associated with the frequency offset (offset#m) between the frequency points (starting frequency or center frequency) of SSB#m and SI#m.

[0240] In implementation D6, the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal satisfy certain rules.

[0241] In a possible implementation manner, the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency point (starting frequency point or center frequency point) of the second common signal satisfy a certain rule.

[0242] For example, the number M of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal is different from the number M' of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals, for example, M is 4 and M' is 2. In this case, a certain rule or formula can be used to establish the relationship between the M frequency domain resources used to transmit the first common signal and the M' frequency domain resources used to transmit the second common signal. For example, a rule can be set: the M frequency domain resources used to transmit the first common signal are divided into M' groups, and the M' group frequency domain resource groups correspond one-to-one to the M' frequency domain resources used to transmit the second common signal. The number of frequency domain resources in any two groups of frequency domain resource groups in the M' group of frequency domain resource groups may be the same or different. For example, when M can divide M', k0 is the quotient of M and M', then the consecutive k0 resources in the M frequency domain resources used to transmit the first common signal can be divided into a group of resource groups, thereby obtaining M' group of frequency domain resource groups. There are many ways to divide the frequency domain resource groups, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0243] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the resource positions of another first common signal and the second common signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 10 is introduced as an example in which the number of frequency domain resources M for transmitting the first common signal is 4, the number of frequency domain resources M' for transmitting the second common signal is 2, the first common signal is SSB, and the second common signal is SI. In the example shown in Figure 10, the first common signal corresponding to two consecutive frequency resources in the M number of frequency domain resources for transmitting the first common signal is associated with one of the second common signals in the M' number of frequency domain resources for transmitting the second common signal. For example, for the SSBs corresponding to the first two frequency domain resources in the M frequency domain resources in Figure 10 (i.e., SSB#0, SSB#1, ... SSB#N-1, SSB#N, SSB#1+N... SSB#2N-1), the frequency domain positions of the SI associated with these SSBs are: the first frequency domain resource in the M' frequency domain resources, i.e., the SI associated with these SSBs is SI#0, SSB#1, ... SI#N-1). For another example, for the SSBs corresponding to the third and fourth frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources in Figure 10 (i.e., SSB#2N, SSB#1+2N, ...SSB#3N-1, SSB#3N, SSB#1+3N...SSB#4N-1), the frequency domain positions of the SIs associated with these SSBs are: the second frequency domain resource among the M' frequency domain resources, that is, the SIs associated with these SSBs are SI#2N, SSB#2N+1, ...SI#4N-1). That is, in the example shown in Figure 10, the first common signals corresponding to every k0 consecutive (k0=M / M'=2) frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources correspond to one group, and the first common signals corresponding to the m'th group of frequency domain resources respectively correspond to the second common signals corresponding to the m'th frequency domain resource among the M' frequency domain resources.

[0244] M and N involved in all the figures of the embodiments of the present application may respectively correspond to the maximum candidate values ​​of the frequency domain number and the time domain number in the candidate resources of the first common signal, and M' and N' may respectively correspond to the maximum candidate values ​​of the frequency domain number and the time domain number in the candidate resources of the second common signal. In actual applications, for each frequency domain resource used to transmit the first common signal, the number of first common signals actually sent on the frequency domain resource can be adjusted according to actual needs. Alternatively, for each time domain resource used to transmit the first common signal, the number of first common signals actually sent can be adjusted according to actual needs. For each frequency domain resource used to transmit the second common signal, the number of second common signals actually sent on the frequency domain resource can be adjusted according to actual needs; or, for each time domain resource used to transmit the second common signal, the number of second common signals actually sent can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0245] To give another example, the number M of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal is different from the number M' of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals. In this case, a formula can be used to establish the relationship between the M frequency domain resources used to transmit the first common signal and the M' frequency domain resources used to transmit the second common signal. For example, the formula can be set: k2 = k1% M', where k1 is the sequence number of the frequency domain resource used to transmit the first common signal in the M frequency domain resources, k2 is the sequence number of the frequency domain resource corresponding to the frequency domain resource k1 for transmitting the second common signal in the M' frequency domain resources, % represents the remainder, and M' is the number of frequency domain resources used to transmit the second common signal. The sequence numbers of the frequency domain resources in the M frequency domain resources can represent the order and can be taken from 0. The sequence numbers of the frequency domain resources in the M' frequency domain resources can represent the order and can be taken from 0.

[0246] In another possible implementation, the number M of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal may be different from the number M' of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals. M' is a positive integer. Alternatively, the number N of time domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal may be different from the number N' of time domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals. N' is a positive integer. However, the total number M*N of resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal is equal to the total number M'*N' of resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals. * in the embodiment of the present application represents multiplication. In this case, a correspondence between the multiple time-frequency resources for transmitting the first common signal and the multiple resources for transmitting the multiple second common signals can be established by certain rules (or formulas), and the two can correspond one to one.

[0247] Since multiple first common signals can be frequency-division multiplexed, through any of the above-mentioned implementation methods, the terminal device can determine the relationship between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the second common signal associated with the first common signal, and then the terminal device can determine the position of the frequency domain resources of the second common signal based on the relationship.

[0248] In a possible implementation manner, there may also be an association relationship between the time domain resources of the first common signal and the time domain resources of the second common signal, for example, as shown in the following implementation manner E1, implementation manner E2, and implementation manner E3.

[0249] In implementation E1, the time domain resource of the first common signal is the same as the time domain resource of the second common signal, so that the terminal device can acquire the second common signal more quickly.

[0250] In implementation mode E2, the time domain resources of the second common signal are associated with at least one of: the time domain resources of the first common signal, the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal. In this way, since the above-mentioned time-frequency index will be affected by multiple frequency domain resources, the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal also combines the factor of the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal, thereby making the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal more suitable for the frequency division multiplexing scheme of multiple time-frequency resources.

[0251] For example, the time domain resource position n0 of the second resource satisfies the following formula (1):

[0252] In formula (1), μ is the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, O is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, X is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, i is the time-frequency index of the first common signal, M is the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple time-frequency resources used to transmit the first common signal, Indicates rounding down. i can be the time-frequency index of the first common signal in the solution provided by the aforementioned Implementation A1 or Implementation A2. In the above Implementation A3, i can be the order of the time-frequency resources corresponding to the first common signal in Implementation A3 among the MN time-frequency resources. The M*N time-frequency resources can be sorted in the order of frequency domain first and time domain second or time domain first and frequency domain second. For relevant content, please refer to Implementation A1 and Implementation A2, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] After the terminal device receives the first common signal, it can try to detect the second common signal (the second common signal can be, for example, SIB1 PDCCH) by going to time slot n0 or time slot n0+1 according to the time-frequency index i corresponding to the first common signal. If PDCCH is detected, the corresponding PDSCH continues to be received, and subsequent processes are carried out. Different first common signals (or PDSCH corresponding to different beams have the same load content, but the corresponding modulation order, code rate, time, and frequency position may be different. In the above scheme, since the above time-frequency index will be affected by multiple frequency domain resources, and the above formula also combines the number of frequency domain resources, the formula can be more applicable to the scheme of frequency division multiplexing of multiple time-frequency resources.

[0254] In implementation mode E3, the time domain resources of the second common signal are associated with at least one of: the time domain resources of the first common signal, the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit multiple second common signals, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal. In this way, since the above-mentioned time-frequency index will be affected by multiple frequency domain resources, the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal also combines the factor of the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit multiple second common signals, thereby making the process of determining the time domain resources of the second common signal more suitable for the scheme of frequency division multiplexing of multiple time-frequency resources.

[0255] For example, the time domain resource position n0 of the second resource satisfies the following formula (2):

[0256] In formula (2), M' is the number of frequency domain resources in the multiple resources used to transmit the multiple second common signals, μ, O, X, i and For the relevant content of , please refer to the relevant description in the above formula (1) and will not be repeated here.

[0257] In one possible implementation, in order to facilitate the use of higher transmission power or customized hardware to transmit common signals (such as the first common signal and the second common signal), different hardware architectures (or different transmission methods) can be used to transmit common signals (such as the first common signal and the second common signal). The following describes two possible implementations through Examples 1 and 2.

[0258] Example 1: Common signals (such as the first common signal and the second common signal mentioned above) and other downlink signals (such as data signals) are sent using different radio frequency channels (or different antenna ports, or based on different spatial relationships).

[0259] For example, multiple first public signals are sent through the first RF channel. Multiple second public signals are also sent through the first RF channel. The first RF channel cannot be used to send other non-public signals, such as data signals. It can also be described as the signals sent by the first RF channel being public signals. Data signals can be sent through RF channels other than the first RF channel. It can also be understood that data signals and public signals are sent through different RF channels. In this way, public signals can be sent through a dedicated RF channel, and the design parameters of the RF channel can be made more compatible with the transmission of public signals.

[0260] For another example, multiple first public signals are sent through the first antenna port. Multiple second public signals are also sent through the first antenna port. The first antenna port cannot be used to send other non-public signals, such as data signals. This can also be described as all signals sent by the first antenna port being public signals. Data signals can be sent through antenna ports other than the first antenna port. This can also be understood as data signals and public signals being sent through different antenna ports. In this way, public signals can be sent through a dedicated antenna port, and the design parameters of that antenna port can be more closely aligned with the transmission of public signals.

[0261] For another example, the spatial relationship of multiple first common signals is a first spatial relationship. The spatial relationship of multiple second common signals is also a first spatial relationship. In one possible implementation, the spatial relationship of a common signal (such as a first common signal or a second common signal) sent by a network device is associated with reference signal #1. The spatial relationship associated with reference signal #1 can be regarded as an example of a first spatial relationship. The spatial relationship of other signals (such as data signals) is different from the first spatial relationship, and it can also be understood that the reference signal associated with the spatial relationship of other signals (such as data signals) is different from reference signal #1. It can also be understood that the data signal and the common signal are sent through different spatial relationships (or beams). In this way, the common signal can be sent through a dedicated spatial relationship, and then the network device can select a spatial relationship that better matches the sending of the common signal, and then the communication process can be optimized.

[0262] The implementation scheme provided in this example 1 can be used in combination with the implementation scheme provided in at least one of the aforementioned Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. In one possible implementation, multiple first common signals are sent by a network device through multiple time-frequency resources. The time domain resources of two first common signals among the multiple first common signals may be the same, and the frequency domain resources may be different. To give an example in conjunction with this example 1, for example, for two first common signals among the multiple first common signals, at the same time, the two first common signals sent through the same radio frequency channel (or the same antenna port) are at different frequencies. For another example, for two first common signals among the multiple first common signals, at the same time, the two first common signals sent through the same radio frequency channel (or the same antenna port) are at the same or different frequencies.

[0263] FIG11 exemplarily shows a possible structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. A block in the module 1204 in FIG11 may represent a digital channel. SSB 、F 1，1 、F 1，W 、F R，1 、F R，WThis can be understood as a digital precoding weight. A phase shifter can represent an analog channel. A phase shifter can connect to one or multiple arrays, meaning a single phase shifter can control one or more arrays, or multiple phase shifters can be cross-connected to multiple arrays. Multiple arrays can form an antenna array. Figure 11 illustrates two antenna arrays, such as antenna array #0 and antenna array #(R-1).

[0264] The communication device may be a network device. As shown in FIG11 , the network device includes multiple radio frequency channels. SSB The corresponding radio frequency channels may be used to transmit common signals (such as the first common signal and the second common signal mentioned above), and other radio frequency channels may be used to transmit signals other than the common signals (such as data signals).

[0265] In Figure 11, the RF channel may include an RF receive path and an RF transmit path. The RF channel may also be referred to as an RF subsystem, which may be composed of an RF integrated circuit and an RF front-end device. The RF receive channel may receive an RF signal through an antenna, process the RF signal (such as amplification, filtering, and down-conversion) to obtain a baseband signal, and transmit it to the baseband subsystem. The RF transmit channel may receive a baseband signal from the baseband subsystem, process the baseband signal (such as up-conversion, amplification, and filtering) to obtain an RF signal, and finally radiate the RF signal into space through an antenna. The RF integrated circuit may be referred to as an RF processing chip or an RF chip.

[0266] Specifically, the RF subsystem may include electronic devices such as an antenna switch, an antenna tuner, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a power amplifier (PA), a mixer, a local oscillator (LO), and a filter. These electronic devices can be integrated into one or more chips as needed. The RF integrated circuit can be called an RF processing chip or an RF chip. The RF front-end device can also be an independent chip. The RF chip is sometimes also called a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, or a transceiver. With the evolution of technology, the antenna can sometimes be considered as part of the RF subsystem and can be integrated into the chip of the RF subsystem. The antenna, RF front-end device, and RF chip can all be manufactured and sold separately. Of course, the RF subsystem can also use different devices or different integration methods based on power consumption and performance requirements. For example, some devices belonging to the RF front end are integrated into the RF chip, or even the antenna and RF front-end devices are integrated into the RF chip. The RF chip can also be called an RF antenna module or antenna module.

[0267] Similar to the RF subsystem's primary function of processing RF signals, the baseband subsystem, as its name implies, primarily processes baseband signals. The baseband subsystem extracts useful information or data bits from baseband signals, or converts them into baseband signals for transmission. These information or data bits can represent user data such as voice, text, and video, or control information. For example, the baseband subsystem performs signal processing operations such as modulation and demodulation, encoding, and decoding. Baseband signal processing operations vary across different radio access technologies, such as 5G NR and 4G LTE.

[0268] In addition, since radio frequency signals are typically analog signals and the signals processed by the baseband subsystem are primarily digital signals, the communication device also requires an analog-to-digital converter. In the embodiments of the present application, the analog-to-digital converter can be located in either the baseband subsystem or the radio frequency subsystem. The analog-to-digital converter includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts analog signals into digital signals, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts digital signals into analog signals.

[0269] As shown in FIG11 , the communication device may further include a processing unit 1201. In FIG11 , the communication device may include one or more processors. The multiple processors may be multiple processors of the same type, or may include a combination of multiple types of processors. In this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor or a processor designed for a specific field. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU).

[0270] A processor can be a CPU (center processing unit), a DSP (digital signal processor), or a microcontroller (MCU). A processor can also be a GPU (graphics processing unit), an ISP (image signal processing), an ASP (audio signal processor), or an AI processor specifically designed for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. AI processors include, but are not limited to, neural network processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and processors known as AI engines.

[0271] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device may further include a signal transceiver unit 1203. The signal transceiver unit 1203 may include a transmitting unit 12031 and a receiving unit 12032. The transmitting unit 12031 may be used to transmit signals, and the receiving unit 12032 may be used to receive signals.

[0272] The communication device may also include a storage unit 1202. The memory shown in Figure 11 may include internal memory and mass storage, and may also include one or more caches in the application subsystem and baseband subsystem. In specific implementations, memory can be divided into volatile memory (volatile memory) and non-volatile memory (NVM). Volatile memory refers to memory in which the stored data will be lost when the power supply is interrupted. Currently, volatile memory is mainly random access memory (RAM), including static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Non-volatile memory refers to memory in which the stored data will not be lost even if the power supply is interrupted. Common non-volatile memories include read-only memory (ROM), optical disks, magnetic disks, and various memories based on flash memory technology. Generally speaking, volatile memory can be used for internal memory and cache, and non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, can be used for mass storage.

[0273] Example 2: Different common signals (such as multiple first common signals, and further such as multiple second common signals) are sent using different radio frequency channels (or different antenna ports, or different spatial relationships).

[0274] For example, two of the multiple first common signals are sent by the network device via two different radio frequency channels. For another example, two second common signals are sent by the network device via two different radio frequency channels. For another example, the first common signal and the second common signal are sent by the network device via two different radio frequency channels. This can increase the transmission power of the common signals.

[0275] For another example, two of the multiple first common signals are sent by the network device through two different antenna ports. For another example, two second common signals are sent by the network device through two different antenna ports. For another example, the first common signal and the second common signal are sent by the network device through two different antenna ports. This can increase the transmission power of the common signals.

[0276] For another example, if the spatial relationship between two first common signals in the plurality of first common signals is different, in one possible implementation, the reference signals associated with the spatial relationship between the two first common signals sent by the network device are different, thereby increasing the transmission power of the common signal.

[0277] FIG12 exemplarily shows a possible structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG12 is similar to FIG11 , but differs from FIG11 in that FIG12 does not describe F SSB . The communication device can be a network device. As shown in Figure 12, the network device includes multiple radio frequency channels. Among them, different common signals can be sent using different radio frequency channels. For example, the radio frequency channel corresponding to the antenna array #0 can be used to transmit the first common signal #0, and the radio frequency channel corresponding to the antenna array #(R-1) can be used to transmit the first common signal #(R-1). For the rest of the content, please refer to the relevant description of Figure 11 and will not be repeated here.

[0278] The implementation scheme provided in Figure 12 in the embodiment of the present application can be used in combination with the implementation scheme provided in at least one of Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. In one possible implementation, multiple first common signals are sent by a network device through multiple time-frequency resources. The time domain resources of two first common signals in the multiple first common signals may be the same, and the frequency domain resources may be different. For example, with reference to Figure 12, for example, for two first common signals in the multiple first common signals, at the same time, the two first common signals sent through different radio frequency channels (or different antenna ports) are at different frequencies. For another example, for two first common signals in the multiple first common signals, at different times, the two first common signals sent through different radio frequency channels (or different antenna ports) are at the same or different frequencies.

[0279] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and the network device may include hardware structures and / or software modules that perform the corresponding functions. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the units and method steps of the various examples 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.

[0280] Figures 13 and 14 are schematic diagrams of possible structures of several communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device as shown in Figure 1, or a network device (such as a RAN node) as shown in Figure 1, or a chip system applied to the terminal device or network device as shown in Figure 1.

[0281] As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0282] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the processing unit 1310 is used to: receive the first common signal through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0283] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the processing unit 1310 is further used to receive the second common signal through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0284] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the processing unit 1310 is used to send a plurality of first common signals through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0285] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the processing unit 1310 is further used to send the second common signal through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0286] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 , reference may be made to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 .

[0287] As shown in Figure 14, communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. Processor 1410 and interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by processor 1410, input data required by processor 1410 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0288] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 4 , the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310 , and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0289] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal chip receives information from the base station, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. When the terminal chip sends information to the base station, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0290] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from the terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information to the terminal, it can be understood that the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0291] In this application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be done directly from A to B or indirectly through another entity. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be done directly from entity B or indirectly through another entity. Entities A and B herein can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within a RAN node or terminal. The sending and receiving of information can be information exchange between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between two RAN nodes, for example, between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between different modules within a device, for example, between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules within the base station.

[0292] For the relevant contents of the processor and memory in the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0293] 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 base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0294] 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. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. 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 media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video disks; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0295] 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.

[0296] 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 or 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.

[0297] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of this application (such as the numerical numbers "first" and "second", and the letter numbers "A1", "B1", etc.) are only for the convenience 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 mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a terminal device, comprising: receiving a first common signal; The first common signal occupies one frequency domain resource, the first common signal is one of multiple first common signals sent by the network device, the multiple first common signals occupy M frequency domain resources, M is an integer greater than 1, and the frequency domain resource occupied by the first common signal is one of the M frequency domain resources; The multiple first common signals belong to common signals of the same serving cell, and the multiple first common signals belong to common signals within a common signal sending cycle.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that An interval between two frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources is a first frequency value or a first number of resource blocks.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first frequency value includes: F*1200kHz, F*1.44MHz, F*2.88MHz, F*4.32MHz, F*5.76MHz, F*8.64MHz, F*11.52MHz, F*17.28MHz, F*28.28MHz, F*34.56MHz, F*69.12MHz, or F*138.24MHz; F is a positive integer; or; The first number of resource blocks includes: F*12, where F is a positive integer.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first common signal occupies one time domain resource, the multiple first common signals occupy N frequency domain resources, N is a positive integer, and the time domain resource occupied by the first common signal belongs to one of the N time domain resources.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The M and / or the N are associated with a carrier frequency; or, A set of values ​​of the M and the N is associated with a carrier frequency.

6. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that: The M and / or the N are preset values; or, the M and / or the N are determined based on at least one of the following: A sequence of a primary synchronization signal PSS in the first common signal; a sequence of a secondary synchronization signal SSS in the first common signal; cell identification information associated with the first public signal; A demodulation reference signal DMRS sequence in a physical broadcast channel PBCH of the first common signal; Received information indicating said M; or, The received information is used to indicate the N.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: A time-frequency index corresponding to a first common signal among the multiple first common signals; The time-frequency index satisfies one of the following: The time-frequency index indicates the order of the time-frequency resource of the first common signal among the multiple time-frequency resources occupied by the multiple first common signals; wherein the multiple time-frequency resources include the M frequency domain resources and the N time domain resources, and the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in a manner of first time domain and then frequency domain, or the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in a manner of first frequency domain and then time domain; or; The time-frequency index includes a first value and a second value, wherein the first value indicates the order of the time domain resources of the first common signal among the N time domain resources, and the second value indicates the order of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal among the M frequency domain resources.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A second common signal or a control channel corresponding to the second common signal is received according to the first common signal, where the second common signal includes system information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency domain resource of the second common signal satisfy one of the following: The frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal have the same starting frequency point; The frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency domain resource of the second common signal have the same central frequency point; A second value is separated from a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal, and the second value is a preset value; The frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal are separated by a third value, a third value associated with a bandwidth of said second common signal; A frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal are separated by a fourth value, and the fourth value is associated with a difference between a bandwidth of the second common signal and a bandwidth of the first common signal; or, The frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of another first common signal is associated with the frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The time domain resource of the first common signal is the same as the time domain resource of the second common signal; or, The time domain resources of the second common signal are associated with at least one of: the time domain resources of the first common signal, the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, the value of M, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The time domain resource position n0 of the second resource satisfies the following formula: Wherein, μ is the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, O is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, X is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, i is the time-frequency index of the first common signal, Indicates rounding down.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: Two first common signals among the multiple first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the two first common signals correspond to different radio frequency channels, different antenna ports, or different spatial relationships; or; The multiple first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the multiple first common signals correspond to a first RF channel, to a first antenna port, or to a first spatial relationship; wherein, the signal transmitted by the first RF channel belongs to a common signal, the signal transmitted by the first antenna port belongs to a common signal, and the signal associated with the first spatial relationship belongs to a common signal.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a network device, comprising: sending a plurality of first common signals; The multiple first common signals occupy M frequency domain resources, where M is an integer greater than 1, and a first common signal among the multiple first common signals occupies one frequency domain resource among the M frequency domain resources; The multiple first common signals belong to common signals of the same serving cell, and the multiple first common signals belong to common signals within a common signal sending cycle.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that An interval between two frequency domain resources among the M frequency domain resources is a first frequency value or a first number of resource blocks.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first frequency value includes: F*1200kHz, F*1.44MHz, F*2.88MHz, F*4.32MHz, F*5.76MHz, F*8.64MHz, F*11.52MHz, F*17.28MHz, F*28.28MHz, F*34.56MHz, F*69.12MHz, or F*138.24MHz; F is a positive integer; or; The first number of resource blocks includes: F*12, where F is a positive integer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that: The first common signal occupies one time domain resource, the multiple first common signals occupy N frequency domain resources, N is a positive integer, and the time domain resource occupied by the first common signal belongs to one of the N time domain resources.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The M and / or the N are associated with a carrier frequency; or, A set of values ​​of the M and the N is associated with a carrier frequency.

18. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 17, characterized in that: The M and / or the N are preset values; or, the M and / or the N are determined based on at least one of the following: A sequence of a primary synchronization signal PSS of a first common signal among the plurality of first common signals; a sequence of a secondary synchronization signal SSS of a first common signal among the plurality of first common signals; cell identification information associated with a first common signal among the multiple first common signals; a demodulation reference signal DMRS sequence in a physical broadcast channel PBCH of a first common signal among the multiple first common signals; Received information indicating said M; or, The received information is used to indicate the N.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that: A time-frequency index corresponding to a first common signal among the multiple first common signals; The time-frequency index satisfies one of the following: The time-frequency index indicates the order of the time-frequency resource of the first common signal among the multiple time-frequency resources occupied by the multiple first common signals; wherein the multiple time-frequency resources include the M frequency domain resources and the N time domain resources, and the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in a manner of first time domain and then frequency domain, or the multiple time-frequency resources are ordered in a manner of first frequency domain and then time domain; or; The time-frequency index includes a first value and a second value, wherein the first value indicates the order of the time domain resources of the first common signal among the N time domain resources, and the second value indicates the order of the frequency domain resources of the first common signal among the M frequency domain resources.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A second common signal or a control channel corresponding to the second common signal is sent, where the second common signal includes system information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency domain resource of the second common signal satisfy one of the following: The frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal have the same starting frequency point; The frequency domain resource of the first common signal and the frequency domain resource of the second common signal have the same central frequency point; A second value is separated from a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal, and the second value is a preset value; A frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal are separated by a third value, where the third value is associated with a bandwidth of the second common signal; A frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the first common signal and a frequency point of the frequency domain resource of the second common signal are separated by a fourth value, and the fourth value is associated with a difference between a bandwidth of the second common signal and a bandwidth of the first common signal; or, The frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of another first common signal is associated with the frequency deviation between the frequency domain resources of the first common signal and the frequency domain resources of the second common signal.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The time domain resource of the first common signal is the same as the time domain resource of the second common signal; or, The time domain resources of the second common signal are associated with at least one of: the time domain resources of the first common signal, the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, the value of M, or the time-frequency index of the first common signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The time domain resource position n0 of the second resource satisfies the following formula: Wherein, μ is the subcarrier spacing of the first common signal, O is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, X is the value or preset value indicated by the main system information, i is the time-frequency index of the first common signal, Indicates rounding down.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that: Two first common signals among the multiple first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the two first common signals correspond to different radio frequency channels, different antenna ports, or different spatial relationships; or; The multiple first common signals satisfy at least one of the following: the multiple first common signals correspond to a first RF channel, to a first antenna port, or to a first spatial relationship; wherein, the signal transmitted by the first RF channel belongs to a common signal, the signal transmitted by the first antenna port belongs to a common signal, and the signal associated with the first spatial relationship belongs to a common signal.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, or comprises a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24 through a logic circuit or executing a code instruction.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24 is implemented.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

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