Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device receives first indication information. The first indication information can be used for indicating whether inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be executed for the terminal device by a low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used for indicating whether inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be executed for the terminal device by a primary receiver. Since the indication content of the first indication information can be dynamically adjusted, the first indication information can be used to dynamically indicate which receiver is to be used to execute inter-frequency measurement for the terminal device, thereby achieving dynamic indication of inter-frequency measurement and further improving the user experience.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on November 22, 2023, with application number 202311573573.9 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] Cell measurement is one of the contents of the Radio Resource Management (RRM) function. Its purpose is to monitor the communication quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the user equipment (UE) in real time, so that when the signal quality of the serving cell deteriorates to a certain extent, the UE's serving cell can be changed through switching or cell selection / reselection to ensure the continuity of the UE's service. In the communication system, the UE can perform two types of cell measurements, including same-frequency measurement and different-frequency measurement. Same-frequency measurement means that the cell where the UE is currently located and the target cell to be measured are on the same carrier frequency (center frequency or BWP (Bandwidth Part) frequency). Different-frequency measurement means that the cell where the UE is currently located and the target cell to be measured are not on the same carrier frequency (center frequency or BWP frequency).

[0005] When a UE needs to perform inter-frequency measurements (including inter-standard measurements) within each measurement cycle (such as a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle), one approach is to install two RF receivers in the UE, one to measure the frequency of the local cell and the frequency of the target cell, respectively. However, this approach increases costs and can cause interference between different frequencies. To address these issues, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposed a measurement gap-based measurement approach. This involves reserving a certain amount of time (i.e., the measurement gap time) during which the UE will not send or receive any data and tunes the receiver to the frequency of the target cell, thereby enabling inter-frequency measurements for the UE. Subsequently, at the end of the measurement gap time, the UE tunes the receiver to the frequency of the current local cell. Therefore, further research is needed on inter-frequency measurements for terminal devices with two RF receivers.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for implementing dynamic indication of inter-frequency measurements, thereby improving user experience.

[0008] In the first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication device. Optionally, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a module of the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.). The method can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the following takes the execution of the communication method by a terminal device as an example. The method may include the following steps: the terminal device receives a first indication information, wherein the first indication information can be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by a low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by a main receiver.

[0009] In this method, the indication content of the first indication information can be dynamically adjusted, so the first indication information can be used to dynamically indicate which receiver is to perform the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device. Afterwards, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device can effectively perform the heterofrequency measurement. In this way, dynamic indication of heterofrequency measurement (or flexible indication) can be achieved, and the rationality and accuracy of the terminal device's execution of heterofrequency measurement can be guaranteed, thereby improving the user experience.

[0010] In one possible design, the first indication information may include a first parameter, wherein the first parameter may be used to indicate that the heterodyne measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0011] In the above design, the indication of the first parameter can enable the terminal device to promptly and effectively know whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is performed by the main receiver or the low-power wake-up receiver, thereby achieving flexible indication of inter-frequency measurement.

[0012] In one possible design, when the first indication information includes a first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver; when the first indication information does not include the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0013] In the above design, whether the first parameter appears in the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is performed by the main receiver or the low-power wake-up receiver, thereby achieving flexible indication of inter-frequency measurement.

[0014] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate the execution rules of the main receiver to perform the inter-frequency measurement, wherein the execution rule can be any one of the following: the main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, or the main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period m times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; wherein m can be any value in {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0015] In the above design, when the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, taking into account the power consumption of the main receiver, it is determined according to the actual situation or actual scenario whether the main receiver needs to relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. For example, when the main receiver needs to relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, the first indication information can be used to indicate how many times the inter-frequency measurement period needs to be relaxed, which can help save the power consumption (such as power consumption) of the terminal device.

[0016] In one possible design, the first indication information can also be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0017] In the above design, an indication information is used to indicate which receiver performs the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device, and to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. This can save signaling overhead and resource overhead, and enable the terminal device to obtain these two indications at the same time.

[0018] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0019] In the above design, the first indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. This can ensure that when the time domain resource position corresponding to the data transmission (or service transmission) overlaps with the time domain resource position corresponding to the measurement interval, the data transmission (or service transmission) for the terminal device will not be interrupted, which helps to ensure that the data transmission (or service transmission) can be completed within the transmission delay requirements, thereby improving the user experience.

[0020] In one possible design, the method further includes: the terminal device can receive second indication information, wherein the second indication information can also be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0021] In the above design, the second indication information is used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. This can reduce the load of the first indication information, help save the indication overhead of the first indication information, and avoid the terminal device misunderstanding the true indication of the first indication information due to the large amount of content indicated by the first indication information.

[0022] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0023] In the above design, the second indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. This can ensure that when the time domain resource position corresponding to the data transmission (or service transmission) overlaps with the time domain resource position corresponding to the measurement interval, the data transmission (or service transmission) for the terminal device will not be interrupted, which helps to ensure that the data transmission (or service transmission) can be completed within the transmission delay requirements, thereby improving the user experience.

[0024] In one possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device may send a fourth indication information, wherein the fourth indication information may include at least one of the following: power consumption requirement, coverage requirement, performance requirement, delay requirement, which receiver is expected to perform the heterofrequency measurement, whether the expected heterofrequency measurement interval is effective, or the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low power consumption wake-up receiver shall perform the heterofrequency measurement.

[0025] In the above design, by sending the fourth indication information, the receiving end (such as a network device) can determine the indication content of the first indication information based on the fourth indication information, so that the indication content of the first indication information can meet the actual needs of the terminal device, which helps to avoid unnecessary errors caused by the indication content of the first indication information not meeting the actual needs of the terminal device.

[0026] In the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a second communication device. Optionally, the second communication device can be a network device or a module of a network device (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip, a chip system or a circuit, etc.). The method can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. Exemplarily, the following takes the execution of the communication method by a network device as an example. The method may include the following steps: the network device sends a first indication message, wherein the first indication message can be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by a low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication message can also be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by a main receiver.

[0027] The technical effects that can be achieved in the second aspect can be referred to the technical effects that can be achieved in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0028] In one possible design, the first indication information may include a first parameter, wherein the first parameter may be used to indicate that the heterodyne measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0029] In one possible design, when the first indication information includes a first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver. When the first indication information does not include the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0030] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate the execution rules of the main receiver to perform the inter-frequency measurement, wherein the execution rule can be any one of the following: the main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, or the main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period m times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; wherein m can be any value in {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0031] In one possible design, the first indication information can also be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0032] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0033] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device may send second indication information, wherein the second indication information may be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0034] In one possible design, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0035] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device can receive a fourth indication information from the terminal device, wherein the fourth indication information may include at least one of the following: power consumption requirement, coverage requirement, performance requirement, delay requirement, which receiver is expected to perform the heterofrequency measurement, whether the expected heterofrequency measurement interval is effective, or the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low power consumption wake-up receiver shall perform the heterofrequency measurement.

[0036] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device can determine the indication content of the first indication information based on the fourth indication information.

[0037] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device can determine the indication content of the first indication information based on the size relationship between the delay threshold of the first service and the set delay threshold, wherein the first service is the downlink service received by the terminal device.

[0038] In the above design, by comparing the delay threshold of the first service with the set delay threshold, it is possible to accurately determine whether the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or the main receiver, and whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0039] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device receives third indication information, wherein the third indication information may include a delay threshold of the first service.

[0040] For example, the third indication information may come from the core network.

[0041] In the above design, by obtaining the delay threshold of the first service, the network device can determine whether the first service is a service with high transmission delay requirements or a service with low transmission delay requirements.

[0042] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device. Optionally, the communication device may be a communication device (such as a first communication device or a second communication device) or a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.) that can support the communication device to implement the functions required for the communication method. For example, the first communication device may be a terminal device or a module of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it may also be a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The second communication device may be a network device or a module of a network device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it may also be a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. When the communication device is a chip provided in the first communication device (or the second communication device), the communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, but does not include a memory. The transceiver exists as an input and output interface, and the input and output interface is used for the chip to implement the transceiver of the communication device. The input and output interface may include an input interface and / or an output interface, the input interface can implement the reception of the communication device, and the output interface can be used to implement the transmission of the communication device. The processor is used to read and execute the corresponding computer program or instruction so that the corresponding function of the first communication device (or the second communication device) is implemented. Optionally, when the chip implements the corresponding function of the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the communication method embodiment provided by the present application, the input and output interface can implement the transceiver operation performed by the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the communication method embodiment provided by the present application; the processor can implement other operations other than the transceiver operation performed by the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the communication method embodiment provided by the present application.

[0043] In one possible design, the communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method example of the first aspect or the second aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the relevant descriptions of the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device can be the terminal device in the first aspect, or the communication device can be the network device in the second aspect. Exemplarily, the communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the method of the first aspect or the second aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing module (or can be called a processing unit) and / or a communication module (or can be called a communication unit, a transceiver module or a transceiver unit for sending and receiving data). The communication module can implement the sending function and the receiving function. When the communication module implements the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (or can be called a sending module), and when the communication module implements the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (or can be called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional unit, which is called a communication module and can implement the sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional units, and the communication module is a general term for these functional units. These modules (units) can perform the corresponding functions of the method examples of the first aspect or the second aspect above. For details, please refer to the detailed description of the method examples and will not be repeated here.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a communication device (such as a first communication device or a second communication device) required to execute the communication method provided by the present application, or may be a device that includes a communication device required to execute the communication method provided by the present application, or may be a device having the functions required to implement the communication method. The communication device may include a transceiver and a processor. Optionally, the communication device may also include a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the transceiver. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the method in any possible design of the second aspect.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which may include the first communication device (such as a terminal device) and the second communication device (such as a network device) mentioned in the first or second aspect above. The relevant functional implementation of the first communication device or the second communication device can refer to the relevant description mentioned in the first or second aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] Exemplarily, the communication system may include one or more first communication devices and one or more second communication devices.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes any possible design method of the first aspect or any possible design method of the second aspect.

[0048] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the computer executes any possible design method of the first aspect or any possible design method of the second aspect.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip, which may include a processor and a memory (or the chip is coupled to the memory), wherein the chip executes program instructions in the memory to perform the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the method in any possible design of the second aspect. "Coupled" refers to the direct or indirect connection of two components to each other, such as coupling may refer to an electrical connection between two components.

[0050] In a ninth aspect, the present application further provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the method in any possible design of the second aspect. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0051] Based on the implementation methods provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a possible communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG2 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG3a exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a method in which time domain resources of data transmission (or service transmission) and a measurement interval do not overlap, provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG3 b exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of overlapping time domain resources of data transmission (or service transmission) and a measurement interval provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG4 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a service switching scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG5 exemplarily shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG6 exemplarily shows a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] The following describes possible communication system architectures to which the communication method provided in this application is applicable. It should be noted that these descriptions are for the purpose of facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art and do not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0061] FIG1 exemplarily shows a possible communication system architecture diagram applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system architecture includes at least one terminal device (such as terminal device 101, terminal device 102, etc.), an access network (such as (R)AN) device 200, and a core network (CN) device 300. Optionally, the communication system architecture may also include the Internet. For example, a terminal device (such as terminal device 101 or terminal device 102, etc.) can be connected to the access network device 200 wirelessly, and the access network device 200 can be connected to the core network device 300 wirelessly or by wire. The core network device 300 and the access network device 200 can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device 300 and the logical functions of the access network device 200 can be integrated into the same physical device, or the functions of some core network devices and some wireless access network devices can be integrated into one physical device. Terminal devices and terminal devices, as well as access network devices and access network devices, can be connected to each other by wire or wirelessly. Exemplarily, the communication system architecture may also include other network devices (such as wireless relay devices or wireless backhaul devices, etc.).

[0062] The following is a brief introduction to the functions of some devices included in the communication system architecture.

[0063] Terminal device: A user-side entity with signal transmission and reception capabilities, providing services such as video, voice, and data connectivity. For example, a terminal device is the gateway for mobile users to interact with the network, providing basic computing and storage capabilities, displaying service windows to users, and receiving user input. Next-generation terminal devices (NextGen UEs) can utilize new air interface technologies to establish signal and data connections with access network device 200, thereby transmitting control signals and service data to the mobile network.

[0064] Optionally, the terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), access terminal device, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal device, mobile device, UE terminal device, terminal device, wireless communication device, UE agent or UE device, etc. In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device (such as terminal device 101 or terminal device 102, etc.) may be fixed or mobile, and the implementation of the present application does not limit this. For example, the terminal device (such as terminal device 101 or terminal device 102, etc.) may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted, or may be deployed on water (such as a ship, etc.), or may be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon or a satellite, etc.).

[0065] For example, the terminal device (such as the terminal device 101 or the terminal device 102) can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a subscriber unit, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, an in-vehicle terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The present invention relates to wireless terminals in homes, wearable terminal devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, factory machines / equipment, machine type communication (MTC) terminals, ships, robots, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the terminal devices.

[0066] Access network device 200: sometimes also referred to as RAN entity, RAN node, network device, or access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminal devices (such as terminal device 101 or terminal device 102, etc.) achieve wireless access. For example, the access network device 200 can provide network access functions for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission tunnels of different qualities to transmit user data based on the user's level, business requirements, etc. The access network device 200 can manage its own resources, make reasonable use of them, provide access services to terminal devices on demand, and is responsible for forwarding control signals and user data between terminal devices (such as terminal device 101 or terminal device 102, etc.) and core network device 300. Optionally, the access network device 200 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water; it can also be deployed on aircraft, drones, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network device.

[0067] Exemplarily, the access network device 200 may include, but is not limited to: a next generation base station (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) communication system, a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) communication system, a base station in a future communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved Node B, or a home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc.

[0068] Optionally, in a network structure, the access network device 200 may further include a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). This structure can split the protocol layer of the access network device 200, with the functions of some protocol layers being centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers being distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. For example, the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and above protocol layers can be set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP (such as the RLC layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer, etc.) are set in the DU. It should be noted that this division of the protocol layers is only an example, and it can also be divided in other protocol layers. The radio frequency device can be remote and not placed in the DU, or it can be integrated in the DU, or part of it can be remote and part of it can be integrated in the DU. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions. In addition, in some embodiments, the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) of the CU can be separated and implemented as different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity).

[0069] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP) or DU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be called an open CU (open-CU, O-CU), DU may also be called an open DU (open-DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open CU-CP (open-CU-CP, O-CU-CP), and CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP and DU as examples for description. Any unit in the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP) and DU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0070] In this network architecture, the signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal device through the DU, or the signaling generated by the terminal device can be sent to the CU through the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and transparently transmit it to the terminal device or CU without parsing it. In this network architecture, the CU is divided into a network device on the radio access network (RAN) side. In addition, the CU can also be divided as a network device on the core network (CN) side. This application does not limit this.

[0071] Exemplarily, the access network device 200 is a base station and the terminal device is a terminal device 101. Multiple access network devices 200 can be base stations of the same type or different types. The base station can communicate with the terminal device 101, or it can communicate with the terminal device 101 through a relay station. Optionally, the terminal device 101 can communicate with multiple access network devices 200 equipped with different communication technologies. For example, the terminal device 101 can communicate with a base station that supports an LTE network, or with a base station that supports a 5G network, and can also support dual connections with a base station equipped with an LTE network and a base station equipped with a 5G network.

[0072] It is understandable that the access network device and the terminal device can communicate through the licensed spectrum (licensed spectrum), or can communicate through the unlicensed spectrum (unlicensed spectrum), or can communicate through the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum at the same time. The access network device and the terminal device can communicate through the spectrum below the sixth generation mobile communication system (6th generation mobile networks or 6th generation wireless systems, 6G), or can communicate through the spectrum above 6G, or can use the spectrum below 6G and the spectrum above 6G at the same time. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the spectrum resources used between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0073] Core network equipment 300: Responsible for maintaining mobile network subscription data, managing mobile network network elements, and providing terminal devices with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. It provides network access authentication for terminal devices when they attach; allocates network resources to them when they request services; updates network resources when they move; provides a fast recovery mechanism when they are idle; and releases network resources when they detach. When they have service data, it provides data routing functions, such as forwarding uplink data to the data network; or receiving downlink data from terminal devices from the internet and forwarding it to access network equipment 200, which then transmits it to the terminal devices. Optionally, based on functional logic, core network elements can be divided into user plane elements and control plane elements. User plane elements are responsible for transmitting service data. For example, user plane elements may include, but are not limited to, user plane function (UPF) elements. The control plane network element is responsible for the management of the mobile network. For example, the control plane may include but is not limited to the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, the session management function (SMF) network element, the unified data management (UDM) network element, the policy control function (PCF) network element, the application function (AF) network element, the authentication server function (AUSF) network element, and the network slice selection function (NSSF) network element. Of course, the core network may also include other network elements (such as the network exposure function (NEF) network element, the network storage function (NRF) network element, the unified data repository (UDR) network element, the network slice-specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF) network element, etc.), which are not listed here one by one.

[0074] For example, the core network control plane adopts a service-based architecture, where interactions between control plane network elements use service invocations, replacing the traditional point-to-point communication. In a service-based architecture, control plane network elements expose services to other control plane network elements for invocation. In point-to-point communication, the communication interface between control plane network elements stores a set of specific messages that can only be used by the control plane network elements at both ends of the interface.

[0075] It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to downlink signal (or downlink data or downlink information) transmission, or can also be applicable to uplink signal (or uplink data or uplink information) transmission, or can also be applicable to device-to-device (D2D) signal transmission. For downlink signal transmission, the sending device is an access network device, and the corresponding receiving device is a terminal device. For uplink signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is an access network device. For D2D signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is also a terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the transmission direction of the signal (or data or information).

[0076] Optionally, the communication system shown in Figure 1 can be various communication systems, for example, it can be an Internet of Things (IoT) system, a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, or a fifth generation mobile communication system (5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems, 5G), or a hybrid architecture of LTE and 5G, or a 5G new radio (NR) system, and a new communication system that will emerge in 6G or future communication development, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The 5G communication system described in the present application may include at least one of a non-standalone (NSA) 5G communication system and a standalone (SA) 5G communication system. The communication system may also be a machine to machine (M2M) network or other network. In addition, the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the communication system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0077] For example, the communication system shown in Figure 1 is a 5G mobile communication system. The design and development targets of 5G mobile communication systems are mobile phones and vertical usage scenarios. In addition to latency, reliability, and feasibility, energy efficiency is also critical to UE. Currently, UE may need to be charged weekly or daily, depending on individual usage time. Generally speaking, 5G devices consume tens of milliwatts in radio resource control (RRC) idle state / RRC inactive state and hundreds of milliwatts in RRC connected state. Designing for extended battery life is a prerequisite for improving energy efficiency and better user experience.

[0078] Energy efficiency is even more critical for UEs without a continuous power source, such as those using small rechargeable batteries and single-coin batteries. In vertical use cases, sensors and actuators are widely deployed for monitoring, measurement, and charging. Their batteries are typically non-rechargeable and expected to last for at least several years. In some IoT scenarios, such as wearable devices including smartwatches, rings, electronic health devices, and medical monitoring equipment, maintaining a battery life of 1-2 weeks while maintaining performance is challenging with typical battery capacities.

[0079] Among them, power consumption depends on the length of the configured wake-up cycle. For example, in the RRC idle state, power consumption depends on the configured paging cycle (such as the discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or the extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) cycle). The longer the configured paging cycle, the longer the user equipment will enter the sleep state, thereby achieving energy saving. To meet battery life requirements, the UE can be woken up periodically once every eDRX cycle, where the value of the eDRX cycle can be very large. However, while using the eDRX cycle to achieve higher energy efficiency, it will result in higher latency, which is not suitable for services that require both long battery life and low latency. For example, in a fire detection and fire extinguishing use case, within 1 to 2 seconds after the sensor detects a fire, the fire shutters should be closed and the fire sprinklers should be opened by the actuator. However, a longer eDRX cycle cannot meet the latency requirements, so the eDRX cycle is obviously not suitable for scenarios with high latency requirements. Therefore, currently, UEs wake up periodically during each DRX cycle. When a UE is awake but no signaling or data services are being transmitted during the awake period, it is considered an invalid awake state, and the power consumption during this period dominates the UE's overall power consumption. If the UE wakes up only when signaling or data services are required, such as when receiving its own paging message, UE power consumption can be significantly reduced. Therefore, achieving energy conservation in the UE is an important means to further improve the user experience.

[0080] Higher energy saving gains can be achieved by using a wake-up signal to trigger a main receiver (MR) and a separate receiver with ultra-low power monitoring wake-up signal capability (such as a low power wake up receiver (LP-WUR)). In a mobile communication network, when the signal quality of the service cell where the UE is located degrades to a certain extent, the service cell of the UE is changed by switching or cell selection / reselection to ensure the continuity of the UE's service. Before switching or cell selection / reselection to change the UE's service cell, the UE usually needs to stop receiving the signal and data of its service cell during a specified time period, and receive the signal of the cell to be measured for measurement. This time period is called a measurement gap, measurement gap or measurement gap. That is, within the measurement gap, the UE will adjust the UE's receiver to the frequency point of the cell to be measured for measurement, and then switch to the frequency point of the current cell at the end of the measurement gap. For example, the measurement interval can be a non-periodic period of time, or it can be multiple time periods distributed periodically.

[0081] However, for UEs with high data transmission delay requirements or services with high transmission delay requirements, when the time domain resource position corresponding to the measurement gap overlaps with the time domain resource position corresponding to data transmission (or service transmission), since the measurement gap period is used for inter-frequency measurement, the receiver cannot perform data transmission (or service transmission), resulting in interruption of data transmission (or service transmission), thereby affecting user experience.

[0082] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for achieving data transmission (or service transmission) within the transmission delay requirement, and can realize dynamic indication of which receiver performs the inter-frequency measurement, thereby improving the user experience.

[0083] The following is a detailed introduction to the specific implementation of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application based on the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 and in combination with the accompanying drawings.

[0084] Figure 2 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method is applicable to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1. The method flow can be implemented by data interaction between multiple communication devices (such as a first communication device and a second communication device). Optionally, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a module of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions; the second communication device can be a network device or a module of a network device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. Exemplarily, the terminal device can be a terminal device 101 or a terminal device 102 as shown in Figure 1, and the network device can be an access network device 200 as shown in Figure 1. In order to facilitate the introduction of the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the following takes the first communication device as a terminal device and the second communication device as a network device as an example to introduce the flow of implementing the communication method through data interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes:

[0085] Step 201: The network device sends first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0086] Step 202: The terminal device performs inter-frequency measurement according to the first indication information.

[0087] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, if the terminal device is replaced by a functional module such as a chip system, the functional module may not be aware of which device the received information comes from; if the network device is replaced by a functional module such as a chip system, the functional module may not be aware of which device the sent information is sent to.

[0088] Optionally, if the network device has a distributed architecture, for example, the network device includes a CU and / or a DU, or includes one or more of a CU-CP, a CU-UP, or a DU, when the network device includes a DU, the network device sends the first indication information, specifically, the DU included in the network device sends the first indication information. Optionally, the network device including the DU may further include a CU; or, the network device including the DU may further include a CU-CP and / or a CU-UP.

[0089] Exemplarily, the first indication information may be downlink control information (DCI), or may be indication information carried by the DCI, or may be understood as an indication parameter in certain scenarios.

[0090] The following describes the indication content of the first indication information through the following possible implementation methods.

[0091] Implementation method 1: The first indication information can be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0092] The following describes the indication of the first indication information in the above-mentioned implementation method 1 through the following possible examples.

[0093] Example 1: Whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the main receiver can be indicated by corresponding changes in the first indication information (such as content changes or format changes or length changes or field changes, etc.).

[0094] For example, taking the case where the corresponding change in the first indication information is a change in length, when the length of the first indication information is the first length, the first indication information may be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information may also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0095] When the length of the first indication information is the second length, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0096] Example 2: Whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver can be indicated by a parameter (such as parameter s) carried by the first indication information. Exemplarily, parameter s can implement the corresponding indication content by using (or occupying) 1 bit.

[0097] For example, when the parameter value (or bit value) of the parameter s carried by the first indication information is s1 (for example, 1), the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver. When the parameter value of the parameter s carried by the first indication information is s2 (for example, 0), the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0098] Example 3: Whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the main receiver can be indicated by the parameter type (such as parameter 1 or parameter 2) carried by the first indication information.

[0099] For example, when the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter 1, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver. When the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter 2, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0100] Example 4: Whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver can be indicated by whether a certain parameter appears in the first indication information.

[0101] For example, take a certain parameter as the first parameter. When the first indication information carries (or includes or contains) the first parameter, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver. It should be understood that when the first parameter appears, the first parameter can be understood as the first indication information. When the first indication information does not carry (or does not include or contain) the first parameter, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0102] Example 5: Which receiver is allowed to perform the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device (for example, whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or the main receiver) can be indicated by a parameter (for example, a first parameter). The first parameter is included in the first indication information. Exemplarily, the first parameter can use 1 bit to implement the corresponding indication content.

[0103] For example, when the parameter value of the first parameter (or can be understood as a bit value) is a first value (such as 1), the first parameter is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver; when the parameter value of the first parameter is a second value (such as 0), the first parameter is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0104] Example 6: Which receiver is allowed to perform the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement (for example, whether the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or the main receiver) can be indicated by whether a certain parameter (such as the first parameter) appears.

[0105] For example, taking a certain parameter as the first parameter as an example. When the first indication information carries the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver. When the first indication information does not carry the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0106] Based on the content provided in Examples 1 to 6 above, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the network device can broadcast (or send) a signal adapted for the low-power wake-up receiver, so that the terminal device receives the signal through the low-power wake-up receiver to perform the inter-frequency measurement. For example, the signal adapted for the low-power wake-up receiver can be broadcast periodically.

[0107] When the first indication information indicates that the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or the first indication information indicates that the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the network device can broadcast a synchronization signal block (Synchronization Signal Block, SSB) so that the terminal device receives the SSB through the main receiver to perform inter-frequency measurement.

[0108] It is understandable that when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, due to the large power consumption of the main receiver, it is also necessary to consider whether the inter-frequency measurement period can be relaxed. If the inter-frequency measurement period is not relaxed, the terminal device needs to perform an inter-frequency measurement in each inter-frequency measurement period. If the inter-frequency measurement period is relaxed, for example, by a factor of 3, then the terminal device only needs to perform an inter-frequency measurement once in every 3 periods. In other words, for every 3 periods, the terminal device only needs to select one period from the 3 periods to perform inter-frequency measurement, and no inter-frequency measurement is required in the other periods of the 3 periods. Then, at the corresponding measurement interval position in the other periods of the 3 periods, the terminal device can enter a sleep state (or dormant state), thereby achieving the effect of energy saving of the terminal device. Based on this, the first indication information can also be used to indicate the execution rules for the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device to be performed by the main receiver. For example, the execution rule may be any of the following: the master receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, or the master receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period by m times when performing inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, where m is any value in {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0109] Illustratively, the following describes the indication of the execution rule of the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device executed by the main receiver through the following possible examples.

[0110] Example 1: The execution rule of the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device executed by the main receiver can be indicated by whether a certain parameter (such as the second parameter) appears.

[0111] For example, taking a parameter as the second parameter, the second parameter can implement the corresponding indication content by using 1 bit, or can also implement the corresponding indication content by using 2 bits, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. It should be understood that in some cases, the second parameter can be the first parameter. In addition, it is understood that in some cases, the second parameter can also be understood as the first indication information.

[0112] In one example, the second parameter is taken as an example to implement the corresponding indication content by using 1 bit. When the second parameter appears, there are two different parameter values ​​(or can be understood as bit values, such as 0, 1) used to represent different indication contents. For example, when the parameter value of the second parameter is 0, the parameter value 0 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and indicates that the main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. When the parameter value of the second parameter is 1, the parameter value 1 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and can also indicate that the inter-frequency measurement period is relaxed m times when the main receiver performs the inter-frequency measurement, such as 3 times.

[0113] In another example, the second parameter is used to implement the corresponding indication content by using 2 bits. When the second parameter appears, there are four different parameter values ​​(such as 00, 01, 10, 11) for indicating different indication contents. Among them, one parameter value is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, and the remaining three different parameter values ​​are used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and corresponds to different relaxation multiples. For example, when the parameter value of the second parameter is 00, the parameter value 00 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver. When the parameter value of the second parameter is 01, the parameter value 01 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and indicates that the main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. When the parameter value of the second parameter is 10, the parameter value 10 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and indicates that the main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period x times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, such as 3 times. When the parameter value of the second parameter is 11, the parameter value 11 may indicate that the primary receiver performs inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device and that the primary receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period by a factor of y, for example, 5, when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. Here, x and y are values ​​selected from {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0114] Example 2: The execution rule of the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device performed by the main receiver can be indicated by a parameter (such as the third parameter) carried by the first indication information.

[0115] For example, taking a certain parameter as the third parameter, the third parameter can use 1 bit to implement the corresponding indication content, and the third parameter is included in the first indication information. It should be understood that in some cases, the third parameter can also be the first parameter.

[0116] For example, take a certain parameter as the third parameter. When the first indication information carries a first value for the parameter value of the third parameter, it indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and the main receiver relaxes the heterofrequency measurement period by x times when performing the heterofrequency measurement, such as relaxing it by 3 times. When the first indication information carries a second value for the parameter value of the third parameter, it indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and the main receiver relaxes the heterofrequency measurement period by y times when performing the heterofrequency measurement, such as relaxing it by 3 times. When the first indication information carries a third value for the parameter value of the third parameter, it indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and the main receiver relaxes the heterofrequency measurement period by z times when performing the heterofrequency measurement, such as relaxing it by 7 times. Wherein, x, y, z is a value in {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0117] Example 3: The execution rule of the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device performed by the primary receiver can be indicated by a parameter (such as the fourth parameter) carried by the first indication information.

[0118] For example, taking a parameter as the fourth parameter, the fourth parameter can use 2 bits to implement the corresponding indication content, or can also use 3 bits to implement the corresponding indication content, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. It should be understood that in some cases, the fourth parameter can also be the first parameter.

[0119] For example, take the fourth parameter as an example to implement the corresponding indication content by using 2 bits. Different indication contents are represented by different parameter values ​​corresponding to the fourth parameter (such as 00, 01, 10, 11). Among them, one parameter value is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, and the remaining three different parameter values ​​are used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and correspond to different relaxation multiples. For example, when the parameter value of the fourth parameter is 00, the parameter value 00 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver. When the parameter value of the fourth parameter is 01, the parameter value 01 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and indicates that the main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. When the parameter value of the fourth parameter is 10, the parameter value 10 can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, and indicates that the main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period x times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device, such as 3 times. When the parameter value of the fourth parameter is 11, the parameter value 11 may indicate that the primary receiver performs inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device and that the primary receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period by a factor of y, for example, 5, when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device. Here, x and y are values ​​selected from {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

[0120] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0121] Optionally, when the first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can also be realized through the second indication information. For example, the network device can indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective by sending the second indication information to the terminal device.

[0122] In one possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0123] In another possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, the first indication information may not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or may indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or may indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (such as a state that has been configured and has taken effect, a state that has been configured but has not taken effect, or a state that has not been configured).

[0124] In one example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by carrying a parameter (such as parameter a) in the first indication information.

[0125] For example, take the parameter a carried by the first indication information as an example. When the parameter value of the parameter a carried by the first indication information is a1 (for example, 1), the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter value of the parameter a carried by the first indication information is a1, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0126] When the parameter value of parameter a carried by the first indication information is a2 (for example, 0), the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (for example, a state that has been configured and has been effective, a state that has been configured but not effective, or a state that has not been configured). Optionally, when the first indication information does not carry parameter a, it is assumed (or indicates or shows) that the first indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. It can be understood that the network device does not indicate the effectiveness of the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the first indication information does not carry parameter a, the terminal device can perform heterofrequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0127] In another example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by the parameter type (such as parameter a or parameter b) carried in the first indication information.

[0128] For example, take the parameter type carried by the first indication information as parameter a or parameter b. When the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter a, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter a, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform heterofrequency measurement. At this time, the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0129] When the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter b, it is assumed that the first indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter type of the first indication information is parameter b, the terminal device can perform the inter-frequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0130] In another example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by whether a certain parameter (such as parameter a) appears in the first indication information.

[0131] For example, take parameter a as an example. As an example, when the first indication information carries parameter a, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. It should be understood that when parameter a appears, parameter a can be understood as the first indication information. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the first indication information carries parameter a, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0132] When the first indication information does not carry parameter a, the first indication information may also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or may also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the primary receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the first indication information carries parameter a, the terminal device may perform the inter-frequency measurement through the primary receiver.

[0133] In another possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver, the network device may further send to the terminal device second indication information for indicating that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. For example, the second indication information may be DCI, or may be indication information carried by DCI, or may be understood as an indication parameter in some scenarios.

[0134] In another possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, the second indication information sent by the network device to the terminal device may not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or may also indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or may also indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (such as a state that has been configured and has taken effect, a state that has been configured but not taken effect, or a state that has not been configured).

[0135] In one example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by carrying a parameter (such as parameter c) in the second indication information. Exemplarily, parameter c can implement the corresponding indication content by using 1 bit.

[0136] For example, take the parameter carried by the second indication information as parameter c. When the parameter value of the parameter c carried by the second indication information is c1 (for example, 1), the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter value of the parameter c carried by the first indication information is c1, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0137] When the parameter value of the parameter c carried by the second indication information is c2 (for example, 0), the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or it can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state. Optionally, when the second indication information does not carry the parameter c, it is assumed that the second indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. It can be understood that the network device does not indicate the effectiveness of the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the second indication information does not carry the parameter c or the parameter value of the carried parameter c is c2, the terminal device can perform the heterofrequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0138] In another example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by the parameter type (such as parameter c or parameter d) carried in the second indication information.

[0139] For example, take the parameter type carried by the second indication information as parameter c or parameter d. When the parameter type carried by the second indication information is parameter c, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter type carried by the second indication information is parameter c, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform heterofrequency measurement. At this time, the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0140] When the parameter type carried by the second indication information is parameter d, it is assumed that the second indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or the second indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or the second indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the parameter type of the second indication information is parameter d, the terminal device can perform the inter-frequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0141] In another example, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by whether a certain parameter (such as parameter c) appears in the second indication information.

[0142] For example, take parameter c as an example. As an example, when the second indication information carries parameter c, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. It should be understood that when parameter c appears, parameter c can be understood as the second indication information. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the second indication information carries parameter c, it means that the measurement interval is not effective, and the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0143] When the second indication information does not carry the parameter c, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state. For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, if the first indication information does not carry the parameter c, the terminal device can perform the inter-frequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0144] Exemplarily, the following describes, in conjunction with FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b , whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

[0145] Figure 3a is a schematic diagram of a non-overlapping time domain resource between data transmission (or service transmission) and the measurement interval provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3a, when there is no overlap in time domain resources between data transmission (or service transmission) and the measurement interval (it can be understood that the time domain resource position corresponding to the data transmission (or service transmission) and the time domain resource position corresponding to the measurement interval do not overlap), whether the measurement interval for heterofrequency measurement is configured does not affect the data transmission (or service transmission), so it will not cause a greater data transmission delay. In this case, the measurement interval maintains the existing effective state. For example, if the measurement interval has been configured and has taken effect, the effective state of the measurement interval will not be changed; if the measurement interval is not configured, the unconfigured state of the measurement interval will continue to be maintained; if the measurement interval has been configured but not taken effect, the configured but ineffective state will continue to be maintained.

[0146] For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective has no effect on data transmission (or service transmission), so the first indication information may not need to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or the second indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state.

[0147] In one example, after receiving a low power wake up signal (LP-WUS), the low power wake up receiver parses the LP-WUS to obtain the identifier of the terminal device (such as UE-ID). When the identifier of the terminal device is the identifier of the terminal device where the low power wake up receiver is located, the low power wake up receiver can send an indication message to the main receiver, and the indication message is used to wake up the main receiver. After waking up, the main receiver can perform data transmission (or service transmission). Afterwards, during the process of data transmission (or service transmission) by the main receiver, if it is necessary to perform heterofrequency measurement on the terminal device, because the terminal device receives the first indication message from the network device indicating that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, the terminal device can perform heterofrequency measurement through the main receiver.

[0148] In another example, the low-power wake-up receiver can periodically perform same-frequency measurements of the terminal device. For example, within one cycle, after performing the same-frequency measurement on the terminal device, the low-power wake-up receiver obtains the same-frequency measurement result (such as the signal quality of the service cell where the terminal device is located), and can compare the same-frequency measurement result with the preset threshold. When the same-frequency measurement result is less than the preset threshold, if the first indication information indicates that the different-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, the low-power wake-up receiver can send an indication information to the main receiver, and the indication information is used to wake up the main receiver. After waking up, the main receiver can perform different-frequency measurements.

[0149] Figure 3b is a schematic diagram of a time domain resource overlap between data transmission (or service transmission) and a measurement interval provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3b, when there is a time domain resource overlap between data transmission (or service transmission) and the measurement interval (which can be understood as the time domain resource position corresponding to the data transmission (or service transmission) and the time domain resource position corresponding to the measurement interval overlap), whether the measurement interval for heterofrequency measurement is configured has different effects on data transmission (or service transmission). For example, if the measurement interval has been configured and is effective, then since the period of the measurement interval is used by the main receiver to perform heterofrequency measurement, the data transmission (or service transmission) performed by the main receiver will be interrupted, thereby increasing the transmission delay of the data transmission (or service transmission), affecting the network capacity. Based on this, when the measurement interval has been configured and is effective or the measurement interval has been configured and is not effective, for data (or services) with higher transmission delay requirements, the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, and the indicated measurement interval is not effective.

[0150] For example, when the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver or indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device will be effective, because it will affect the data transmission (or service transmission). Therefore, the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective, that is, to disable the configuration of the measurement interval.

[0151] In one example, after receiving the low-power wake-up signal, the low-power wake-up receiver parses the LP-WUS to obtain the identifier of the terminal device (such as UE-ID). When the identifier of the terminal device is the identifier of the terminal device where the low-power wake-up receiver is located, the low-power wake-up receiver can send an indication message to the main receiver, and the indication message is used to wake up the main receiver. After waking up, the main receiver can perform data transmission (or service transmission). Afterwards, in the process of data transmission (or service transmission) by the main receiver, if it is necessary to perform heterofrequency measurement on the terminal device, because the terminal device receives the first indication information from the network device indicating that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the terminal device can perform heterofrequency measurement through the low-power wake-up receiver after invalidating the configuration of the measurement interval.

[0152] In another example, the low-power wake-up receiver can periodically perform same-frequency measurement of the terminal device. For example, within one cycle, after performing the same-frequency measurement on the terminal device, the low-power wake-up receiver obtains the same-frequency measurement result (such as the signal quality of the serving cell where the terminal device is located), and can compare the same-frequency measurement result with a preset threshold. When the same-frequency measurement result is less than the preset threshold, if the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the terminal device can perform the inter-frequency measurement through the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0153] Implementation Method 2: The first indication information can be used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. It should be understood that in this case, the first indication information does not need to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, nor does it need to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

[0154] In one possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver by default or the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the main receiver by default.

[0155] In another possible implementation, when the first indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver by default or the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver by default.

[0156] In another possible implementation, when the first indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective (it can be understood that the first indication information does not indicate the status of the measurement interval corresponding to the terminal device), the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver by default or the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not performed by the low-power wake-up receiver by default.

[0157] The following describes the indication of whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device in the above-mentioned second implementation manner is effective through the following possible examples.

[0158] Example 1: Whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by carrying a parameter (such as parameter a) in the first indication information.

[0159] For example, take the parameter carried by the first indication information as parameter a. When the parameter value of the parameter a carried by the first indication information is a1 (for example, 1), the first indication information is used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. It should be understood that when the measurement interval is not effective, the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0160] When the parameter value of parameter a carried by the first indication information is a2 (for example, 0), the first indication information is used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or it can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state. In this case, it is assumed that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver.

[0161] Optionally, when the first indication information does not carry parameter a, it is assumed that the first indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. It can be understood that the network device does not indicate the effectiveness of the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device. In this case, it is assumed that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver.

[0162] Example 2: Whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by the parameter type (such as parameter a or parameter b) carried in the first indication information.

[0163] For example, take the parameter type carried by the first indication information as parameter a or parameter b. When the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter a, the first indication information is used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. It should be understood that when the measurement interval is not effective, the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0164] When the parameter type carried by the first indication information is parameter b, it is assumed that the first indication information does not indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or the first indication information can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or it can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state. In this case, it is assumed that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver.

[0165] Example 3: Whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective can be indicated by whether a certain parameter (such as parameter a) appears in the first indication information.

[0166] For example, take parameter a as an example. As an example, when the first indication information carries parameter a, the first indication information is used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. It should be understood that when parameter a appears, parameter a can be understood as the first indication information. It is understandable that when the measurement interval is not effective, the main receiver of the terminal device will not perform the inter-frequency measurement. At this time, the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver.

[0167] When the first indication information does not carry parameter a, the first indication information is used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, or it can also be used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state. In this case, it is assumed that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver.

[0168] Based on the above content, the implementation process of the network device determining the indication content of the first indication information is introduced through the following several possible implementation methods.

[0169] Method 1: The network device determines the indication content of the first indication information according to the relationship between the delay threshold of the first service and the set delay threshold.

[0170] For example, the delay threshold can be predefined, such as predefined by a protocol, or it can be configured by the network device, or it can be pre-negotiated and configured by the terminal device and the network device, or it can be indicated by the network device through an indication message (such as the fifth indication message) sent to the terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may receive a third indication message before transmitting the first service (or first data) to the terminal device. The third indication message may include a delay threshold of the first service (or first data), the third indication message comes from the core network, and the first service (or first data) is a downlink service (or downlink data) received by the terminal device. Afterwards, the network device may compare the delay threshold of the first service with the set delay threshold. When the delay threshold of the first service is less than or equal to the set delay threshold, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication message is: the heterodyne measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterodyne measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the delay threshold of the first service is less than or equal to the set delay threshold, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication message is: the measurement interval corresponding to the heterodyne measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0172] When the delay threshold of the first service is greater than the set delay threshold, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information includes at least one of the following: the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the delay threshold of the first service is greater than the set delay threshold, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0173] Optionally, after receiving the third indication information, the network device may also send the third indication information to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines whether the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver or the low-power wake-up receiver based on the size relationship between the delay threshold of the first service and the set delay threshold, or may also determine whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective. After obtaining the third indication information, the terminal device may compare the delay threshold of the first service with the set delay threshold. When the delay threshold of the first service is less than or equal to the set delay threshold, the terminal device may determine at least one of the following: the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. When the delay threshold of the first service is greater than the set delay threshold, the terminal device may determine at least one of the following: the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0174] It should be understood that after the terminal device determines whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main reception or the low-power wake-up receiver, or determines whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective, the terminal device can notify the network device of the corresponding content (such as determining that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main reception).

[0175] Method 2: The network device determines the indication content of the first indication information according to the fourth indication information.

[0176] For example, the fourth indication information comes from the terminal device, and the fourth indication information includes at least one of the following: power consumption requirements, coverage requirements, performance requirements, latency requirements, which receiver is expected to perform the heterofrequency measurement, whether the expected heterofrequency measurement interval is effective, or the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low-power wake-up receiver performs the heterofrequency measurement.

[0177] In one example, take the fourth indication information including the power consumption requirement as an example. When the power consumption requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low power consumption requirement, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the power consumption requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low power consumption requirement, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0178] When the power consumption requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high power consumption requirement, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the power consumption requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high power consumption requirement, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0179] In another example, take the fourth indication information including coverage requirements as an example. When the coverage requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high coverage requirement, the network device can determine the indication content of the first indication information as follows: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the coverage requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high coverage requirement, the network device can also determine the indication content of the second indication information as follows: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0180] When the coverage requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low coverage requirement, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the coverage requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low coverage requirement, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0181] In another example, taking the case where the fourth indication information includes a performance requirement, when the performance requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low performance requirement, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the performance requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low performance requirement, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0182] When the performance requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high-performance requirement, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the performance requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high-performance requirement, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0183] In another example, take the fourth indication information including the delay requirement as an example. When the delay requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low delay requirement, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the delay requirement included in the fourth indication information is a low delay requirement, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0184] When the delay requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high delay requirement, the network device can determine the indication content of the first indication information as follows: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the delay requirement included in the fourth indication information is a high delay requirement, the network device can also determine the indication content of the second indication information as follows: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device maintains the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0185] In another example, take the example of the fourth indication information including which receiver is expected to perform the inter-frequency measurement. When the fourth indication information includes that the inter-frequency measurement is expected to be performed by the main receiver, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the fourth indication information includes that the inter-frequency measurement is expected to be performed by the main receiver, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0186] When the fourth indication information includes that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is expected to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the network device may determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the fourth indication information includes that the inter-frequency measurement is expected to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the network device may also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0187] In another example, take the fourth indication information including whether the expected inter-frequency measurement interval is effective as an example. When the fourth indication information includes that the expected inter-frequency measurement interval is not effective, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the fourth indication information includes that the expected inter-frequency measurement is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0188] When the fourth indication information includes that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the inter-frequency measurement interval is expected to take effect), the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective). Optionally, when the fourth indication information includes that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the inter-frequency measurement interval is expected to take effect), the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device remains in the current state (or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective or no indication is given as to whether the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is effective).

[0189] In another example, take the example where the fourth indication information includes the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low-power wake-up receiver performs the heterofrequency measurement. When the fourth indication information includes the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low-power wake-up receiver performs the heterofrequency measurement, the network device can determine that the indication content of the first indication information is: the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective. Optionally, when the fourth indication information includes the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low-power wake-up receiver performs the heterofrequency measurement, the network device can also determine that the indication content of the second indication information is: the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0190] It is understandable that any multiple of the multiple examples given in the above-mentioned method 2 can be used in combination.

[0191] It can be seen from the above steps 201 to 202 that the indication content of the first indication information can be dynamically adjusted. Therefore, the first indication information can be used to dynamically indicate which receiver is to perform the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device. After that, the terminal device can effectively perform the heterofrequency measurement after receiving the first indication information. In this way, the dynamic indication of the heterofrequency measurement can be achieved, and the rationality and accuracy of the heterofrequency measurement performed by the terminal device can be guaranteed, thereby improving the user experience. For example, in the case of services with high transmission delay requirements or services with low transmission delay requirements, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is to be performed by a low-power wake-up receiver, and the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device can be indicated to be invalid. In this way, a smaller delay in service transmission can be guaranteed, and service transmission can be completed within the transmission delay requirement, thereby improving the user experience and increasing network capacity.

[0192] Based on the technical solution of the communication method shown in FIG. 2 above, several application scenarios of the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application are exemplarily introduced below.

[0193] Scenario 1: Business switching scenario.

[0194] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a service switching scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, in the service switching scenario, two service switchings (such as the switching between the first service and the second service) are taken as an example. For example, the first service is a service with low transmission delay requirements, the second service is a service with high transmission delay requirements, and the second service is a periodic service (such as extended reality (XR) service) as an example. For the first service, since the transmission delay requirements of the first service are low, the configuration of the measurement interval does not affect service transmission. For the second service, taking the second service as an XR service as an example, the period of the XR service is related to the frame rate. For example, when the frame rate is 60fps, the period of the XR video frame is 16.67ms. When the frame rate is 30fps, the period of the XR video frame is 33.33ms. The non-integer period is likely to collide with the time domain resources of the measurement interval configured with an integer period, which is likely to cause service transmission interruption, affecting the user experience. Based on this, the communication solution provided by the embodiment of the present application can effectively avoid service transmission interruption, so that the user experience is effectively improved.

[0195] For the service switching scenario shown in Figure 4, the following describes the sending of the first indication information through the following possible implementation methods. The first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver and / or the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

[0196] Method 1: When the network device transmits a service (such as a first service or a second service) to the terminal device, the first indication information is carried in the last data packet of the first service. For example, the first indication information is sent at position T1 as shown in FIG4 .

[0197] Optionally, the network device may carry an indication information in any data packet before the data packet containing the first indication information (such as the data packet containing position T1), and the indication information is used to indicate in which data packet the first indication information is specifically contained. This facilitates the terminal device to promptly and effectively know in which data packet the first indication information is specifically contained, without the need to detect the first indication information for each received packet, and allows the terminal device to promptly and effectively perform heterofrequency measurements while ensuring normal service transmission.

[0198] Method 2: When the network device transmits a service (such as the first service and the second service) to the terminal device, the first indication information is carried in the first data packet of the second service. For example, the first indication information is sent at position T3 as shown in FIG4 .

[0199] Optionally, the network device may carry an indication message in any data packet before the data packet containing the first indication message (such as the data packet containing position T3), and the indication message is used to indicate in which data packet the first indication message is specifically contained. This facilitates the terminal device to promptly and effectively know in which data packet the first indication message is specifically contained, without the need to detect the first indication message for each received packet, and allows the terminal device to promptly and effectively perform heterodyne frequency measurements while ensuring normal service transmission.

[0200] Method 3: During the process of transmitting a service (such as a first service, a second service, etc.) from the network device to the terminal device, the first indication information is carried in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, DCI, or Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE). The sending time (or sending position) of the RRC message, DCI, or MAC-CE is within the switching time period between the first service and the second service. For example, the sending position of the RRC message, DCI, or MAC-CE is position T2 as shown in FIG.

[0201] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the first indication information in the above-mentioned manner three is sent periodically.

[0202] In another possible implementation, the sending method of the first indication information in the above-mentioned method three complies with a rule. For example, the rule is related to the arrival pattern of the service. For example, taking the XR service as an example, when the frame rate is 60fps, the period of the XR video frame is 16.67ms. Since the DRX cycle length is an integer, in order to better adapt to the XR service, the DRX cycle length is configured to be 17ms, 17ms, and 16ms within each 50ms. The sending method (or sending pattern) of the first indication information is associated with the configuration of the DRX cycle length. For example, the first indication information is also sent at intervals of 17ms, 17ms, and 16ms within each 50ms.

[0203] It should be understood that the sending time (or sending location) of the first indication information depends on whether the network device has resources to send the first indication information and the arrival time of the second service. It must be ensured that when the second service arrives, the terminal device's inter-frequency measurement is performed by which receiver.

[0204] Scenario 2: The cell load is heavy.

[0205] In scenarios where the cell load is large (or the network is overloaded), resources are relatively scarce. If the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver, the main receiver of the terminal device can receive the existing SSB. However, if the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by a low-power wake-up receiver, the main receiver of the terminal device needs to receive a signal from a newly designed adaptive low-power wake-up receiver. The sending time (or sending position) of this signal is periodic. In this case, the network device has to send both the SSB and the signal of the newly designed adaptive low-power wake-up receiver, which is not conducive to the resource efficiency of the network device. Therefore, in scenarios where the cell load is large, the network device can indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the main receiver through the first indication information. At this time, the network device does not send the signal of the newly designed adaptive low-power wake-up receiver either.

[0206] It should be noted that in the description of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", and "third" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects. In addition, the terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations appearing in this application all mean "including but not limited to" unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0207] In addition, it should be noted that each step involved in the above embodiments can be performed by a corresponding device, or by a component such as a chip, processor, or chip system within the device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The above embodiments are described only as examples of execution by corresponding devices.

[0208] It should be noted that in each of the above embodiments, some steps may be selected for implementation, and the order of the steps in the diagrams may be adjusted for implementation, and this application does not limit this. It should be understood that executing some of the steps in the diagrams, adjusting the order of the steps, or combining them for specific implementation all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0209] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the various devices involved in the above embodiments include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art 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 the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0210] It should be understood that the "steps" in the embodiments of this application are merely illustrative, a method of expression used to better understand the embodiments, and do not constitute a substantive limitation on the implementation of the solutions of this application. For example, the "steps" can also be understood as "features." Furthermore, the steps do not constitute any limitation on the execution order of the solutions of this application. Any changes in the order of steps, or any operations such as step merging or step splitting that do not affect the implementation of the overall solution, resulting in new technical solutions, are also within the scope of this application.

[0211] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which is applicable to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1. Optionally, the communication device can be a communication device (such as a first communication device or a second communication device) or a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.) that can support the communication device to implement the functions required for the communication method. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a module of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The second communication device can be a network device or a module of a network device (such as a processor, chip, chip system or circuit, etc.), or it can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. In one example, when the communication device is a first communication device (such as a terminal device), the communication device is used to implement the technical solution involved in the first communication device in the above embodiment, or the module (such as a chip) of the communication device is used to implement the technical solution involved in the first communication device in the above embodiment, and therefore the beneficial effects possessed by the first communication device in the above embodiment can also be achieved. For example, the terminal device can be a terminal device 101 or a terminal device 102 as shown in Figure 1. For example, taking the communication device as a chip provided in the first communication device, when the communication device is a chip, the communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, but does not include a memory. The transceiver exists as an input / output interface, and the input / output interface is used by the chip to implement transceiver transmission by the first communication device. The input / output interface may include an input interface and / or an output interface, the input interface can implement reception by the first communication device, and the output interface can be used to implement transmission by the first communication device. The processor is used to read and execute corresponding computer programs or instructions so that the corresponding functions of the first communication device are implemented. Optionally, when the chip implements the corresponding functions of the first communication device in the above embodiment, the input / output interface can implement the transceiver operations performed by the first communication device in the above embodiment; and the processor can implement other operations other than the transceiver operations performed by the first communication device in the above embodiment. For specific related descriptions, please refer to the relevant description of the first communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0212] In another example, when the communication device is a second communication device (such as a network device), the communication device is used to implement the technical solutions involved in the second communication device in the above embodiments, or the module of the communication device (such as a chip) is used to implement the technical solutions involved in the second communication device in the above embodiments, and thus the beneficial effects of the second communication device in the above embodiments can also be achieved. For example, the network device can be the access network device 200 shown in Figure 2. For example, taking the communication device as a chip provided in the second communication device as an example, when the communication device is a chip, the communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, but does not include a memory. Among them, the transceiver exists in the form of an input and output interface, and the input and output interface is used for the chip to implement the transceiver of the second communication device. The input and output interface may include an input interface and / or an output interface, the input interface can implement the reception of the second communication device, and the output interface can be used to implement the transmission of the second communication device. The processor is used to read and execute the corresponding computer program or instruction so that the corresponding function of the second communication device is implemented. Optionally, when the chip implements the corresponding functions of the second communication device in the above embodiment, the input and output interfaces may implement the transceiver operations performed by the second communication device in the above embodiment; and the processor may implement other operations performed by the second communication device in the above embodiment in addition to the transceiver operations. For specific details, please refer to the description of the second communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0213] Referring to FIG5 , a communication device 500 includes a communication module 501 (or a transceiver module, transceiver unit, or communication unit, configured to transmit and receive data) and a processing module 502 (or a processing unit). The communication device 500 is configured to implement the functions of the first communication device (e.g., a terminal device) or the second communication device (e.g., a network device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 .

[0214] Optionally, the communication module 501 may include a receiving module and / or a transmitting module. The receiving module may be used by the communication device 500 to receive signals (information or data, etc.); the transmitting module may be used by the communication device 500 to transmit signals (information or data, etc.). The transmitting module may transmit signals (information or data, etc.) under the control of the processing module 502, and the receiving module may receive signals (information or data, etc.) under the control of the processing module 502.

[0215] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 above: the communication module 501 is used to receive the first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver. The processing module 502 is used to perform corresponding processing operations, such as performing inter-frequency measurement, or it can also be used to execute the process of comparing the delay threshold of the first service with the set delay threshold, etc.

[0216] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the second communication device (e.g., a network device) in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the communication module 501 is configured to send first indication information. The first indication information is configured to indicate whether the low-power wake-up receiver is permitted to perform inter-frequency measurements of the terminal device, or whether the main receiver is permitted to perform inter-frequency measurements of the terminal device. The processing module 502 is configured to perform corresponding processing operations, such as determining the indication content of the first indication information.

[0217] Among them, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the first communication device or the second communication device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2, for a more detailed description of the communication module 501 and the processing module 502, please refer to the relevant description of the first communication device or the second communication device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0218] It should be understood that the communication module 501 in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component, and the processing module 502 can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component.

[0219] It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0220] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, or a server, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0221] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which is applicable to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a device required for executing the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application (such as a first communication device (such as a terminal device) or a second communication device (such as a network device)), or may be a device comprising a device required for executing the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication device may also be a chip arranged in the first communication device (or the second communication device). When the communication device is a chip arranged in the first communication device (or the second communication device), the communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, but does not include a memory. Wherein, the transceiver exists as an input and output interface, and the input and output interface is used for the chip to implement the transceiver of the communication device. The input and output interface may include an input interface and / or an output interface, the input interface can implement the reception of the communication device, and the output interface can be used to implement the sending of the communication device. The processor is used to read and execute corresponding computer programs or instructions so that the corresponding functions of the first communication device (or the second communication device) are implemented. Optionally, when the chip implements the corresponding functions of the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the above embodiment, the input and output interface can implement the transceiver operations performed by the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the above embodiment; the processor can implement other operations other than the transceiver operations performed by the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the above embodiment. For specific related descriptions, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here. For example, taking the communication device as a first communication device (such as a terminal device) or a second communication device (such as a network device) as an example, when the communication device is used to implement the technical solution involved in the first communication device in the above embodiment, it can also achieve the beneficial effects of the first communication device in the above method embodiment; when the communication device is used to implement the technical solution involved in the second communication device in the above embodiment, it can also achieve the beneficial effects of the second communication device in the above method embodiment; when the communication device is used to implement the technical solution involved in the network device in the above embodiment, it can also achieve the beneficial effects of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0222] 6 , the communication device 600 includes: a transceiver 601 and a processor 602. Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a memory 603. The transceiver 601, the processor 602 and the memory 603 are interconnected. When the communication device 600 is used to implement the technical solution involved in the first communication device (such as a terminal device) provided in the above embodiment, the transceiver 601 can be used to implement the function of the above-mentioned communication module 501 when executing the technical solution involved in the first communication device, and the processor 602 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing module 502 when executing the technical solution involved in the first communication device. When the communication device 600 is used to implement the technical solution involved in the second communication device (such as a network device) provided in the above embodiment, the transceiver 601 can be used to implement the function of the above-mentioned communication module 501 when executing the technical solution involved in the second communication device, and the processor 602 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing module 502 when executing the technical solution involved in the second communication device.

[0223] Optionally, transceiver 601, processor 602, and memory 603 are interconnected via bus 604. Bus 604 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, and the like. For ease of illustration, FIG6 shows only one thick line, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0224] Transceiver 601 is used to receive and send data. For example, when the communication device 600 is a terminal device 101 as shown in Figure 1, the transceiver 601 communicates with the access network device 200 as shown in Figure 1, or can also communicate with other devices outside the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 (such as other terminal devices or servers). In one example, the transceiver can be a transceiver device with integrated data transceiver functions. In another example, the transceiver can also be composed of a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the transmitter is used to send data and the receiver is used to receive data.

[0225] Optionally, the transceiver 601 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter is used to transmit signals, messages, information, or data. The receiver is used to receive signals, messages, information, or data. For example, the transmitter transmits signals, messages, information, or data under the control of the processor 602. The receiver receives signals, messages, information, or data under the control of the processor 602.

[0226] The functions of processor 602 can refer to the description of the corresponding functions involved in the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Processor 602 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP, etc. Processor 602 can further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. When implementing the above functions, processor 602 can be implemented through hardware, or it can also execute corresponding software implementations through hardware.

[0227] Memory 603 is used to store program instructions, etc. Specifically, program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operating instructions. Memory 603 may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk drive. Processor 602 executes the program instructions stored in memory 603 to implement the above functions, thereby performing the method steps required to be executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiments.

[0228] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device (e.g., a terminal device) and a second communication device (e.g., a network device). The first communication device can be used to implement the technical solution involved in the first communication device in the above embodiment, and the second communication device can be used to implement the technical solution involved in the second communication device in the above embodiment.

[0229] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0230] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0231] The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0232] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which may include a processor and a memory (or the chip is coupled to the memory), and the chip executes program instructions in the memory to perform the method provided in the above embodiment. Wherein, "coupling" refers to the direct or indirect connection between two components, such as coupling can refer to the electrical connection between two components.

[0233] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions involved in the first communication device (such as a terminal device) or the second communication device (such as a network device) in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store the necessary programs and data for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0234] The methods provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they 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 instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiments of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., 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 can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)).

[0235] The steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software units can be stored in RAM, ROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or other storage media in any form known 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 write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be arranged in an ASIC.

[0236] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0237] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0238] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: receiving first indication information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver; or, The first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or by the low-power wake-up receiver.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the first indication information includes a first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low power wake-up receiver. When the first indication information does not include the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low power wake-up receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information is further used to indicate the execution rule of the main receiver to perform the inter-frequency measurement; The execution rule is any of the following: The main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; or, The main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period m times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; Wherein, m is any value among {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first indication information is also used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate whether a measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the second indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send fourth indication information, wherein the fourth indication information includes at least one of the following: power consumption requirement, coverage requirement, performance requirement, latency requirement, which receiver is expected to perform heterofrequency measurement, whether the expected heterofrequency measurement interval is effective, or it is expected that the first indication information is sent to indicate that the low power consumption wake-up receiver performs heterofrequency measurement.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Sending first instruction information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver; or, The first indication information is used to indicate whether the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or by the low-power wake-up receiver.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that When the first indication information includes a first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low power wake-up receiver. When the first indication information does not include the first parameter, the first indication information is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low power wake-up receiver or is used to indicate that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information is further used to indicate the execution rule of the main receiver to perform the inter-frequency measurement; The execution rule is any of the following: The main receiver does not relax the inter-frequency measurement period when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; or, The main receiver relaxes the inter-frequency measurement period m times when performing the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device; Wherein, m is any value among {3, 5, 7, 10, 20}.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that: The first indication information is also used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is allowed to be performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate whether the measurement interval corresponding to the heterofrequency measurement of the terminal device is effective.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that When the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is performed by the low-power wake-up receiver, or the first indication information indicates that the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not allowed to be performed by the main receiver, the second indication information indicates that the measurement interval corresponding to the inter-frequency measurement of the terminal device is not effective.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determining the indication content of the first indication information according to the magnitude relationship between the delay threshold of the first service and the set delay threshold; Among them, the first service is a downlink service received by the terminal device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive third indication information, where the third indication information includes a delay threshold of the first service.

20. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 19, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive fourth indication information from the terminal device, the fourth indication information including at least one of the following: power consumption requirement, coverage requirement, performance requirement, latency requirement, which receiver is expected to perform heterofrequency measurement, whether the expected heterofrequency measurement interval is effective, or the expectation to send the first indication information to indicate that the low power consumption wake-up receiver performs heterofrequency measurement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The method further comprises: Determine the indication content of the first indication information according to the fourth indication information.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or comprises a module or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: transceiver, used to receive and send data; Memory for storing computer program instructions and data; A processor is used to execute and call the computer program instructions and data in the memory so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 21.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a terminal device for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 and a network device for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 21.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 21.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 21.

27. A chip, characterized in that: The chip comprises a processor, and the chip is used to execute program instructions in a memory to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 21.

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