Method and apparatus for determining cell timing

Abstract

A method for determining a cell timing. By means of a base station, offset indication information of an offset with a time slot as the granularity and offset indication information of an offset with Ts(Ts=1 / (15*103*2048) seconds) as the granularity are indicated to a UE, such that the UE obtains a time offset between cells in a CA scenario, thereby improving communication performance.

Description

Method and device for determining cell timing

[0001] This application claims priority from a Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on October 26, 2023, with application number 202311405836.5 and application name “A method and device for determining cell timing”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and device for determining cell timing. Background Art

[0003] Carrier aggregation (CA) technology is a key technology to solve the problem of limited bandwidth of a single carrier. It provides services to terminal devices by aggregating two or more component carriers (CCs) to support larger transmission bandwidth, thereby improving network resource utilization and user experience.

[0004] When the timing of frames between multiple carriers aggregated in the CA technology is not aligned, how to determine the timing between the multiple carriers is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The method includes: receiving offset indication information, the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, the first offset value x is an offset with a time slot as the granularity, the second offset value y is an offset with a Ts as the granularity, Ts=1 / (15*10 3*2048) seconds; determine the time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the above-mentioned offset indication information. The first cell is a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the second cell is a secondary cell (SCell); or, the first cell is an SCell, and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. The time offset between the second cell and the first cell indicated by the above-mentioned offset indication information may be the time offset of the second cell relative to the first cell, or the time offset of the first cell relative to the second cell. The above-mentioned offset indication information may be carried by radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The above-mentioned time offset may be the time offset between the frame headers of the radio frame i of the second cell and the radio frame i of the first cell, where i is a non-negative integer.

[0007] Through the above method, the terminal receives offset indication information for indicating the time offset between the second cell and the first cell, and the offset indication information indicates a first offset value with slot as the granularity and a second offset value with Ts as the granularity. The offset indication information accurately indicates the time offset between the second cell and the first cell with slot as the granularity and Ts as the granularity, which can effectively solve the problem of communication performance degradation caused by frame misalignment between the second cell and the first cell, and achieve the beneficial effect of improving communication performance.

[0008] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, the above-mentioned offset indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first offset value x, and the second indication information is used to indicate the second offset value y, and determining the time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the above-mentioned offset indication information includes: determining the above-mentioned time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0009] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, the maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in a slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing (SCS), and the above-mentioned reference SCS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell can be understood as multiple SCSs of the first cell, and the SCS set of the second cell can be understood as multiple SCSs of the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell or the SCS set of the second cell can be configured through RRC signaling.

[0010] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0011] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of PCell / PSCell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x)mod M) of the second cell, where x is the first offset value, y is the second offset value, mod is the remainder operation, and M is the number of slots included in a frame. The time domain length of the slot is determined based on the above-mentioned reference SCS, where the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell.

[0012] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of PCell / PSCell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is SCell and the second cell is PCell / PSCell.

[0013] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0014] If the frequency domain position of pointA of PCell / PSCell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x)mod M) of the second cell. The above pointA is the common reference point of the resource block grid, which is aligned with the center position of subcarrier 0 of common resource block 0 corresponding to the configured SCS, where the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell.

[0015] If the frequency domain position of pointA of PCell / PSCell is higher than the frequency domain position of pointA of SCell, then Ts0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is SCell and the second cell is PCell / PSCell.

[0016] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0017] The first cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the second cell is an SCell. If the minimum SCS in the first cell's SCS set is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the second cell's SCS set, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) in the second cell. If the minimum SCS in the first cell's SCS set is greater than the minimum SCS in the second cell's SCS set, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) in the second cell.

[0018] Alternatively, the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is smaller than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell. If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is greater than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell.

[0019] In certain embodiments of the first aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0020] The first cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the second cell is an SCell. If the frequency domain position of point A in the first cell is lower than the frequency domain position of point A in the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) in the second cell. If the frequency domain position of point A in the first cell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A in the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) in the second cell.

[0021] Alternatively, the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. If the frequency domain position of point A of the first cell is lower than or equal to the frequency domain position of point A of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell. If the frequency domain position of point A of the first cell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell.

[0022] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a wireless access network device, or by a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the wireless access network device, or by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the wireless access network device. The method includes: determining offset indication information, the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, the first offset value x is an offset with a time slot as the granularity, and the second offset value y is an offset with a Ts as the granularity, Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds, the above-mentioned offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell; the above-mentioned offset indication information is sent. The first cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the second cell is an SCell; or, the first cell is an SCell, and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. The time offset between the second cell and the first cell indicated by the above-mentioned offset indication information can be the time offset of the second cell relative to the first cell, or the time offset of the first cell relative to the second cell. The above-mentioned offset indication information can be carried by RRC signaling. The above-mentioned time offset can be the time offset between the frame headers of the radio frame i of the second cell and the radio frame i of the first cell, where i is a non-negative integer.

[0023] For the beneficial effects of the corresponding features of the second aspect, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and no repetition will be given.

[0024] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, the above-mentioned offset indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first offset value x, and the second indication information is used to indicate the second offset value y, and the above-mentioned offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell, including: the first indication information and the second indication information are used to indicate the above-mentioned time offset between the second cell and the first cell.

[0025] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, the maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in a slot corresponding to the reference SCS, where the reference SCS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell can be understood as multiple SCSs of the first cell, and the SCS set of the second cell can be understood as multiple SCSs of the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell or the SCS set of the second cell can be configured through RRC signaling.

[0026] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0027] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of PCell / PSCell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x)mod M) of the second cell, where x is the first offset value, y is the second offset value, mod is the remainder operation, and M is the number of slots included in a frame. The time domain length of the slot is determined based on the above-mentioned reference SCS, where the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell.

[0028] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of PCell / PSCell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is SCell and the second cell is PCell / PSCell.

[0029] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0030] If the frequency domain position of pointA of PCell / PSCell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell.

[0031] If the frequency domain position of pointA of PCell / PSCell is higher than the frequency domain position of pointA of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is SCell and the second cell is PCell / PSCell.

[0032] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0033] The first cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the second cell is an SCell. If the minimum SCS in the first cell's SCS set is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the second cell's SCS set, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) in the second cell. If the minimum SCS in the first cell's SCS set is greater than the minimum SCS in the second cell's SCS set, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) in the second cell.

[0034] Alternatively, the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is smaller than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell. If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is greater than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell.

[0035] In certain embodiments of the second aspect, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0036] The first cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the second cell is an SCell. If the frequency domain position of point A in the first cell is lower than the frequency domain position of point A in the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) in the second cell. If the frequency domain position of point A in the first cell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A in the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 in the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) in the second cell.

[0037] Alternatively, the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. If the frequency domain position of point A of the first cell is lower than or equal to the frequency domain position of point A of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell. If the frequency domain position of point A of the first cell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A of the second cell, Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell.

[0038] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device that can implement the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above-mentioned method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented in software and / or hardware. The device can be, for example, a terminal, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal to implement the above-mentioned method. It can also be a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a device that can implement the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above-mentioned method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented in software and / or hardware. The device can be, for example, a wireless access network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the wireless access network device to implement the above-mentioned method. It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the wireless access network device.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the device implements the method in the above-mentioned first aspect, or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the device implements the method in the above-mentioned second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or executes the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a communication device, the communication device executes the method of the above-mentioned first aspect, or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or executes the method of the above-mentioned second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising: a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the chip implements the method of the above-mentioned first aspect, the second aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising the apparatus of the third aspect and the apparatus of the fourth aspect, or comprising the apparatus of the fifth aspect and the apparatus of the sixth aspect.

[0046] It can be understood that for the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first and second aspects in the third to tenth aspects, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the first and second aspects and no repetition will be given. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG2 is a schematic diagram showing a time slot level offset between multiple cells in a CA scenario;

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 130. Optionally, the communication system may also include the Internet 140. RAN 100 may include at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes. Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 130. The core network equipment in core network 130 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 may be separate, distinct physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions, or they may be a single device integrating some core network logical functions and some radio access network logical functions. Terminals and RAN nodes can be connected to each other via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as relay devices and backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0054] The methods and devices provided in the embodiments of the present application can be used in various communication systems, such as fourth generation (4G) communication systems, 4.5G communication systems, 5G communication systems, 5.5G communication systems, 6G communication systems, systems integrating multiple communication systems, or future evolved communication systems. For example, long term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, open access networks (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) systems, cloud radio access networks (CRAN) systems, and communication systems related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), as well as other such communication systems, can also be communication systems integrating two or more of the above systems.

[0055] RAN nodes can also be expressed in different ways, such as radio access network devices. Unless otherwise specified in this application, radio access network devices are used for expression. Radio access network devices (sometimes also referred to as network devices in this application) can be base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G mobile communication systems, next generation base stations in 6G mobile communication systems, or base stations in future mobile communication systems. Radio access network devices can be macro base stations (such as 110a in Figure 1), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as 110b in Figure 1), relay nodes or donor nodes, etc., or wireless controllers in CRAN scenarios. Optionally, radio access network devices can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles or on-board devices, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). It is understood that all or part of the functions of the wireless access network device in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The wireless access network device in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the wireless access network device.

[0056] The radio access network device may also be a module or unit that performs part of the functions of the base station, for example, it may be a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). In another possible scenario, multiple radio access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different radio access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the radio access network device may be a CU, DU, CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0057] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open central unit (O-CU), DU may also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application takes DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit in the DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the wireless access network device. For the convenience of description, the following description takes the base station as an example of the wireless access network device.

[0058] 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.

[0059] The terminal in this application may also be a VR terminal, an AR terminal, or an MR terminal. VR terminals, AR terminals, and MR terminals may all be referred to as XR terminals. An XR terminal may be, for example, a head-mounted device (such as a helmet or glasses), an all-in-one machine, a TV, a monitor, a car, a vehicle-mounted device, a tablet or a smart screen, etc. The XR terminal can present XR data to the user, and the user can experience a variety of XR services by wearing or using the XR terminal. The XR terminal can access the network wirelessly or wired, for example, through WiFi, 5G or other systems.

[0060] 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.

[0061] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the aircraft 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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 function. The control subsystem that includes the base station function here can be a control center in the application scenarios of the above-mentioned terminals such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal function.

[0064] In this application, a base station sends a downlink signal or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; a terminal sends an uplink signal or uplink information to a base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel; a terminal sends a sidelink signal or sidelink information to another terminal, and the sidelink information is carried on a sidelink channel. The information can be either control information or data information.

[0065] A cell is an area of ​​wireless coverage identified by a base station identification code or a global cell identification code. It can be simply understood that a cell is an area where a base station provides wireless coverage. For example, in the NR system, a terminal is connected to a cell, which can be understood as the service cell of the terminal. The terminal uses the resources provided by the cell to achieve data transmission with the wireless access network equipment. The resources may include one or more of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, or spatial domain resources. A carrier is a radio signal (such as an electromagnetic wave) with a specific frequency, bandwidth, and format transmitted by a base station to carry information. It can also be called a CC or carrier frequency.

[0066] With the continuous emergence of new services such as high-definition video and AR / VR, the demand for wireless data traffic is rapidly increasing. To meet this growing demand for wireless transmission, wireless communication technology needs to evolve further to increase network capacity and transmission rates. Further exploiting frequency resources for wireless communication is a crucial aspect of the evolution of wireless communication technology. Greater transmission bandwidth can provide greater network capacity and higher transmission rates. However, due to the limitations of deployed spectrum bandwidth resources and terminal processing capabilities, large-bandwidth contiguous spectrum resources are extremely scarce. In other words, the bandwidth of a single carrier is limited.

[0067] Carrier-attached communication (CA) is a key technology for addressing the limited bandwidth of a single carrier. It aggregates two or more carriers (CCs) to serve terminal devices, supporting greater transmission bandwidth. CA integrates multi-frequency resources, combining resources from the same or different frequency bands for terminal use, thereby improving resource utilization across the entire network and enhancing the user experience.

[0068] In a CA scenario, a terminal can connect to multiple cells, including a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary cell (SCell). A PCell can be the cell established for initial access between the terminal and a radio access network device, or the cell reestablished by the terminal and the radio access network device through an RRC connection, or the cell specified during a handover operation. An SCell is a cell configured by the radio access network device for the terminal to provide additional transmission resources. An SCell can be a cell added during RRC reconfiguration. A CA scenario can also include a primary secondary cell group cell (PSCell). A PSCell is a secondary cell group cell to which the terminal randomly accesses when performing a synchronous reconfiguration process when the terminal is configured for dual connectivity. Each downlink carrier corresponds to an independent cell, which can also be understood as a cell containing only one downlink carrier. Generally, a downlink carrier can be equated with a cell. A cell can contain only one downlink carrier, one downlink carrier and one uplink carrier, or one downlink carrier and two uplink carriers. In this application, if there is no logical conflict, cell, carrier, and CC can be used interchangeably.

[0069] CA technology supports scenarios where frames between multiple carriers in carrier aggregation are not aligned. In this scenario, the radio access network device can send offset indication information to indicate the slot-level offset of cell A serving the terminal relative to cell B serving the terminal. For example, as shown in Figure 2, cells 0-4 are serving cells for the terminal. The SCS of cell 0 is 30 kHz, with 20 slots per frame. The SCS of cells 1-4 is 60 kHz, with 40 slots per frame. Frame i of cells 1-4 is not aligned with frame i of cell 0, where i is a non-negative integer. The wireless access network device indicates that slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0 is aligned with slot 39 in frame i of cell 4 by sending offset indication information. This can also be understood as slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 4 is delayed by 1 slot corresponding to 60kHz SCS relative to slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0; the wireless access network device indicates that slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0 is aligned with slot 38 in frame i of cell 3 by sending offset indication information. This can also be understood as slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 3 is delayed by 2 slots corresponding to 60kHz SCS relative to slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0; the wireless access network device indicates that slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0 is aligned with slot 1 in frame i+1 of cell 2 by sending offset indication information. This can also be understood as slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 2 is delayed by 2 slots corresponding to 60kHz SCS relative to slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0. 0 is advanced by 1 SCS corresponding to 60kHz; the wireless access network device sends an offset indication information to indicate that slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0 is aligned with slot 2 in frame i+1 of cell 1. It can also be understood that slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 1 is advanced by 2 SCS corresponding to 60kHz relative to slot 0 in frame i+1 of cell 0. In this application, unless otherwise specified, i in slot i, frame i or Ts i is the sequence number or index corresponding to the slot, frame or Ts, i is a non-negative integer, Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds.

[0070] Currently, radio access network equipment only supports indicating the slot-level offset of cell A serving a terminal relative to cell B. When the offset of cell A relative to cell B is not an integer multiple of the slot, the radio access network equipment cannot correctly indicate the time offset of cell A relative to cell B. Consequently, the terminal cannot correctly obtain the time offset of cell A serving it relative to cell B, which can lead to data transmission errors and affect communication performance. Communication performance in CA scenarios is closely related to the alignment of frames between multiple carriers or cells supporting CA. Therefore, determining the timing between multiple carriers or cells in CA scenarios is an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0071] The present application provides a method for determining cell timing, wherein a base station indicates to a UE an offset with a time slot as the granularity and a time interval of Ts (Ts = 1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds) as the granularity of the offset indication information, so that the UE can obtain the time offset between cells in the CA scenario, effectively alleviating the problem of communication performance degradation caused by frame misalignment between multiple cells supported by CA, and achieving the beneficial effect of improving communication performance.

[0072] Figure 3 is an interactive diagram of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 3, a wireless access network device and a terminal are used as examples to illustrate the method, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive diagram. For example, the wireless access network device in Figure 3 can also be a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the wireless access network device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the wireless access network device; the terminal in Figure 3 can also be a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the terminal, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. As shown in Figure 3, the method 300 of this embodiment may include parts 310, 320, and 330.

[0073] Part 310: The wireless access network device determines the offset indication information, which is used to indicate the first offset value x and the second offset value y. The first offset value x is the offset with slot as the granularity, and the second offset value y is the offset with Ts as the granularity, where Ts = 1 / (15*10 3*2048) seconds, and the above-mentioned offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell. The first cell is a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the second cell is a secondary cell (SCell); or, the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. It can also be understood that one of the first cell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell and the other cell is an SCell. The time offset between the second cell and the first cell indicated by the above-mentioned offset indication information can be the time offset of the second cell relative to the first cell, or the time offset of the first cell relative to the second cell. The above-mentioned time offset can be the time offset between the frame headers of the wireless frame i of the second cell and the wireless frame i of the first cell, where i is a non-negative integer.

[0074] Section 320: The radio access network device sends the offset indication information to the terminal. In response, the terminal receives the offset indication information from the radio access network device. The offset indication information may be carried by RRC signaling. The radio access network device may send the offset indication information to the terminal via the first cell or the second cell.

[0075] Part 330: The terminal determines the time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the above offset indication information.

[0076] In method 300, the terminal receives offset indication information for indicating the time offset between the second cell and the first cell, and the offset indication information indicates a first offset value with slot as the granularity and a second offset value with Ts as the granularity. The offset indication information accurately indicates the time offset between the second cell and the first cell with slot as the granularity and Ts as the granularity, where Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds, which can effectively solve the problem of communication performance degradation caused by frame misalignment between the second cell and the first cell.

[0077] In this application, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information...from (radio access network device)" can be understood as the source of the information being the radio access network device, which can include receiving information from the radio access network device directly or indirectly. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination of the information, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0078] The above-mentioned offset indication information may include first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first offset value x, and the second indication information is used to indicate the second offset value y. Further, the terminal may determine the time offset between the second cell and the first cell based on the first indication information and the second indication information.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in a slot corresponding to the reference SCS, where the reference SCS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell can be understood as multiple SCSs configured for the first cell, and the SCS set of the second cell can be understood as multiple SCSs configured for the second cell. The SCS set of the first cell or the SCS set of the second cell can be configured through RRC signaling, and a possible cell structure is as follows:

[0080] Among them, the cell scs-SpecificCarrierList is used to configure the SCS set, the cell SubcarrierSpacing in the cell SCS-SpecificCarrier is used to configure an SCS in the SCS set, the minimum value of the number of cells SCS-SpecificCarrier contained in the cell scs-SpecificCarrierList is 1, and the maximum value is maxSCSs. It can also be understood that the minimum value of the number of SCSs contained in the SCS set is 1, and the maximum value is maxSCSs, and maxSCSs can be 5.

[0081] Optionally, different slots corresponding to the above-mentioned reference SCS (for example, slot i corresponding to the reference SCS and slot j corresponding to the reference SCS, i and j are integers, and i is not equal to j) can contain different numbers of Ts. For example, the slot corresponding to the reference SCS of 60kHz can contain 7688 Ts or 7672 Ts. At this time, a slot corresponding to the reference SCS is a slot including 7688 Ts, that is, a slot corresponding to the reference SCS is the slot containing the largest number of Ts among the slots corresponding to the reference SCS.

[0082] For example, the SCS set of the first cell is {30kHz, 60kHz}, the SCS set of the second cell is {60kHz, 120kHz}, and the reference SCS is the minimum value 30kHz in the SCS set {30kHz, 60kHz} and the maximum value 60kHz among the minimum value 60kHz in the SCS set {60kHz, 120kHz}. Then the maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in the slot with the largest number of Ts in the slot corresponding to the reference SCS of 60kHz.

[0083] The first indication information and the second indication information may be carried by RRC signaling. A possible cell structure is as follows:

[0084] The first indication information may be the Slotoffset information element, which is included in the ca-SlotOffset-r19 information element. The second indication information may be the Tsoffset information element, which is also included in the ca-SlotOffset-r19 information element. refSCS15kHz, refSCS30kHz, refSCS60kHz, and refSCS120kHz represent information elements corresponding to reference SCSs of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, and 120kHz, respectively, and each of these information elements includes the first indication information and the second indication information. For the reference SCSs of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, and 120kHz, the number of Ts contained in a slot is 30719, 15359, 7687, and 3851, respectively. For a reference SCS of 15kHz, the first indication information Slotoffset is INTEGER (-2..2), which can also be understood as the first indication information Slotoffset indicating an integer between -2 and 2 (including -2 and 2); the second indication information Tsoffset is INTERGER (0..30719), which can also be understood as the second indication information Tsoffset indicating an integer between 0 and 30719 (including 0 and 30719). The cases where the reference SCS is 30kHz, 60kHz and 120kHz are similar and will not be elaborated here. It will be understood that the specific parameter names illustrated in this application are only used as examples and do not limit the parameter names involved.

[0085] In one possible implementation, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0086] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the PCell / PSCell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x)mod M) of the second cell, where x is the first offset value, y is the second offset value, mod is the remainder operation, M is the number of slots included in a frame, and the time domain length of the slot is determined based on the above-mentioned reference SCS. The first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell. It can also be understood that if the first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell, and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x)mod M) of the second cell.

[0087] If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the PCell / PSCell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell. Alternatively, if the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell, and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell.

[0088] For example, the first cell is PCell, the second cell is SCell, the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell is 30kHz, the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is 120kHz, the time offset of the second cell relative to the first cell is 2.3ms, the first offset value with slot as the granularity indicated by the above-mentioned offset indication information carried on the RRC signaling is 18, and the second offset value with Ts as the granularity indicated by the above-mentioned offset indication information carried on the RRC signaling is 1528, and Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts 1528 of slot 18 of the second cell.

[0089] In another possible implementation, when the combination of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell is {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}:

[0090] If the frequency domain position of pointA of the above-mentioned PCell / PSCell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, and the above-mentioned pointA is the common reference point of the resource block grid, which is aligned with the center position of subcarrier 0 of common resource block 0 corresponding to the configured SCS, wherein the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell. It can also be understood that if the first cell is PCell / PSCell and the second cell is SCell, and the frequency domain position of pointA of the first cell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of the second cell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell. For a more detailed description of Point A, please refer to Section 4.4.4.2 of the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.211V17.5.0.

[0091] If the frequency domain position of point A of the PCell / PSCell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell. Alternatively, if the first cell is an SCell and the second cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the frequency domain position of point A of the second cell is higher than the frequency domain position of point A of the first cell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell.

[0092] Optionally, the second offset value in the present application may also be a time domain offset with Tc as the granularity, where Tc=Ts / 64, Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds.

[0093] The present application provides a method for determining cell timing, the method comprising: a wireless access network device determining second offset indication information, the second offset indication information being used to indicate a third offset value and a fourth offset value, the third offset value being an offset with a slot as a granularity, the fourth offset value being an offset with a Ts as a granularity, Ts=1 / (15*10 3*2048) seconds, the second offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the third cell and the fourth cell. The fourth cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the third cell is an SCell; or, the fourth cell is an SCell, and the third cell is a PCell / PSCell. It can also be understood that one of the third cell and the fourth cell is a PCell / PSCell, and the other cell is an SCell. The time offset between the third cell and the fourth cell indicated by the second offset indication information can be the time offset of the third cell relative to the fourth cell, or the time offset of the fourth cell relative to the third cell. The time offset can be the time offset between the frame headers of the radio frame i of the third cell and the radio frame i of the fourth cell, where i is a non-negative integer; the wireless access network device sends the second offset indication information to the terminal; the terminal determines the time offset between the third cell and the fourth cell based on the second offset indication information.

[0094] The method also includes: the radio access network device determining third offset indication information, the third offset indication information being used to indicate a fifth offset value and a sixth offset value, the fifth offset value being an offset with slot granularity, and the sixth offset value being an offset with Ts granularity, and the third offset indication information being used to indicate a time offset between the fifth cell and the sixth cell. The sixth cell is a PCell / PSCell and the fifth cell is an SCell; or the sixth cell is an SCell and the fifth cell is a PCell / PSCell. Alternatively, it can be understood that one of the fifth and sixth cells is a PCell / PSCell and the other is an SCell. The time offset between the fifth and sixth cells indicated by the third offset indication information may be the time offset of the fifth cell relative to the sixth cell, or the time offset of the sixth cell relative to the fifth cell. The time offset may be the time offset between the frame headers of radio frame i of the fifth cell and radio frame i of the sixth cell, where i is a non-negative integer; the radio access network device sending the third offset indication information to the terminal; and the terminal determining the time offset between the fifth and sixth cells based on the third offset indication information. Two cells among the third cell, the fourth cell, the fifth cell and the sixth cell are the same and are PCell / PSCell.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the index K of the time slot for transmitting the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) on the third cell is determined according to the fifth offset value, the sixth offset value, the third offset value, and the fourth offset value. s , the above time slot index K s satisfy:

[0096] Wherein, n is the time slot index of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying downlink control information (DCI), and the above PDCCH is sent on the fifth cell, μ PDSCH is the SCS index of the PDSCH, the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI is sent on the third cell, μ PDCCH is the SCS index of the PDCCH, K0 is the number of time slots between the PDCCH and the PDSCH with the SCS corresponding to the PDSCH as a reference, is the fifth offset value, is the third offset value, μoffset,PDCCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the sixth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fifth cell, μoffset,PDSCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fourth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the third cell, N Ts,offset,PDCCH is the sixth offset value, N Ts,offset,PDSCH is a fourth offset value, T is the number of Ts contained in the slot with the maximum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the PDSCH or the number of Ts contained in the slot with the minimum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the PDSCH, Indicates floor operation, and |·| indicates absolute value operation.

[0097] Optionally, in the above embodiment Can also be replaced by Indicates rounding up.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the index K of the time slot for sending a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) on the third cell is determined according to the fifth offset value, the sixth offset value, the third offset value, and the fourth offset value. s , the above time slot index K s satisfy:

[0099] Where n is the time slot index of the PDCCH carrying DCI, the above PDCCH is sent on the fifth cell, μ CSIRS is the SCS index of the CSI-RS, the CSI-RS triggered by the DCI is sent on the third cell, μ PDCCHis the SCS index of the PDCCH, X is the number of time slots between the PDCCH and the CSI-RS with the SCS corresponding to the CSI-RS as a reference, is the fifth offset value, is the third offset value, μoffset,PDCCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the sixth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fifth cell, μoffset,CSIRS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fourth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the third cell, N Ts,offset,PDCCH is the sixth offset value, N Ts,offset,CSIRS is a fourth offset value, T is the number of Ts contained in the slot with the maximum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the CSI-RS or the number of Ts contained in the slot with the minimum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the CSI-RS, Indicates floor operation, and |·| indicates absolute value operation.

[0100] Optionally, in the above embodiment Can also be replaced by Indicates rounding up.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the index K of the time slot for transmitting the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on the third cell is determined according to the fifth offset value, the sixth offset value, the third offset value, and the fourth offset value. s , the above time slot index K s satisfy:

[0102] Where n is the time slot index of the PDCCH carrying DCI, the above PDCCH is sent on the fifth cell, μ PUSCH is the SCS index of the PUSCH, the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI is sent on the third cell, μ PDCCH is the SCS index of the PDCCH, K2 is the number of time slots between the PDCCH and the PUSCH with the SCS corresponding to the PUSCH as a reference, is the fifth offset value, is the third offset value, μoffset,PDCCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the sixth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fifth cell, μoffset,PUSCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fourth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the third cell, N Ts,offset,PDCCH is the sixth offset value, N Ts,offset,PUSCHis a fourth offset value, T is the number of Ts contained in the slot with the maximum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the PUSCH or the number of Ts contained in the slot with the minimum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the PUSCH, Indicates floor operation, and |·| indicates absolute value operation.

[0103] Optionally, in the above embodiment Can also be replaced by Indicates rounding up.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the time slot index K for sending a channel sounding reference signal (SRS) on the third cell is determined according to the fifth offset value, the sixth offset value, the third offset value, and the fourth offset value. s , the index K of the above time slot s satisfy:

[0105] Where n is the time slot index of the PDCCH carrying DCI, the above PDCCH is sent on the fifth cell, μ SRS is the SCS index of the above SRS, the SRS triggered by the DCI is sent on the third cell, μ PDCCH is the SCS index of the PDCCH, k is the number of time slots between the PDCCH and the SRS with the SCS corresponding to the SRS as a reference, is the fifth offset value, is the third offset value, μoffset,PDCCH is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the sixth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fifth cell, μoffset,SRS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the fourth cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the third cell, N Ts,offset,PDCCH is the sixth offset value, N Ts,offset,SRS is a fourth offset value, T is the number of Ts contained in the slot with the maximum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the SRS or the number of Ts contained in the slot with the minimum length in the slot corresponding to the SCS of the SRS, Indicates floor operation, and |·| indicates absolute value operation.

[0106] Optionally, in the above embodiment Can also be replaced by Indicates rounding up.

[0107] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to CA scenarios, and are also applicable to other scenarios (such as scenarios with multiple carriers or multiple cells).

[0108] Corresponding to the method provided in the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a corresponding device, including a module for executing the corresponding module of the above embodiment. The module can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0109] Figure 4 provides a schematic structural diagram of a terminal. The terminal can be applied to the scenario shown in Figure 1. The terminal or the module in the terminal can execute the aforementioned method 300 and various possible implementation methods. For ease of explanation, Figure 4 only shows the main modules of the terminal. As shown in Figure 4, the terminal 400 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and an input and output device. The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as to control the entire terminal, execute software programs, and process data of software programs. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users.

[0110] When the terminal is powered on, the processor reads the software program from the storage unit, parses and executes the instructions of the software program, and processes the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal to obtain an RF signal and transmits the RF signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves via the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, which is further converted into a baseband signal and output to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0111] For ease of explanation, FIG4 shows only one memory and processor. In an actual terminal, there may be multiple processors and memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc., which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0112] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily responsible for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily responsible for controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing data from software programs. The processor in Figure 4 integrates the functions of both the baseband processor and the CPU. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the CPU may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a terminal may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities, and that the various modules of the terminal may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored as a software program in a storage unit, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0113] In one example, the antenna and control circuitry with transceiver functions can be considered the transceiver unit 411 of terminal 400, and the processor with processing functions can be considered the processing unit 412 of terminal 400. As shown in Figure 4, terminal 400 includes a transceiver unit 411 and a processing unit 412. The transceiver unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in transceiver unit 411 that implements the receiving function may be considered the receiving unit, and the device in transceiver unit 411 that implements the transmitting function may be considered the transmitting unit, i.e., transceiver unit 411 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc. Optionally, the receiving unit and the transmitting unit may be a single integrated unit or multiple independent units. The receiving unit and the transmitting unit may be located in a single geographic location or dispersed across multiple geographic locations.

[0114] As shown in FIG5 , another embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus 500. The apparatus may be a terminal, or a module (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.) applied to a terminal. Alternatively, the apparatus may be a radio access network device, or a module (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.) applied to a radio access network device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the radio access network device. The apparatus may also be another communication module. For example, the apparatus 500 may implement the functions of the radio access network device in the method 300 and various possible implementations, or the apparatus 500 may implement the functions of the terminal in the method 300 and various possible implementations. The apparatus 500 may include: an interface module 501 (or referred to as an interface unit) and a processing module 502 (or referred to as a processing unit), and may also include a storage module 503 (or referred to as a storage unit).

[0115] In one possible design, one or more modules in FIG5 may be implemented by one or more processors, or by one or more processors and memory, or by one or more processors and transceivers, or by one or more processors, memory, and transceivers, although this is not limited in the present embodiment. The processors, memory, and transceivers may be provided separately or integrated.

[0116] The device has the function of implementing the terminal described in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the steps involved in the terminal described in the embodiment of the present application. The function or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation, or by a combination of software and hardware. For a detailed description, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. Alternatively, the device has the function of implementing the wireless access network device described in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the steps involved in the wireless access network device described in the embodiment of the present application. The function or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation, or by a combination of software and hardware. For details, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment.

[0117] In one possible design, the apparatus 500 includes: an interface module 501 and a processing module 502. The apparatus 500 may be, for example, a terminal, or a module applied to the terminal (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The interface module 501 is used to receive offset indication information, where the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, where the first offset value x is an offset with a time slot as a granularity, and the second offset value y is an offset with a Ts as a granularity, where Ts=1 / (15*10 3 * 2048) seconds. The processing module 502 is configured to determine the time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the offset indication information. For a detailed description of the apparatus 500, reference may be made to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment.

[0118] In one possible design, the apparatus 500 includes: an interface module 501 and a processing module 502. The apparatus 500 may be, for example, a radio access network device, or a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the radio access network device, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the radio access network device. The processing module 502 is used to determine offset indication information, where the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, where the first offset value x is an offset with a time slot as a granularity, and the second offset value y is an offset with a Ts as a granularity, where Ts=1 / (15*10 3 * 2048) seconds, the offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell. Interface module 501 is used to send the offset indication information. For a detailed description of apparatus 500, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment.

[0119] It is understandable that the beneficial effects corresponding to the above-mentioned device 500 and various possible implementations can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiment or invention content, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] Optionally, the apparatus 500 may further include a storage module 503 for storing data or instructions (also referred to as code or program). The other modules may interact or couple with the storage module to implement the corresponding methods or functions. For example, the processing module 502 may read the data or instructions in the storage module 503 so that the apparatus 500 implements the method in the above embodiment.

[0121] In one example, the module in the above-mentioned device can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as: one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital singnal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the module in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0122] Referring to Figure 6, a schematic diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application can be used to implement the above-mentioned method 300 and various possible implementation methods. As shown in Figure 6, the device includes: a processor 610 and an interface 630, and the processor 610 is coupled to the interface 630. The interface 630 is used to communicate with other modules or devices. The interface 630 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The interface 630 can be, for example, an interface circuit. Optionally, the device also includes a memory 620 for storing instructions executed by the processor 610 or storing input data required by the processor 610 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 610 executes instructions.

[0123] The above method 300 and various possible implementations can be implemented by the processor 610 calling a program or instruction stored in the memory 620. The memory 620 can be inside the device or outside the device, which is not limited in this application.

[0124] Optionally, the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 501 and the processing module 502 in FIG5 can be implemented by the processor 610 in the apparatus shown in FIG6 . Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 502 in FIG5 can be implemented by the processor 610 in the apparatus shown in FIG6 , and the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 501 in FIG5 can be implemented by the interface 630 in the apparatus shown in FIG6 . Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 501 can be implemented by the processor calling program instructions in the memory to drive the interface 630.

[0125] When the above-mentioned device is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip of the terminal implements the functions of the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The chip receives information from other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is from other terminals or wireless access network devices; or the chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to other terminals or wireless access network devices.

[0126] When the above-mentioned device is a chip applied to a wireless access network device, the chip implements the functions of the wireless access network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) in the wireless access network device, where the information comes from other wireless access network devices or terminals; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) in the wireless access network device, where the information comes from the wireless access network device to other wireless access network devices or terminals.

[0127] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various numerical numbers, such as first and second, used in this application are merely for descriptive purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They also indicate a sequential order. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates that the associated objects are in a "divided" relationship. "At least one" refers to one or more. At least two refers to two or more. "At least one," "any one," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, or c can be single or plural. "Multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0128] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0129] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0130] The steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embedded in hardware, a software unit executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software unit can be stored in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, or other storage media in any form in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be arranged in an ASIC.

[0131] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0132] The present application also provides a computer program product that implements the functions of any of the above-mentioned method embodiments when executed by a computer. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments in this application can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The above-described implementation methods of the present application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive offset indication information, the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, the first offset value x is a time domain offset with a time slot as a granularity, and the second offset value y is a time domain offset with a granularity of Ts, Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds; The time offset between the second cell and the first cell is determined according to the offset indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The offset indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first offset value x, and the second indication information is used to indicate the second offset value y, and determining the time offset between the second cell and the first cell according to the offset indication information includes: The time offset between the second cell and the first cell is determined according to the first indication information and the second indication information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in a slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing SCS, and the reference SCS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that In the case where the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS combination in the SCS set of the second cell are not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}: If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the primary cell PCell / primary secondary cell PSCell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the secondary cell SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell; If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the PCell / PSCell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, wherein the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell; Among them, mod is the modulo operation, M is the number of slots included in a frame, and the time domain length of the slot is determined based on the reference SCS.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the case where the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell are combined to be {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}: If the frequency domain position of pointA of the primary cell PCell / primary secondary cell PSCell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of the secondary cell SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell; If the frequency domain position of pointA of the PCell / PSCell is higher than the frequency domain position of pointA of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, wherein the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell; Among them, mod is the modulo operation, M is the number of slots included in a frame, and the time domain length of the slot is determined based on the reference SCS.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine the offset indication information, the offset indication information is used to indicate a first offset value x and a second offset value y, the first offset value x is an offset with a time slot as a granularity, and the second offset value y is an offset with a Ts as a granularity, Ts=1 / (15*10 3 *2048) seconds, where the offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell; The offset indication information is sent.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The offset indication information includes first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first offset value x, the second indication information is used to indicate the second offset value y, and the offset indication information is used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell, including: The first indication information and the second indication information are used to indicate the time offset between the second cell and the first cell.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The maximum value of the second offset value y is the number of Ts contained in a slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing SCS, and the reference SCS is the maximum value of the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that In the case where the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS combination in the SCS set of the second cell are not {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}: If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the primary cell PCell / primary secondary cell PSCell is less than or equal to the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the secondary cell SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell; If the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the PCell / PSCell is greater than the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, wherein the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell; Among them, mod is the modulo operation, M is the number of slots included in a frame, and the time domain length of the slot is determined based on the reference SCS.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that In the case where the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the first cell and the minimum SCS in the SCS set of the second cell are combined to be {60 kHz, 60 kHz} or {120 kHz, 120 kHz}: If the frequency domain position of pointA of the primary cell PCell / primary secondary cell PSCell is lower than the frequency domain position of pointA of the secondary cell SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot ((-1*x) mod M) of the second cell, where the first cell is the PCell / PSCell and the second cell is the SCell; If the frequency domain position of pointA of the PCell / PSCell is higher than the frequency domain position of pointA of the SCell, then Ts 0 of slot 0 of the first cell is aligned with Ts y of slot (x mod M) of the second cell, wherein the first cell is the SCell and the second cell is the PCell / PSCell; Among them, mod is the modulo operation, M is the number of slots included in a frame, and the time domain length of the slot is determined based on the reference SCS.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or the device performs the method as described in any one of claims 6 to 10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 is executed.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 is implemented.

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