Communication method, communication apparatus, chip, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication apparatus, a chip, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: receiving configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used for configuring M first SMTC windows; the configuration information comprises the periods of the M first SMTC windows; the M first SMTC windows correspond to a plurality of SSBs in N consecutive SSB burst sets; the beam positions corresponding to the plurality of SSBs are different, and the plurality of SSBs comprise SSBs corresponding to all beam positions of a cell; the N consecutive SSB burst sets are all occupied SSB burst sets within a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern; the period of each first SMTC window among the M first SMTC windows is equal to the period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern; N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. By implementing the present application, the power consumption of measuring the SSBs by user equipment during non-uniform scanning can be effectively reduced.

Description

Communication method, communication device, chip and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 22, 2023, with application number 202311574856.5, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication method, communication device, chip and computer-readable storage medium”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, a chip, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications offer advantages such as speed, stability, and wide coverage, making them widely applicable to various access-demanding applications, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). However, as IoT technology matures, the number of IoT devices is expected to explode. To accommodate this increasing number of IoT devices, higher requirements will be placed on the system access capabilities of NTN equipment (such as satellite base stations). Furthermore, due to the wide coverage of NTN equipment, traffic load imbalances can be severe across different geographic regions within a single NTN device. Therefore, it is crucial that the beam scanning capabilities of NTN equipment can meet the diverse needs of these services.

[0004] Currently, NTN equipment can use non-uniform scanning of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to increase the number of SSBs corresponding to hotspots and reduce the number of SSBs corresponding to non-hotspots, thereby increasing system access and meeting service diversity requirements. For example, of the four wavebands in a cell (e.g., waveband A, B, C, and D), three wavebands (e.g., waveband A, B, and C) have a higher number of users, while the other two wavebands (e.g., waveband D) have a lower number of users. If the NTN equipment needs to send two SSB bursts in a non-uniform scanning cycle, each SSB burst contains four SSBs. If the four SSBs in the first SSB burst correspond to wavebands A, B, C, and D, respectively, and the four SSBs in the second SSB burst correspond to wavebands A, B, C, and A, respectively, then within this non-uniform scanning cycle, waveband A is scanned three times, wavebands B and C are scanned twice, and waveband D is scanned once.

[0005] Based on the synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, the user equipment (UE) can measure the SSB sent by the NTN device during the cell access process. The SMTC window indicates the time window for the UE to measure the SSB, and the period of an SMTC window is the same as the period of an SSB burst set. Therefore, when the SSB burst set periodically appears, the SMTC window also periodically appears. For example, if the two SSB burst sets sent by the above-mentioned NTN device in a non-uniform scanning period, the first SSB burst set corresponds to one SMTC window and the second SSB burst set also corresponds to one SMTC window. It can be seen that the UE will measure the SSBs corresponding to wave position A, wave position B and wave position C multiple times in these two SMTC windows, resulting in increased power consumption. How to reduce the power consumption of the UE when using non-uniform scanning has become one of the urgent problems to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication device, a chip, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can reduce the power consumption of a UE when non-uniform scanning is adopted.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0008] Receive configuration information; wherein, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to these multiple SSBs are different, and these multiple SSBs include the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; the N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0009] Based on the method described in the first aspect, first, within a period of non-uniform SSB scanning, the multiple SSBs corresponding to the M first SMTC windows are different and can cover all wave positions of a cell. In this way, when the UE performs SSB measurement based on the M first SMTCs, it can not only measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in a cell, but also will not repeatedly measure the SSB corresponding to certain wave positions. Secondly, since the period of each first SMTC window is the same as a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, it is equivalent to the period of each first SMTC window being equivalent to the sum of the periods of N consecutive SSB burst sets. Therefore, these M first SMTC windows also appear periodically, and the period of each first SMTC window is longer than the period in the current SMTC window configuration method (in the current method, the period of an SMTC window is equal to the period of an SSB burst set). Based on the above two points, this method can effectively reduce the power consumption of the UE during non-uniform scanning.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes offsets of M first SMTC windows, where the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

[0011] Since the period of each first SMTC window is extended to the sum of the periods of N consecutive SSB burst sets, when configuring the offset of each first SMTC window, the offset must also be configured as a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1.

[0012] In one possible implementation, M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0013] If the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets can cover all wave positions of a cell and are different from each other, then within one cycle of non-uniform scanning, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of this cell by measuring this first SSB burst set; accordingly, the number of first SMTC windows configured by the network device for the UE is one (that is, M is 1). In this way, when the network device sends N consecutive SSB burst sets, it only needs to send one first SMTC window, which can effectively reduce the transmission overhead of the network device. Accordingly, when N consecutive SSB burst sets appear, the UE only needs to measure the first SSB burst set among them to measure the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the UE.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes a duration of a first SMTC window. The duration of the first SMTC window is a value in a first set. The durations in the first set are predefined by the protocol.

[0015] Since this first SMTC window can correspond to the first SSB burst set, and the current SMTC window configuration method also has one SMTC window corresponding to one SSB burst set, the duration of this first SMTC window can use the configuration of the duration of the protocol pre-defined in the current SMTC window configuration method, so there is no need to modify the duration in the protocol.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window. The configuration information also includes a period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is less than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

[0017] When the UE measures the SSB of the neighboring cell of the serving cell, the measurement can be performed according to the second SMTC window. Since the network equipment uses the first SSB burst set of N consecutive SSB burst sets to cover all the wave positions of a cell when non-uniformly scanning the SSBs corresponding to each cell, the number of the second SMTC window is also configured to be one for the measurement of the neighboring cell, and the duration and offset of the second SMTC window do not need to be configured again, and the duration and offset of the first SMTC window can be used. By separately reconfiguring the period of the second SMTC window to be smaller than the period of the first SMTC window, the measurement frequency of the neighboring cell SSB can be increased, thereby speeding up the measurement of the neighboring cell.

[0018] In one possible implementation, M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets. The configuration information also includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMCT window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; the duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0019] If at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets can cover all wave positions in a cell, it means that the SSB measurement corresponding to all wave positions in a cell requires at least two first SMTC windows for indication (i.e., M is a positive integer greater than 1). In this case, the network equipment needs to configure at least two discrete first SMTC windows for the UE, and the period of each first SMTC window is extended to the sum of the periods of N consecutive SSB burst sets, and the offset of each first SMTC window needs to be configured as a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1. In addition, since these discrete first SMTC windows correspond to part of the SSBs in an SSB burst set, the measurement duration of an SSB under different subcarrier intervals is not exactly the same, so the duration of these first SMTC windows can be redefined according to different subcarrier intervals.

[0020] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

[0021] Since at the same frequency, the measurement time corresponding to one SSB when the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz is twice the measurement time corresponding to one SSB when the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz, and 0.5ms is the measurement time corresponding to one SSB at 15kHz, and it is also the measurement time corresponding to two SSBs at 30kHz. Therefore, the duration of an SMTC window is Y times of 0.5ms. This 0.5ms*Y is not only compatible with the next discrete first SMTC window of 15kHz corresponding to at least one SSB, but also compatible with the next discrete first SMTC of 30kHz corresponding to at least two and an even number of SSBs.

[0022] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

[0023] Since at the same frequency, the measurement time corresponding to one SSB when the subcarrier spacing is 120kHz is twice the measurement time corresponding to one SSB when the subcarrier spacing is 240kHz, and 0.0625ms is the measurement time corresponding to one SSB at 120kHz, and it is also the measurement time corresponding to two SSBs at 240kHz. Therefore, the duration of an SMTC window is Y times of 0.625ms. This 0.625ms*Y is not only compatible with the next discrete first SMTC window of 120kHz corresponding to at least one SSB, but also compatible with the next discrete first SMTC of 240kHz corresponding to at least two and an even number of SSBs.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows. The configuration information also includes the period, offset, and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

[0025] When the UE measures the SSB of the neighboring cell of the serving cell, the measurement can be performed according to the second SMTC window. Since the network equipment cannot cover all the wave positions of a cell (or neighboring cell) with the first SSB burst set of N consecutive SSB burst sets when non-uniformly scanning the SSB corresponding to each cell, the number of the second SMTC windows is also configured to be multiple for the measurement of the neighboring cell. In addition, due to the differences in the services of the serving cell and the neighboring cell, the scanning frequency of each wave position in the serving cell is very likely to be different from the scanning frequency of each wave position in the neighboring cell. Therefore, when configuring the second SMTC window, the second SMTC window can be decoupled from the first SMTC window, and the configuration information of the first SMTC window is not used, that is, the network equipment sends the period, duration, and offset of the second SMTC window separately. In this way, the service needs of different cells can be better met.

[0026] In one possible implementation, among all the above-mentioned SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

[0027] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0028] Send configuration information; wherein, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to these multiple SSBs are different, and these multiple SSBs include the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; the N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes offsets of M first SMTC windows, where the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

[0030] In one possible implementation, M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes a duration of a first SMTC window. The duration of the first SMTC window is a value in a first set. The durations in the first set are predefined by the protocol.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window. The configuration information also includes a period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is less than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

[0033] In one possible implementation, M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets. The configuration information also includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMCT window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; the duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0034] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

[0035] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows. The configuration information also includes the period, offset, and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

[0037] In one possible implementation, among all the above-mentioned SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

[0038] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a user device, or a device in a network device or a user device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network device or a user device. The communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. The unit or module may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the methods and beneficial effects in the first aspect or the second aspect above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method of any one of the first to second aspects is executed.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, and the processor and the memory are coupled; the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0041] In the sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor being used to implement a method as described in any one of the first to second aspects through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is called by a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the first to second aspects.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product. When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the computer executes the method of any one of the first to second aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of users who successfully accessed and the number of users who requested access, provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a uniform scanning / non-uniform synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of two types of non-uniform scanning patterns provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a type of SMTC window provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a type II lower SMTC window provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of synchronization signal blocks between a serving cell and a neighboring cell under a type II embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a second SMTC window of type II provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG10 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the software structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish between different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0057] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0058] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following first introduces the professional terms involved in the embodiments of the present application:

[0059] 1. Beam and Wave Position

[0060] A beam is an electromagnetic wave emitted by network equipment using a radio frequency module, such as a phased array or parabolic antenna, toward a specific angle. Beams can be used to carry information used by network equipment for communication, such as synchronization signals and PBCH blocks (SSBs).

[0061] A beam position refers to the coverage range of a beam in space. For example, the coverage range corresponding to a cell can be divided into one or more beam positions, and the beam positions are mapped one-to-one. That is, each beam position in a cell requires a corresponding beam to cover it.

[0062] 2. Synchronization Signal Block Burst Set (SSB Burst Set)

[0063] The synchronization signal block (SSB) consists of the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal block (SSS), and the PBCH block, and is used for uplink synchronization and mobility management such as cell selection / handover. The SSB can correspond to the wave position, and the correspondence between the SSB and the wave position can be obtained based on the correspondence between the number of random access preamble codes and the number of users requesting access in the wave position:

[0064] For example, the relationship between the number of users successfully accessing a single time-frequency resource (e.g., a single RACH opportunity (RO)) and the number of users requesting access can be represented as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the relationship between the number of users successfully accessing and the number of users requesting access is nonlinear: when the number of users requesting access is small, the number of users successfully accessing increases as the number of users requesting access increases. However, when the number of users requesting access is large, the number of users successfully accessing decreases as the number of users requesting access increases due to the increased probability of collisions between users. Therefore, to increase the number of users successfully accessing without wasting configured preamble codes, the number of users requesting access must match the number of preamble codes configured in a single RO. For example, according to Figure 1, if the number of users requesting access is 20, when the number of preamble codes in a single RO is configured as 20 (i.e., when P=20 in Figure 1), the number of users successfully accessed can reach the maximum value when the number of preamble codes is configured as 20; if the number of users requesting access is 60 (i.e., when P=60 in Figure 1), when the number of preamble codes in a single RO is configured as 64, the number of users successfully accessed can reach the maximum value when the number of preambles is configured as 64, and so on.

[0065] The preamble code corresponds to one or more SSBs sent by the network device to the user equipment (UE), so the SSB can be associated with the beam position. For example, one SSB can correspond to one beam position in a cell. After the UE receives the SSBs corresponding to all beam positions in a cell, it can measure the SSBs corresponding to all beam positions in the cell, thereby obtaining measurement results for all beam positions in the cell. The measurement results of all beam positions in the cell will be used to determine whether the UE should stay in / switch to the cell.

[0066] A synchronization signal block burst set (SSB burst set) refers to a set of SSBs sent by a network device to a UE in one half frame (i.e., 5ms). An SSB burst set may include one or more SSBs, and the maximum number of SSBs in an SSB burst set may be 4, 8, or 64. The period of occurrence of an SSB burst set may be 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms. Optionally, the duration of an SSB burst set is related to the number of SSBs in an SSB burst set and the corresponding subcarrier spacing (SCS). The duration of an SSB burst set is limited to within 5ms. For example, the duration of an SSB burst set is 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, or 5ms.

[0067] 3. Scanning method of SSB burst set

[0068] When the network device sends an SSB burst set to the UE, the network device may scan all the beam positions in a cell in a uniform scanning or non-uniform scanning manner.

[0069] Uniform scanning means that all beam positions in a cell are scanned at the same frequency. Non-uniform scanning means that some beam positions in a cell are scanned at higher frequencies while others are scanned at lower frequencies. For example, beam positions with higher frequencies may be those with higher traffic or a larger number of users in the cell, while beam positions with lower frequencies may be those with lower traffic or a smaller number of users.

[0070] For example, a cell includes 8 beam bits, namely beam bit A, beam bit B, beam bit C, beam bit D, beam bit E, beam bit F, beam bit G, and beam bit H, and each SSB burst set includes 8 SSBs:

[0071] As shown in Figure 2, the SSB index is the sequence number of the SSB. One SSB index corresponds to one SSB and one wave position. In both uniform and non-uniform scanning scenarios, the period of each SSB burst is 20ms. For the first and second SSB bursts, in uniform scanning, all eight wave positions are scanned twice, so the corresponding scanning frequencies for these eight wave positions are equal. In non-uniform scanning, wave positions A and B are scanned four times, wave position C is scanned three times, and wave positions D, E, F, G, and H are scanned once. The corresponding scanning frequencies for these eight wave positions are unequal.

[0072] Optionally, the period of uniform scanning may be equal to the period of one SSB burst set. The period of non-uniform scanning may include at least the period of two SSB burst sets. For example, the period of uniform scanning shown in FIG2 may be equal to 20ms. If two SSB burst sets need to be sent to complete one non-uniform scanning, and the wave positions corresponding to the two SSB burst sets to be sent for non-uniform scanning are respectively the same as the corresponding wave positions in the first SSB burst set and the second SSB burst set in FIG1 , then the period of non-uniform scanning shown in FIG2 is equal to 40ms. It can be understood that if the period of non-uniform scanning is equal to 40ms, then in the non-uniform scanning in FIG2 , the third SSB burst set not shown should be the same as the first SSB burst set, the fourth SSB burst set not shown should be the same as the second SSB burst set, and so on.

[0073] SMTC window and its configuration in the current protocol

[0074] The network device configures the UE with a synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, thereby instructing the UE when to measure SSBs. The SMTC window must cover all beam positions within a cell, so that the UE can only obtain measurement results for that cell when measuring according to the SMTC window.

[0075] Optionally, the configuration information of the SMTC includes but is not limited to one or more of a period, a duration, and an offset of the SMTC window, where the offset is equivalent to the start time of the SMTC window.

[0076] Currently, in the defined protocol, the period of the SMTC window is equal to the period of the SSB burst set, that is, one SMTC window corresponds to one SSB burst set. When an SSB burst set appears, the UE will measure each SSB in this SSB burst set.

[0077] Optionally, the SMTC window configured by the network device to the UE may include a main measurement timing configuration SMTC1 window (hereinafter referred to as the first SMTC window). The UE may measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in the serving cell and the SSB corresponding to each wave position in each neighboring cell of the serving cell according to SMCT1.

[0078] Optionally, the SMTC window configured by the network device to the UE may include a main measurement timing configuration SMTC1 window and an auxiliary measurement timing configuration SMTC2 window (hereinafter referred to as the second SMTC window). The UE may measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in the service cell according to the SMTC1 window, and measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in each neighboring cell of the service cell according to the SMTC2 window.

[0079] Optionally, in the currently defined protocol, the duration and offset of the SMTC2 window are equal to those of the SMTC1 window, and the period of the SMTC2 window is shorter than that of the SMTC1 window. Therefore, when a network device sends SMTC window configuration information, it does not need to send the duration and offset of the SMTC2 window; it only needs to send the period of the SMTC2 window.

[0080] Due to their wide coverage, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) have high user access requirements and significant regional variations in access requirements. To adapt to these characteristics of NTN communications, network equipment can employ the aforementioned non-uniform beam scanning method. However, when the SMTC window configuration in currently defined protocols is applied to non-uniform beam scanning, the UE will repeatedly measure the SSB corresponding to the scanned beam positions with high frequencies, thereby increasing UE power consumption.

[0081] The present application can effectively reduce the power consumption of the UE measuring SSB during non-uniform scanning. The following first introduces the communication system of the present application: Taking the NTN communication system as the satellite communication system shown in Figure 3 as an example, the satellite communication system includes at least one user equipment (UE), at least one network device, a ground station, and a core network. Among them, the UE and the network device exchange user service data through the NR new air interface technology, the network devices exchange signaling and transmit user service data through the XN port, and the network device and the ground station exchange core network signaling and transmit service data between users through the NG port.

[0082] Optionally, the ground station is connected to the core network, which includes functional entities of the user plane and the control plane. For example, the functional entities of the user plane include the user plane processing unit (UPF) and the data network, etc. The UPF is responsible for managing the transmission of user business data and traffic statistics and other functions. The functional entities of the control plane include the access and mobility management function (AMF), the session management function (SMF), security authentication, billing, etc. The AMF is responsible for user access management, and the SMF is responsible for session establishment, modification, and release, etc.

[0083] The UE may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (also known as a "cellular" phone, mobile phone), computer, and data card. For example, it may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with a wireless access network. For example, a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, and the like. A wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit (SU), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile station (MS), a mobile station (MS), a remote station (RS), an access point (AP), a remote terminal device (RTD), an access terminal device (ATD), a user terminal device (UE), a user agent (UA), a subscriber station (SS), or a customer premises device (CPE). Equipment (CPE), terminal (terminal), user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), drone, etc. The terminal device may also be a wearable device and a next-generation communication system, for example, a terminal device in a 5G communication system or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0084] The above-mentioned network device can be a satellite base station, which refers to a base station whose base station functions are deployed on a satellite. The satellite can be a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, etc.

[0085] It is understandable that the above-mentioned communication system is only an example, and the present application can also be applied to other NTN communication systems other than the above-mentioned communication system, and in other NTN communication systems, network equipment can also include high altitude platform station (HAPS) equipment, drones, etc.

[0086] The following describes the hardware structure of the above network equipment and UE.

[0087] As shown in FIG4 , FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 400 may be the user equipment or network device in FIG3 above.

[0088] For example, the communication device 400 includes one or more processors 110 and one or more memories 120. The one or more memories 120 are coupled to the one or more processors 110. Coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules.

[0089] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU). The different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0090] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. The interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

[0091] Memory 120 is used to store program code and data. In some embodiments, memory 120 is a high-speed cache memory. This memory can store program code or data that has just been used or is being recycled by processor 110. If processor 110 needs to use the program code or data again, it can directly call it from memory 120. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces processor 110's waiting time, and thus improves system efficiency.

[0092] The processor 110 may operate in conjunction with the memory 120 , or at least one of the one or more memories 120 may be included in the processor 110 .

[0093] The device may also include a communication interface 130, which may optionally include a standard wired interface, a wireless interface (such as Wi-Fi, a mobile communication interface, etc.), and the communication interface 130 is controlled by the processor 110 to send and receive data; the communication interface 130 may optionally also realize data or signal communication between internal devices of the device.

[0094] It should be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 400. In other embodiments of the present application, the communication device 400 may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0095] This application divides non-uniform scanning patterns into two types and proposes corresponding configuration methods for SMTC windows under these two types. The following first introduces these two types:

[0096] Assume that in one cycle of non-uniform scanning of SSBs, the network device needs to send N consecutive SSB burst sets to the UE, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. Then, the arrangement of each SSB in these N consecutive SSB burst sets constitutes a non-uniform scanning pattern, and one cycle corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern requires N consecutive SSB burst sets. Among these N consecutive SSB burst sets, the scanning frequency of at least one first SSB is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

[0097] Type 1: In Type 1, the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets includes the SSBs corresponding to all the beam positions in a cell. Furthermore, the Ith SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets includes the SSB corresponding to the hotspot beam position. The hotspot beam position refers to the beam position corresponding to the hotspot area in a cell, where I is a positive integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N. Furthermore, the SSB corresponding to the hotspot beam position in the cell is equivalent to the first SSB, and the SSBs corresponding to the remaining beam positions in the cell, excluding the hotspot beam position, are equivalent to the second SSB.

[0098] For example, if N is 2, a cell includes 8 beam bits, namely beam bit A, beam bit B, beam bit C, beam bit D, beam bit E, beam bit F, beam bit G, and beam bit H. Among the 8 beam bits, beam bits A, B, and C are hotspot beam bits, and each SSB burst set includes 8 SSBs. Then, the network device can send two consecutive SSB burst sets shown in Figure 5 to the UE. As shown in Figure 5, in type 1, the first SSB burst set sent by the network device to the UE includes SSBs corresponding to beam bits A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H, and the second SSB burst set includes SSBs corresponding to beam bits A, B, and C. Therefore, in type 1, the beam bits corresponding to the first SSB burst set sent by the network device to the UE can cover all beam bits in a cell.

[0099] Type 2: In Type 2, the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets includes SSBs corresponding to some of the wave positions in a cell. The wave positions corresponding to all SSBs included in J SSB burst sets among N consecutive SSB burst sets can cover all wave positions in a cell, where J is a positive integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N. In addition, there are at least two different SSB burst sets among the N consecutive SSB burst sets, and there is at least one first wave position whose scanned frequency is higher than the scanned frequency of at least one second wave position among the N consecutive SSB burst sets. The SSB corresponding to the first wave position is equivalent to the first SSB, and the SSB corresponding to the second wave position is equivalent to the second SSB.

[0100] For example, as shown in Figure 5, in type 2, the first SSB burst set sent by the network device to the UE includes SSBs corresponding to wave bit A, wave bit B, wave bit C, wave bit D, wave bit G, and wave bit H, and wave bit A and wave bit B are scanned twice, and wave bit B, wave bit C, wave bit D, wave bit G, and wave bit H are scanned once. In this case, wave bit A and wave bit B are the first wave bit, and wave bit B, wave bit C, wave bit D, wave bit G, and wave bit H are the second wave bit. The second SSB burst set includes SSBs corresponding to wave bit A, wave bit B, wave bit C, wave bit E, and wave bit F, and wave bit A, wave bit B, and wave bit C are scanned three times, and wave bit E and wave bit F are scanned once. Therefore, in type 2, the wave bits corresponding to the first SSB burst set sent by the network device to the UE cannot cover all wave bits in a cell. The wave bits corresponding to the first SSB burst set and the wave bits corresponding to the second SSB burst set must be combined to cover all wave bits in a cell.

[0101] It should be noted that the above N may be indicated by a protocol, or may be indicated by a network device through a broadcast message.

[0102] The following describes the configuration methods proposed in this application for these two types of SMTC windows:

[0103] Configuration method of SMTC window in type 1:

[0104] In the above description of type one, the wave position corresponding to the first SSB burst set in N consecutive SSB burst sets can cover all wave positions in a cell. Therefore, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the UE can obtain the SSB measurement results of all wave positions in a cell by measuring the first SSB burst set in N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0105] For type 1, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the network device may configure a first SMTC window for the UE. This first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets. For example, for type 1 in Figure 5 above, the network device may configure a first SMTC window as shown in Figure 6 for the UE. The dotted box represents this first SMTC window. Within the dotted box, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to the eight wave positions included in a cell.

[0106] Specifically, when the network device can configure a first SMTC window for the UE, the period, offset, and duration of the first SMTC window need to be configured:

[0107] Since a first SMTC window exists within a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the period of this first SMTC window is equal to the period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern. Accordingly, the offset value of this first SMTC window should be the value taken at each moment within the period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern. Furthermore, since this first SMTC window corresponds to a complete SSB burst set, and in the current protocol, an SMTC window also corresponds to a complete SSB burst set, the configuration method for the duration of this first SMTC window can follow the configuration method for the duration of the SMTC window in the current protocol.

[0108] For example, the configuration of the first SMTC window of type 1 is as follows:

[0109] Wherein, sf5, sf10, sf20, sf40, sf80, and sf160 respectively refer to 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms. The periodicityAndOffset field is used to indicate the period and offset of the first SMTC window, and the duration field is used to indicate the duration of the first SMTC window.

[0110] When configured in the above manner, the period of the first SMTC window can be configured as sf5*N, sf10*N, sf20*N, sf40*N, sf80*N or sf160*N, and accordingly, the offset of the first SMTC window can be configured as a value from 0 to N*T-1, where T is sf5, sf10, sf20, sf40, sf80 or sf160. For example, in type one, if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf5*N (equivalent to N*5ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 5*N-1; if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf10*N (equivalent to N*10ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 10*N-1; if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf20*N (equivalent to N*20ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 20*N-1. number; if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf40*N (equivalent to N*40ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 40*N-1; if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf80*N (equivalent to N*80ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 80*N-1; if the period of a first SMTC window corresponding to the first SSB burst set is configured as sf160*N (equivalent to N*160ms), the offset of this first SMTC window can be configured as a natural number from 0 to 160*N-1.

[0111] When configured in the above manner, the duration of the SMTC window can be a value within one half-frame (i.e., 5ms). For example, in the current protocol, with a unit interval of 1ms, one half-frame is set to correspond to the first set of {1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms}. The duration of this first SMTC window is a value within the first set.

[0112] It should be noted that after configuring the above-mentioned first SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in the serving cell and each neighboring cell according to the above-mentioned first SMTC window.

[0113] Optionally, for type one, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the network device may further configure a second SMTC window for the UE.

[0114] Among them, since in type one of non-uniform scanning, the first SSB burst set in N consecutive SSB burst sets covers all wave positions of a cell, the second SMTC window also corresponds to the first SSB burst set, and the period of the second SMTC window is less than the period of the above-mentioned first SMTC window, and the duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the above-mentioned first SMTC window. In other words, on the premise that the network device has configured the period, offset and duration of the above-mentioned first SMTC window to the UE, the network device also needs to configure the period of the second SMTC window to the UE, and there is no need to configure the duration and offset of the second SMTC window to the UE.

[0115] For example, the configuration of the second SMTC window in type 1 is as follows:

[0116] Wherein, pci-List is the cell identifier (PCI) of the neighboring cell corresponding to the second SMTC window. When configured in this manner, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf5*N, sf10*N, sf20*N, sf40*N, or sf80*N, and the period of the second SMTC window is smaller than the period of the first SMTC window. For example, when the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf10*N, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf5*N; when the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf20*N, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf10*N; when the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf40*N, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf20*N; when the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf80*N, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf40*N; when the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf160*N, the period of the second SMTC window can be configured as sf80*N. When the period of the first SMTC window is configured as sf5*N, the second SMTC window cannot be configured.

[0117] It should be noted that after configuring the above-mentioned first SMTC window and the second SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in the service cell according to the above-mentioned first SMTC window, and measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in each neighboring cell according to the second SMTC window.

[0118] Configuration method of SMTC window in type 2:

[0119] In the above description of type 2, the wave positions corresponding to J SSB burst sets among N consecutive SSB burst sets can cover all wave positions in a cell. Therefore, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the UE can obtain the SSB measurement results of all wave positions in a cell by measuring all / part of the SSBs under the J SSB burst sets.

[0120] For type 2, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the network device may configure multiple discrete first SMTC windows for the UE. The multiple discrete first SMTC windows correspond to J SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets, and the SSBs corresponding to each of the multiple discrete first SMTC windows are different. For example, for type 2 in Figure 5 above, the network device may configure the three discrete first SMTC windows shown in Figure 7 for the UE, where the dashed boxes represent these three discrete first SMTC windows. Within the range of the first first SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to four wave positions in the cell, from wave position A to wave position D. Within the range of the second first SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to two wave positions in the cell, from wave position G to wave position H. Within the range of the third first SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to two wave positions in the cell, from wave position E to wave position F. Based on these three discrete first SMTC windows, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to eight wave positions in a cell.

[0121] Specifically, when the network device can configure the multiple discrete first SMTC windows for the UE, it is necessary to configure the period, offset, and duration of each first SMTC window.

[0122] Period and Offset: Because there are multiple discrete first SMTC windows within a period corresponding to a non-uniform scanning pattern, and each first SMTC window corresponds to a different SSB, the period of each first SMTC window is equal to the period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern. Accordingly, the offset value of each first SMTC window should be the value taken at each moment within the period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern. Therefore, for Type 2, the configuration method for the period and offset of each of the multiple discrete first SMTC windows is the same as the configuration method for the period and offset of a single first SMTC window in Type 1.

[0123] Duration: Since any of the multiple discrete first SMTC windows can correspond to a complete SSB burst set or a portion of a complete SSB burst set (as shown in FIG7 ), the duration of each first SMTC window in type 2 can be configured as follows:

[0124] Optionally, the duration of each first SMTC window in type two can follow the configuration method of the duration of the SMTC window in the current protocol, that is, it is a value in the first set, and the first set is {1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms} (that is, the unit interval of the duration value is 1ms).

[0125] Optionally, since each first SMTC window corresponds to a partial wave position of one SSB burst set among J SSB burst sets, and in the current protocol, one SMTC window corresponds to a complete SSB burst set, the unit interval of the duration value can also be adjusted according to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the SSB burst set to obtain the second set, and the duration value of each first SMTC window in type two is a value in the second set. Among them, the unit interval of the duration value in the second set can be smaller than the unit interval of the duration value in the first set. In this way, the duration values included in the second set can correspond to the partial wave positions in a complete SSB burst set, rather than a complete SSB burst set.

[0126] The possible methods of the second set are introduced below:

[0127] First, introduce the duration required to measure a single SSB under different subcarrier spacings (SCS):

[0128] When SCS = 15kHz, if F ≤ 3GHz, then at most 4 SSBs are included in 2 subframes (i.e., 2ms), and if 3GHz < F ≤ 6GHz, then at most 8 SSBs are included in 4 subframes (i.e., 4ms). Therefore, for SCS = 15kHz, the duration required to measure a single SSB is greater than or equal to 0.5ms.

[0129] When SCS = 30kHz, if F ≤ 3GHz, then at most 4 SSBs are included in 1 subframe (i.e., 1ms), and if 3GHz < F ≤ 所述6GHz, then at most 8 SSBs are included in 2 subframes (i.e., 2ms). Therefore, for SCS = 30kHz, the duration required to measure a single SSB is greater than or equal to 0.25ms.

[0130] When SCS = 120kHz, if F > 6GHz, then at most 64 SSBs are included in 4 subframes (i.e., 4ms). Therefore, for SCS = 120kHz, the duration required to measure a single SSB is greater than or equal to 0.0625ms.

[0131] When SCS = 240kHz, if F > 6GHz, then at most 64 SSBs are included in 2 subframes (i.e., 2ms). Therefore, for SCS = 240kHz, the duration required to measure a single SSB is greater than or equal to 0.03125ms.

[0132] According to the minimum duration required to measure a single SSB under the above different SCSs, the second set corresponding to different SCSs can be pre-set:

[0133] Method 1: Optionally, a corresponding second set can be set for SCS=15kHz, 30kHz, 120kHz or 240kHz respectively: for example, when SCS=15kHz, the duration in the second set all satisfies 0.5ms*Y, 1≤Y≤10; when SCS=30kHz, the duration in the second set all satisfies 0.25ms*Y, 1≤Y≤20; when SCS=120kHz, the duration in the second set all satisfies 0.0625ms*Y, 1≤Y≤80; when SCS=240kHz, the duration in the second set all satisfies 0.03125ms*Y, 1≤Y≤160.

[0134] It should be noted that when the durations in the second set satisfy the formulas in method 1, the unit intervals of the two adjacent duration values ​​in the second set may be equal or different, and this application does not limit this. For example, when the durations in the second set all satisfy 0.5ms*Y, the unit intervals of the two adjacent duration values ​​in the second set may all be equal to 0.5ms, then the second set may be {0.5ms, 1ms, 1.5ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 3ms, 3.5ms, 4ms, 4.5ms, 5ms}; or, the unit intervals of the two adjacent duration values ​​in the second set may be unequal (the values ​​may be 0.5ms or 1ms), then the second set may be {0.5ms, 1ms, 1.5ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms}.

[0135] Method 2: Optional: Since the minimum duration required to measure a single SSB when SCS = 15 kHz is twice the minimum duration required to measure a single SSB when SCS = 30 kHz, and the minimum duration required to measure a single SSB when SCS = 120 kHz is twice the minimum duration required to measure a single SSB when SCS = 240 kHz, one corresponding second set can be set for SCS = 15 kHz or 30 kHz, and another corresponding second set can be set for SCS = 120 kHz or 240 kHz. Based on this method, the number of second sets that need to be set can be reduced.

[0136] For example, assuming that when SCS = 15 kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least X SSBs, and when SCS = 30 kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 2X SSBs, then the durations in the second set corresponding to SCS = 15 kHz or 30 kHz satisfy 0.5 ms*Y, 1≤Y≤10. For example, assuming that when SCS = 15 kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 1 SSB (i.e., X is 1), and when SCS = 30 kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 2 SSBs, and the unit interval of the duration values ​​in the second set is all equal to 0.5 ms, the second set can be {0.5 ms, 1 ms, 1.5 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, 3 ms, 3.5 ms, 4 ms, 4.5 ms, 5 ms}.

[0137] Similarly, assuming that when SCS=120kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least X SSBs, and when SCS=240kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 2X SSBs, then the duration in the second set corresponding to SCS=120Hz or 240kHz satisfies 0.0625ms*Y, 1≤Y≤80. For example, taking the case where a first SMTC window measures at least 1 SSB when SCS=120kHz (i.e., X is 1), and a first SMTC window measures at least 2 SSBs when SCS=240kHz, and the unit interval of the duration values ​​in the second set are all equal to 0.0625ms, the second set can be {0.0625ms, 0.125ms, 0.1875ms, 0.25ms, 0.3125ms, 0.375ms, 0.4375ms, 0.5ms, 0.5625ms}. ms, 0.6875ms, 0.75ms, 0.8125ms, 0.875ms, 0.9375ms, 1ms, 1.0625ms, 1.125ms, 1.1875ms, 1.25ms, 1.3125ms, 1 .375ms, 1.4375ms, 1.5ms, 1.5625ms, 1.6875ms, 1.75ms, 1.8125ms, 1.875ms, 1.9375ms, 2ms, 2.0625ms, 2.125m s, 2.1875ms, 2.25ms, 2.3125ms, 2.375ms, 2.4375ms, 2.5ms, 2.5625ms, 2.6875ms, 2.75ms, 2.8125ms, 2.875ms, 2.9375ms, 3ms, 3.0625ms, 3.125ms, 3.1875ms, 3.25ms, 3.3125ms, 3.375ms, 3.4375ms, 3.5ms, 3.5625ms, 3.687 5ms, 3.75ms, 3.8125ms, 3.875ms, 3.9375ms, 4ms, 4.0625ms, 4.125ms, 4.1875ms, 4.25ms, 4.3125ms, 4.375ms, 4.4375ms, 4.5ms, 4.5625ms, 4.6875ms, 4.75ms, 4.8125ms, 4.875ms, 4.9375ms, 5ms} (that is, each duration is a multiple of 0.0625*1).Alternatively, for example, taking SCS = 120kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 4 SSBs (i.e., X is 4), SCS = 240kHz, a first SMTC window measures at least 8 SSBs, and the unit interval of the duration values ​​in the second set are all equal to 0.0625ms*8, the second set can be {0.25ms, 0.5ms, 0.75ms, 1ms, 1.25ms, 1.5ms, 1.75ms, 2ms, 2.25ms, 2.5ms, 2.75ms, 3ms, 3.25ms, 3.5ms, 3.75ms, 4ms, 4.25ms, 4.5ms, 4.75ms, 5ms} (i.e., each duration is a multiple of 0.0625*8).

[0138] It should be noted that when the duration in the second set satisfies the formulas in method 2, the unit intervals of two adjacent duration values ​​in the second set may be equal or different (the above examples are all the same case), and the form of the above second set is only an example. In specific implementation, adaptive expansion can be performed, and this application does not limit this.

[0139] Optionally, for type 2, in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, the network device may further configure a plurality of discrete second SMTC windows for the UE.

[0140] Among them, due to the significant differences in services between the serving cell and each neighboring cell, the hotspot and non-hotspot beam positions in the serving cell and each neighboring cell are not completely identical. Accordingly, the scanning frequency, order, etc. of the hotspot beam positions and non-hotspot beam positions are also not completely identical. Furthermore, since in type 2 of non-uniform scanning, the SSBs corresponding to all beam positions of a cell are distributed in multiple SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets, the distribution of the SSBs corresponding to each beam position in the serving cell in the N consecutive SSB burst sets is not completely identical to the distribution of the SSBs corresponding to each beam position in each neighboring cell in the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0141] For example, if N is 2, the service cell includes 8 wave bits, namely wave bit A, wave bit B, wave bit C, wave bit D, wave bit E, wave bit F, wave bit G, and wave bit H. Wave bit A, wave bit B, and wave bit C among the 8 wave bits are hot spot wave bits, and each SSB burst set includes 8 SSBs. The network device can send 2 consecutive SSB burst sets of the service cell shown in Figure 8 to the UE. The description of the 2 consecutive SSB burst sets of the service cell can refer to the description of type 2 in Figure 5.

[0142] Neighboring cell 1 includes 8 wave bits, namely wave bit I, wave bit J, wave bit K, wave bit L, wave bit M, wave bit N, wave bit O, and wave bit P. Wave bit I, wave bit J, and wave bit K among the 8 wave bits are hot wave bits. Each SSB burst set includes 8 SSBs. The network device can send two consecutive SSB burst sets of neighboring cell 1 shown in Figure 8 to the UE, wherein the first SSB burst set of neighboring cell 1 includes SSBs corresponding to wave bit I, wave bit J, wave bit K, wave bit L, and wave bit M, and wave bit I is scanned three times, wave bit J is scanned twice, and wave bit K, wave bit L, and wave bit M are all scanned once; the first SSB burst set of neighboring cell 1 includes SSBs corresponding to wave bit I, wave bit J, wave bit K, wave bit N, wave bit O, and wave bit P, and wave bit K and wave bit J are both scanned twice, and wave bit I, wave bit N, wave bit O, and wave bit P are all scanned once.

[0143] As can be seen from Figure 8, the SSB distribution corresponding to the serving cell and the neighboring cell is not exactly the same. Therefore, when configuring the second SMTC window to measure the SSB corresponding to the neighboring cell, the second SMTC window cannot use the configuration of the above-mentioned multiple discrete first SMTC windows. The second SMTC window needs to be decoupled from the first SMTC window, that is, multiple discrete second SMTC windows need to be configured separately to meet the service needs of different cells.

[0144] For example, for the two SSB burst sets of neighboring cell 1 in Figure 8 above, the network device can configure the three discrete first SMTC windows shown in Figure 9 to the UE, where the dotted boxes are these three discrete second SMTC windows. Within the range of the first second SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to the three wave positions of wave position I, wave position J and wave position K in neighboring cell 1. Within the range of the second second SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to the two wave positions of wave position L and wave position M in neighboring cell 1; within the range of the third second SMTC window, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to the three wave positions of wave position N, wave position O and wave position P in neighboring cell 1; based on these three discrete second SMTC windows, the UE can measure the SSBs corresponding to the eight wave positions included in the neighboring cell.

[0145] Specifically, when configuring multiple discrete second SMTC windows, the period, offset and duration of each second SMTC window need to be configured, that is, the network device needs to send the period, offset and duration of each second SMTC window to the UE.

[0146] Period and Offset: The period of each second SMTC window is equal to the period of the non-uniform scanning pattern. Accordingly, the offset value of each second SMTC window should be the value taken at each moment within the period of the non-uniform scanning pattern. Therefore, for Type 2, the configuration method for the period and offset of each of the multiple discrete second SMTC windows is the same as the configuration method for the period and offset of a single first SMTC window in Type 1, and is not further described here.

[0147] Duration: Optionally, the duration of each second SMTC window in type 2 can follow the configuration method of the duration of the SMTC window in the current protocol, that is, a value in the first set, which is {1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms} (that is, the unit interval of the duration value is 1ms). Optionally, the duration of each second SMTC window in type 2 can be a value in the above-mentioned second set. The duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing. Please refer to the corresponding description of the above-mentioned second set.

[0148] Based on the two types of SMTC window configuration methods described above, the following describes the interaction between network devices and user devices during SMTC window configuration:

[0149] As shown in Figure 10, Figure 10 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes step 1001. The execution subject of the method shown in Figure 10 can be a network device, or the subject can be a chip in the network device. Alternatively, the execution subject of the method shown in Figure 10 can also be other types of products, and those skilled in the art can make further expansions based on the content disclosed in the specification. The execution subject of the method shown in Figure 10 takes a network device as an example. Among them:

[0150] 1001. A network device sends configuration information to a user equipment. The configuration information is used to configure M first SMTC windows. The configuration information includes periods of the M first SMTC windows. The M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in a burst set of N consecutive synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). The multiple SSBs correspond to different wave positions, and the multiple SSBs include SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell. The period of each of the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern. N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. Accordingly, the user equipment receives the configuration information.

[0151] In a first possible implementation, if the network device is non-uniformly scanning each cell (including the service cell and each neighboring cell), and the non-uniform scanning pattern is type one mentioned above, then the value of M is 1, that is, the configuration information sent by the network device to the user equipment is used to configure a first SMTC window, and this first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set in N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0152] Specifically, the configuration information includes the period, offset, and duration of the first SMTC window. The configuration method of the period, offset, and duration of the first SMTC window can be configured according to the configuration method of the SMTC window in type 1 in the above content, that is:

[0153] The period of a first SMTC window is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the offset of a first SMTC window is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, T is the period of an SSB burst set, and the duration of a first SMTC window is a value in the first set, and the duration in the first set is pre-specified by the protocol.

[0154] For example, if N is 2, the period of an SSB burst set is sf20, the period of this first SMTC window can be configured as 2*sf20=40ms, the offset can be configured as 0ms between 0 and 40ms, and the duration can be configured as 4ms among {1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms}.

[0155] Based on the configuration information of the first SMTC window, there is only one first SMTC window in a period corresponding to the non-uniform scanning pattern, and this first SMTC window can cover the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell without repetition. Accordingly, the user equipment can measure the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell without repetition based on this first SMTC window, and the period for the user equipment to measure SSBs is longer than the period in the current SMTC window configuration method (in the current method, the period of an SMTC window is equal to the period of an SSB burst set). Based on the above two points, this method can effectively reduce the power consumption of the user equipment when measuring SSBs during non-uniform scanning. In addition, in this method, the network equipment does not need to send multiple SMTC windows, and the transmission overhead of the network equipment can also be effectively reduced.

[0156] Optionally, the network device may further configure a second SMTC window for the user device, where the configuration information further includes a period of the second SMTC window, the period of the second SMTC window being less than the period of the first SMTC window, and the duration and offset of the second SMTC window being the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window. The second SMTC window may be used to measure the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of each neighboring cell, and by controlling the period of the second SMTC window to be less than the period of the first SMTC window, the measurement efficiency of the neighboring cell may be improved.

[0157] For example, the configuration information further includes a period of a second SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window can be configured as 2*sf10=20 ms.

[0158] In a second possible implementation, if the network device is non-uniformly scanning each cell (including the service cell and each neighboring cell), and the non-uniform scanning pattern is the above-mentioned type 2, then the value of M is a positive integer greater than 1, that is, the configuration information sent by the network device to the user equipment is used to configure multiple discrete first SMTC windows, and the multiple discrete first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets, and the wave positions corresponding to the SSBs in these at least two SSB burst sets are not repeated.

[0159] Specifically, the configuration information includes the period, offset, and duration of each of the multiple discrete first SMTC windows. The configuration method of the period, offset, and duration of each first SMTC window can be configured according to the configuration method of the SMTC window in type 2 in the above content, that is:

[0160] The period of each of the multiple discrete first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the offset of each first SMTC window is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, T is the period of an SSB burst set, and the duration of each first SMTC window is a value in the first set / second set. The duration in the first set is pre-specified by the protocol, and the duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0161] For example, if N is 2, the period of an SSB burst set is sf20, the subcarrier spacing is 30, and the second set is {0.5ms, 1ms, 1.5ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms}, a total of three discrete first SMTC windows need to be configured. The period of these three discrete first SMTC windows is 2*sf20=40ms, the offset can be configured to 0ms, 10ms, 18ms in 0 to 40ms, and the duration can be configured to

[0162] 1.5ms, 1.5ms, 1ms in {0.5ms, 1ms, 1.5ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, 5ms}.

[0163] Based on the configuration information of these multiple discrete first SMTC windows, these multiple discrete first SMTC windows can cover the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell without duplication. Accordingly, the user equipment can measure the SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell without duplication based on these multiple discrete first SMTC windows. In addition, the period for the user equipment to measure SSBs is longer than the period in the current SMTC window configuration method (in the current method, the period of an SMTC window is equal to the period of an SSB burst set). Based on the above two points, this method can effectively reduce the power consumption of the user equipment when measuring SSBs during non-uniform scanning.

[0164] Optionally, the network device can also configure multiple discrete second SMTC windows for the user equipment, and the configuration information also includes the period, duration, and offset of each second SMTC window in the multiple discrete second SMTC windows. This second SMTC window can be used to measure the SSB corresponding to all wave positions in each neighboring cell. Since the SSB distribution of each neighboring cell is not exactly the same as the SSB distribution of the serving cell, the network device decouples the second SMTC window from the first SMTC window and sends the period, duration, and offset of the second SMTC window separately, which can better meet the service needs of different cells.

[0165] For example, the configuration information also includes three periods of the second SMTC window. The periods of the three second SMTC windows can be configured as 2*sf20=40ms, the offsets can be configured as 5ms, 20ms, and 30ms from 0 to 40ms, respectively, and the durations can be configured as 1ms, 1.5ms, and 1ms from {0.5ms, 1ms, 1.5ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, and 5ms}, respectively.

[0166] Based on the method described in Figure 10, first, within a period of non-uniform scanning, the multiple SSBs corresponding to the M first SMTC windows are different and can cover all wave positions of a cell. In this way, when the UE performs SSB measurement based on the M first SMTCs, it can not only measure the SSB corresponding to each wave position in a cell, but also will not repeatedly measure the SSB corresponding to certain wave positions. Secondly, since the period of each first SMTC window is the same as the period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, which is equivalent to the period of each first SMTC window being equivalent to the sum of the periods of N consecutive SSB burst sets, these M first SMTC windows also appear periodically, and the period of each first SMTC window is longer than the period in the current SMTC window configuration method (in the current method, the period of an SMTC window is equal to the period of an SSB burst set). Moreover, if a second SMTC window needs to be configured, the configuration of each second SMTC window may not repeatedly cover all wave positions of the cell, and the period of each second SMTC window may be extended. Therefore, this method can effectively reduce the power consumption of the UE measuring SSB during non-uniform scanning.

[0167] Referring to Figure 11, Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of the software structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11 may include a sending unit 1101 and a receiving unit 1102. Optionally, the communication device may further include a processing unit.

[0168] In one example, the communication device 1100 shown in FIG11 can be used to perform some or all of the functions of the user equipment described above. The communication device 1100 can be a user equipment, a device in a user equipment, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a user equipment. The communication device 1100 can also be a chip system.

[0169] Receiving unit 1102 is used to receive configuration information; wherein, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to these multiple SSBs are different, and these multiple SSBs include SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0170] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes offsets of M first SMTC windows, where the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

[0171] In one possible implementation, M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes a duration of a first SMTC window. The duration of the first SMTC window is a value in a first set. The durations in the first set are predefined by the protocol.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window. The configuration information also includes a period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is less than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

[0174] In one possible implementation, M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets. The configuration information also includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMCT window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; the duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0175] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

[0176] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows. The configuration information also includes the period, offset, and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

[0178] In one possible implementation, among all SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

[0179] In another example, the communication device 1100 shown in FIG11 can be used to perform some or all of the functions of the network device described above. The communication device 1100 can be a network device, a device within a network device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network device. The communication device 1100 can also be a chip system.

[0180] Sending unit 1101 is used to send configuration information; wherein, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to these multiple SSBs are different, and these multiple SSBs include SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, N is a positive integer greater than 1, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0181] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes offsets of M first SMTC windows, where the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

[0182] In one possible implementation, M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0183] In a possible implementation, the configuration information further includes a duration of a first SMTC window. The duration of the first SMTC window is a value in a first set. The durations in the first set are predefined by the protocol.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window. The configuration information also includes a period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is less than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

[0185] In one possible implementation, M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in N consecutive SSB burst sets. The configuration information also includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMCT window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; the duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

[0186] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

[0187] In one possible implementation, if the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240 kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

[0188] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows. The configuration information also includes the period, offset, and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

[0189] In one possible implementation, among all SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

[0190] It should be noted that the specific implementation and beneficial effects of the operations performed by the communication device 1100 can be found in the corresponding description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0191] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a processor, the method flow of the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0192] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the method flow of the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0193] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that this application is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to this application, certain operations can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in this specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by this application.

[0194] The descriptions of the various embodiments provided in this application can refer to each other. The descriptions of each embodiment have their own focus. For parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. For the convenience and brevity of description, for example, the functions and operations performed by the various devices and equipment provided in the embodiments of this application can refer to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments of this application. The various method embodiments and the various device embodiments can also refer to, be combined with, or quote each other.

[0195] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present invention are generated. 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. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive configuration information; Among them, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to the multiple SSBs are different, and the multiple SSBs include SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; the N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the N is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The configuration information also includes offsets of the M first SMTC windows, and the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The configuration information also includes the duration of the first SMTC window, and the duration of the first SMTC window is a value in the first set; the duration in the first set is pre-defined by the protocol.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window, and the configuration information also includes the period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is smaller than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in the N consecutive SSB burst sets, and the configuration information further includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; The duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that If the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, and X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that If the subcarrier spacing is 120kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, and X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows, and the configuration information also includes the period, offset and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: Among all the SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Send configuration information; Among them, the configuration information is used to configure M first synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration SMTC windows; the configuration information includes the periods of the M first SMTC windows, the M first SMTC windows correspond to multiple SSBs in N consecutive synchronization signal block SSB burst sets, the wave positions corresponding to the multiple SSBs are different, and the multiple SSBs include SSBs corresponding to all wave positions of a cell; the N consecutive SSB burst sets are all SSB burst sets occupied within a period corresponding to a non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the period of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is equal to a period corresponding to the non-uniform SSB scanning pattern, the N is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The configuration information also includes offsets of the M first SMTC windows, and the offset of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a natural number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to N*T-1, where T is the period of an SSB burst set.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The M is 1 and a first SMTC window corresponds to the first SSB burst set among the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The configuration information also includes the duration of the first SMTC window, and the duration of the first SMTC window is a value in the first set; the duration in the first set is pre-defined by the protocol.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The configuration information is also used to configure a second SMTC window, and the configuration information also includes the period of the second SMTC window. The cell corresponding to the second SMTC window is a neighboring cell of the cell corresponding to the first SMTC window. The period of the second SMTC window is smaller than the period of the first SMTC window. The duration and offset of the second SMTC window are the same as the duration and offset of the first SMTC window.

16. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The M is a positive integer greater than 1, and the M first SMTC windows correspond to at least two SSB burst sets in the N consecutive SSB burst sets, and the configuration information further includes the duration of the M first SMTC windows, and the duration of each first SMTC window in the M first SMTC windows is a value in the second set; The duration in the second set is related to the subcarrier spacing corresponding to the N consecutive SSB burst sets.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that If the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, and X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.5ms*Y, and Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that If the subcarrier spacing is 120kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is X, or the subcarrier spacing is 240kHz and the minimum value of the measured number of SSBs corresponding to a first SMTC window is 2X, and X is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, then the value of each element in the second set satisfies 0.0625ms*Y; Y is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 80.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that: The configuration information is also used to configure multiple second SMTC windows, and the configuration information also includes the period, offset and duration of each SMTC window in the multiple second SMTC windows. The cells corresponding to the multiple second SMTC windows are neighboring cells of the cells corresponding to the M first SMTC windows.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that Among all the SSB burst sets, there is at least one first SSB whose scanning frequency is higher than the scanning frequency of at least one second SSB, and the wave position corresponding to the first SSB is different from the wave position corresponding to the second SSB.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or claims 11 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or claims 11 to 20.

23. A chip, characterized in that: The chip comprises a processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to receive or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions, so that the chip implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or claims 11 to 20.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is called by the computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or claims 11 to 20.

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