Secondary cell activation method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a secondary cell activation method and a communication apparatus. A network device allocates a number of first SSBs comprised by an SSB period to a terminal device. The network device sends a first SSB on a secondary cell, each of the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB comprising two first SSBs, 2*N being greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs; or, each of the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB comprises three first SSBs, 3*N being greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs. An Nth time slot is not restricted. On the basis of the first SSB, the terminal device executes a secondary cell activation process. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing idle transmission intervals in one period, shortening the length of the period, and greatly reducing the time delay of secondary cell activation.

Description

A method for activating a secondary cell and a communication device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on November 30, 2023, with application number 202311641797.9 and application name "A method for activating a secondary cell and a communication device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] In carrier aggregation scenarios, the network device's primary cell (PCell) and secondary cell (SCell) jointly serve terminal devices. The secondary cell is deactivated by default. The network device activates the secondary cell by sending a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB). Once the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device can transmit data on it. Reducing the activation latency of the secondary cell is a key consideration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a method and a communication device for activating a secondary cell, which are used to reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0006] In the first aspect, the present application provides a method for activating a secondary cell, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by other devices including the functions of a terminal device, or by a chip system (which can also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules, which can realize the functions of the terminal device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, set in the terminal device. Take the method being executed by a terminal device as an example for introduction: receiving first information on the primary cell of the terminal device, the first information indicating the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; receiving the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and executing the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0007] In this embodiment, the length of the cycle is determined based on the number of SSBs in a cycle. Each of the first N-1 time slots in a cycle of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission interval in a cycle and shortening the length of the cycle, which greatly reduces the delay in activating the secondary cell.

[0008] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB includes N time slots. The period may use a time slot as the minimum granularity.

[0009] In a possible implementation, a period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer. The period may use a subframe as the minimum granularity.

[0010] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB is one half frame.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is 2 or 3.

[0012] In one possible implementation, two adjacent first SSBs in a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / continuous; in other words, in two adjacent time slots, the last symbol of the multiple symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol of the multiple symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the next time slot are not adjacent / continuous, and other symbols exist.

[0014] In a possible implementation, a downlink reference signal is received on the secondary cell, and a measurement report of the downlink reference signal is sent on the primary cell. Thus, the secondary cell is activated successfully.

[0015] In one possible implementation, after sending the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, a second SSB may also be received on the secondary cell, wherein the length of one cycle of the second SSB is greater than the length of one cycle of the first SSB. After the secondary cell is successfully activated, the process of sending the traditional SSB may be returned to.

[0016] In one possible implementation, in the activation process of the secondary cell performed based on the first SSB, if after receiving a period of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than a set threshold, second information may be sent on the primary cell, and the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell. Accordingly, if the second information is used to instruct the sending of the first SSB, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell; if the second information is used to instruct the sending of the second SSB, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device performs the activation process of the secondary cell again based on the first SSB or the second SSB. This can reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0017] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first SSB from the secondary cell, indication information may also be sent on the primary cell, where the functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: indicating activation of a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and indicating sending the first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information may be sent after or before the first information. This example may be applicable to scenarios where a terminal device has a large amount of uplink data that needs to be transmitted urgently, which is conducive to quickly enabling the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improving user experience.

[0018] On the second aspect, the present application provides a method for activating a secondary cell, which can be executed by a network device, or by other devices including the functions of a network device, or by a chip system (which can also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules, which can realize the functions of the network device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, set in the network device. Take the method executed by a network device as an example for introduction: first information is sent to the terminal device on the primary cell of the terminal device, and the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; the first SSB is sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0019] In this embodiment, the length of the cycle is determined based on the number of SSBs in a cycle. Each of the first N-1 time slots in a cycle of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission interval in a cycle and shortening the length of the cycle, which greatly reduces the delay in activating the secondary cell.

[0020] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB includes N time slots. The period may use a time slot as the minimum granularity.

[0021] In a possible implementation, a period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer. The period may use a subframe as the minimum granularity.

[0022] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB is one half frame.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is 2 or 3.

[0024] In one possible implementation, two adjacent first SSBs in a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / continuous; in other words, in two adjacent time slots, the last symbol of the multiple symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol of the multiple symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the next time slot are not adjacent / continuous, and other symbols exist.

[0026] In one possible implementation, after sending the first SSB to the terminal device, a downlink reference signal may be sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell, and a measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device may be received on the primary cell. Thus, the secondary cell is successfully activated.

[0027] In one possible implementation, after receiving the measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell, a second SSB may be sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell, wherein the length of one cycle of the second SSB is greater than the length of one cycle of the first SSB. After successful activation on the secondary cell, the process falls back to the traditional SSB sending process.

[0028] In one possible implementation, after sending multiple periods of first SSB, where the multiple periods of first SSB are used for each receive beam configured by the terminal device to receive one period of first SSB, second information from the terminal device may also be received on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell. Accordingly, if the second information is used to instruct the sending of the first SSB, the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell; if the second information is used to instruct the sending of the second SSB, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device performs the secondary cell activation process again based on the first SSB or the second SSB. This can reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0029] In one possible implementation, before sending the first SSB on the secondary cell, indication information may also be received on the primary cell, where the functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: indicating activation of a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and indicating sending the first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information may be after or before the first information. This example may be applicable to scenarios where a terminal device has a large amount of uplink data that needs to be transmitted urgently, which is conducive to quickly enabling the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improving user experience.

[0030] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the terminal device described in the first aspect. The communication device has the functions of the terminal device described above. The communication device is, for example, a functional module in the terminal device, such as a baseband device or a chip system. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called a transceiver unit, and the functional module can implement a sending function and a receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is used to couple with the storage unit and execute the program or instructions in the storage unit, enabling the communication device to perform the functions of the terminal device described in the first aspect above.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used to receive first information on the primary cell of the terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; and receive the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and the processing unit is used to execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell; and send a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second SSB on the secondary cell, wherein a length of a cycle of the second SSB is greater than a length of a cycle of the first SSB.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to, during the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, determine that the signal quality of the first SSB is lower than a set threshold after receiving a period of the first SSB on each configured receive beam on the secondary cell. The transceiver unit is further configured to send second information on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, and to receive the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the network device described in the second aspect. The communication device has the functions of the network device described above. The communication device is, for example, a functional module in a network device, such as a baseband device or a chip system. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called a transceiver unit, and the functional module can implement a sending function and a receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is used to couple with the storage unit and execute the program or instructions in the storage unit, enabling the communication device to perform the functions of the network device described in the second aspect above.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used to send first information to the terminal device on a primary cell of the terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; and to send the first SSB to the terminal device on a secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a downlink reference signal to the terminal device on the secondary cell; and receive a measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to send a second SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell, wherein the length of one cycle of the second SSB is greater than the length of one cycle of the first SSB.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive second information from the terminal device on the primary cell, and the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, and to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the interface circuit. When the processor reads the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect, or executes the method performed by the network device in the second aspect. Exemplarily, the interface circuit is used to receive a signal from another communication device other than the communication device and transmit it to the processor, or to send a signal from the processor to another communication device other than the communication device. The processor is used to implement the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect, or to implement the method performed by the network device in the second aspect, through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0043] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and, optionally, a memory; the processor and the memory are coupled; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is used to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the apparatus may further include a transceiver configured to transmit a signal processed by the processor or receive a signal input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the transmitting action or receiving action performed by the terminal device in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the processing unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the processor, the storage unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the memory, and the transceiver unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the transceiver.

[0046] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and, optionally, a memory; the processor and the memory are coupled; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is used to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is used to implement the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the apparatus may further include a transceiver configured to transmit a signal processed by the processor or receive a signal input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the transmitting action or receiving action performed by the network device in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the processing unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the processor, the storage unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the memory, and the transceiver unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the transceiver.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the methods described in the aforementioned aspects, and the network device is configured to execute the methods described in the aforementioned aspects. For example, the terminal device may be implemented using the communication apparatus described in the third aspect, and the network device may be implemented using the communication apparatus described in the fourth aspect.

[0050] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, enables the method in the first or second aspect described above to be implemented.

[0051] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method in the first or second aspect to be implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation structure provided by this application;

[0054] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an SSB transmission time provided by this application;

[0055] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a secondary cell activation process provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an SSB pattern provided in this application;

[0057] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0059] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG9 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG10 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1000 shown in Figure 1 includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes the Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1) and may also include at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal device is wirelessly connected to the network device, and the network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device and the network device may be independent, distinct physical devices, or the core network device's functions and the network device's logical functions may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the core network device's functions and some of the network device's functions. Terminal devices and network devices may be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is merely a schematic diagram; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0063] The radio access network 100 may be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, a 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) system (also known as a long term evolution (LTE) system), a 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) system (also known as a new radio (NR) system), or may be applied to a next generation mobile communication system or other similar communication systems (for example, a 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) system), etc., without specific limitation. The radio access network 100 may also be an open radio access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The wireless access network 100 may also be a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication network, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) communication network, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication network, etc. The wireless access network 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0064] A network device is a node in a radio access network (RAN), and can also be referred to as an access network device or a RAN node (or device). A network device is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. The multiple network devices in communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types.

[0065] In one possible scenario, a network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access point (AP) in a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB), a mobile switching center, or a network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system. This means it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. The network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. The network device can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) communication, drone communication, or machine communication. Optionally, the network device can be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an onboard device. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0066] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal device in achieving wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the network device can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into a network device in the core network, which is not limited here.

[0067] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0068] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to or receive signals from a network device. Terminal devices include but are not limited to terminal devices, terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device D2D, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can specifically be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0069] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of network devices and terminal devices.

[0070] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. To terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device; however, to network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via an interface protocol between network devices. In this case, 120i is also a network device relative to 110a. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with network device functionality, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functionality.

[0071] Network devices and terminal devices, network devices and network devices, and terminal devices and terminal devices can communicate through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communications.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device functions. The control subsystem that includes the network device functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes the terminal device functions.

[0073] In this application, a network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to a terminal device, and the downlink signal or downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; a terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to a network device, and the uplink signal or uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with a network device, a terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection on a cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which a terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal device. When a terminal device communicates with a serving cell, it may also be interfered with by signals from neighboring cells.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the time domain symbols may be orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols. Unless otherwise specified, the symbols in the embodiments of the present application refer to time domain symbols.

[0075] In the carrier aggregation scenario, the terminal device is jointly served by the primary cell (PCell) and the secondary cell (SCell) of the network device. The primary cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses when establishing the initial connection, or the cell that the terminal device accesses when reestablishing the radio resource control (RRC) connection, or the cell designated by the terminal device during the handover process. The secondary cell is a cell added through the RRC connection reconfiguration message after the initial security activation process, and is used to provide additional wireless resources different from the primary cell. The default state of the secondary cell is the deactivated state, and the network device instructs the terminal device to activate the secondary cell through the media access control layer (MAC) control element (CE) signaling. When the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device can transmit data on the secondary cell.

[0076] As shown in Figure 2, a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation scenario in frequency range 1 (FR1)-FR2 is introduced. The terminal device resides in the low-frequency primary cell (i.e., FR1 PCell) and activates the high-frequency secondary cell (i.e., FR2 SCell) on demand.

[0077] The cell activation process includes but is not limited to the following processes: automatic gain control (AGC) adjustment (settling), cell search (cell search), and L1 reference signal receiving power (RSRP) measurement (L1-RSRP measurement). The following describes these three processes:

[0078] AGC settling: The network scans each UE receive beam twice. If the UE is configured with eight receive beams, the AGC settling part needs to scan 16 times. After 16 beam scans, the terminal device can determine the receive power of each beam pair.

[0079] Among them, scanning once can be understood as: the network device sends an SSB on multiple transmit beams in chronological order, and different transmit beams occupy different time units. Scanning once means sending a cycle of SSBs, and the number of SSBs included in a cycle is the same as the number of multiple transmit beams used for scanning once. The multiple SSBs sent in a scan (that is, the multiple SSBs sent in a cycle) can be called an SSB burst set, or an SSB set, or an SSB sample. In current technology, network equipment supports up to 64 transmit beams. If the UE is configured with 8 receive beams and the network device uses 32 beam scanning, then in the AGC settling part, the terminal device can know the receive power status of 8*32 beam pairs. If the UE is configured with 8 receive beams and the network device uses 64 beam scanning, then in the AGC settling part, the terminal device can know the receive power status of 8*64 beam pairs.

[0080] Cell search: For each receive beam of the UE, the network device scans once. If the UE is configured with 8 receive beams, the cell search part needs to be scanned 8 times.

[0081] The UE can detect the content in the SSB, obtain synchronization information, and then determine the frame boundary (i.e., from where to where a frame is).

[0082] L1-RSRP measurement: The network device scans each UE's receive beam once. If the UE is configured with eight receive beams, the L1-RSRP measurement needs to be scanned eight times. The UE determines the optimal beam pair (i.e., the UE's receive beam and the network device's transmit beam) based on RSRP and notifies the network device of this optimal beam pair. It is understood that the "optimal beam pair" in this application document can be a relatively optimal beam pair determined according to certain criteria.

[0083] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of SSB transmission timing. As shown in (a) of Figure 3, a 20ms period is defined. Within a period, an SSB burst is limited to 5ms (5ms is a half-frame), with no SSB transmission for the remaining 15ms. Due to frequency band differences, the subcarrier spacing of SSBs varies, and the transmission position of each SSB in an SSB burst also varies, resulting in different SSB patterns. Figure 3 (b) shows an SSB pattern for carrier frequency band FR2 and an SSB subcarrier spacing of 120kHz. An SSB occupies four consecutive symbols. An SSB at a transmission position is a candidate SSB. The index of the first symbol of a candidate SSB in its half-frame is {4, 8, 16, 20} + 28 × n, where n = 0, 1, …, 18. It can be seen that the 15ms idle transmission interval and the idle transmission intervals between different candidate SSBs within the SSB pattern lead to high latency in activating the cell.

[0084] If the secondary cell is activated using the example shown in Figure 3, the delay of the three processes of AGC settling, cell search, and L1-RSRP measurement is (16+8+8)*20ms=640ms. The activation delay of the secondary cell is very long, and the user experience is poor.

[0085] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that compresses the idle transmission intervals within a cycle, shortens the length of a cycle, and reduces the delay in activating the secondary cell.

[0086] The methods provided in various embodiments of the present application can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figures 1 and 2 or other network architectures. Taking the application in Figure 1 as an example, for example, the terminal device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 120i, or 120a, or 120b or 120c, etc., and the network device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 110a; for another example, the terminal device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 120h or 120g, and the network device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 120f; for another example, the terminal device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 120e, and the network device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be 120a or 120d. Taking the application in Figure 2 as an example, for example, the primary cell of the terminal device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be FR1 PCell, and the secondary cell of the terminal device involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be FR2 SCell.

[0087] Below, some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0088] 1) The difference between the first SSB and the second SSB: The length of the cycle of the first SSB and the second SSB is different, and the SSB pattern is different. The length of the cycle of the first SSB is less than the length of the cycle of the second SSB, and the idle transmission interval in the first SSB pattern is less than the idle transmission interval in the second SSB pattern. The delay of activating the secondary cell based on the first SSB is lower than the delay of activating the secondary cell based on the second SSB. In one example, the second SSB can be understood as the SSB sent according to the example of Figure 3.

[0089] SSBs are transmitted using beam scanning, meaning they are transmitted on different beams using time division multiplexing. The multiple SSBs transmitted by a network device during a beam scan are referred to as an SSB burst set, SSB set, or SSB sample. The length of an SSB cycle refers to the time interval between the transmission of two SSB burst sets / SSB sets / SSB samples or the time interval between two beam scans. The term "SSB cycle" can be replaced by "SSB burst set," "SSB set," or "SSB sample."

[0090] The internal structure of the first SSB and the second SSB may be the same or different. In a similar example, the first SSB and the second SSB both occupy 4 consecutive symbols, the first symbol carries the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the third symbol carries the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the second and fourth symbols carry the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In a different example, the second SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, the first symbol carries the primary synchronization sequence PSS, the third symbol carries the secondary synchronization sequence SSS, and the second and fourth symbols carry the physical broadcast channel PBCH. The first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols, the first symbol carries the primary synchronization sequence PSS, and the second symbol carries the secondary synchronization sequence SSS. This design of the first SSB only retains the synchronization function, and the system information carried by the PBCH will be provided by other signals, which can reduce the transmission overhead of the first SSB.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present application, "sending a first SSB" means sending the first SSB with one cycle or one SSB burst set / SSB set / SSB sample as the minimum unit, and the network device sends the first SSB for an integer number of cycles or an integer number of SSB burst sets / SSB sets / SSB samples. Similarly, "sending a second SSB" in the embodiments of the present application means sending the second SSB with one cycle or one SSB burst set as the minimum unit, and the network device sends the second SSB for an integer number of cycles or an integer number of SSB burst sets / SSB sets / SSB samples.

[0092] The first SSB in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by compact SSB, and the second SSB in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by normal SSB.

[0093] 2) The primary cell and secondary cell refer to terminal devices; the primary cell of UE1 may be the primary cell of UE2 or the secondary cell of UE2; the secondary cell of UE1 may be the primary cell of UE2 or the secondary cell of UE2.

[0094] 3) When a terminal device receives a signal on the primary cell, it uses the primary cell's time and frequency resources to receive the signal. When a network device transmits a signal on the primary cell, it uses the primary cell's time and frequency resources to transmit the signal. Similarly, when a terminal device receives or transmits a signal on the secondary cell, it uses the secondary cell's time and frequency resources to receive or transmit the signal.

[0095] 4) Beamforming: There are two types of beamforming: analog and digital. Analog beamforming is generated by multiple phase shifters in an analog filter. The phases of these phase shifters are configured, and the resulting signals have different gains in different directions, forming a beam in space. Digital beamforming does not require phase shifters. Instead, it forms a digital beam by digitally weighting the multiple signals sent from the baseband to the antenna.

[0096] In order to better describe the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the steps indicated by dotted lines in the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application are all optional steps.

[0097] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a secondary cell activation process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] Step 401: The network device sends first information on the primary cell of the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information on the primary cell of the terminal device.

[0099] The first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period, or the number of first SSBs included in one SSB burst set / SSB set / SSB sample, or the number of transmit beams included in one SSB period, where one first SSB corresponds to one transmit beam. The maximum number can be 64 and the minimum number can be 1. For example, the number of first SSBs is 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on.

[0100] The first information may be carried in RRC signaling.

[0101] When the terminal device receives the first information, the default state of the secondary cell SCell is the deactivated state.

[0102] Optionally, after step 401 and before step 402, the network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell, and accordingly, the terminal device receives MAC CE signaling on the primary cell; the MAC CE signaling is used to indicate the activation of the secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and the MAC CE signaling includes the identifier of the secondary cell in step 402.

[0103] Optionally, before the network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell, the terminal device sends indication information on the primary cell, and the functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: used to indicate activation of a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and used to indicate sending a first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information can be sent after the first information in step 401, or before the first information in step 401. This example can be applicable to scenarios where the terminal device has a large amount of uplink data that needs to be transmitted urgently, which is conducive to quickly starting the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improving user experience. The indication information can be a wake-up signal (WUS) or a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a buffer scheduling request (BSR), and the indication information can be carried in a physical random access channel (PRACH) or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0104] Step 402: The network device sends a first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device.

[0105] The length of the period of the first SSB is related to the number of first SSBs included in a period. For the period of the first SSB, there are several possible implementation methods. The numbers in the following methods are only for distinguishing different methods and are not used to limit the priority of the methods.

[0106] Mode a: Using time slots as the minimum granularity: One cycle of the first SSB includes N time slots, where N is a positive integer.

[0107] In example a1, a time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. When N is greater than or equal to 2, each of the first N-1 time slots in the cycle includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. The Nth time slot is not restricted. The Nth time slot may include 1, 2, or 3 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB and serve as an idle transmission interval within a cycle. When each of the first N-1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle. When each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle. When the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle is 2 or 3, N may be equal to 1 or greater than 1.

[0108] Take the example of a time slot including 3 first SSBs, a first SSB occupying 4 consecutive symbols, and a time slot including 14 symbols as follows: As shown in Figure 5 (a), an SSB cycle includes 64 first SSBs, and 64 first SSBs require 21 time slots to transmit. Under the configuration of FR2 SCS = 120kHz, the time length of a symbol is approximately 8.3us, and the length of a time slot is approximately 0.12ms (14×8.3us=0.12ms), so the length of a cycle is approximately 2.52ms (21×0.12ms=2.5ms), which is 1 / 8 of the cycle length of 20ms in the example of Figure 3. As shown in Figure 5 (b), an SSB cycle includes 32 first SSBs, and 32 first SSBs require 10 time slots to transmit, so the length of a cycle is approximately 1.2ms.

[0109] In the example of FIG5 , a time slot includes 14 symbols (indexed 0, 1, ..., 13), a time slot includes 3 first SSBs, a first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, the last 12 symbols (indexed 2, 3, ..., 13) in a time slot are used to transmit the first SSB, and the first 2 symbols (indexed 0, 1) are not used to transmit the first SSB. A predefined first SSB pattern can be described as follows, where the index of the first symbol of the 4 consecutive symbols occupied by the cth first SSB satisfies the following formula:

[0110] in, is rounded down, mod is a remainder operation, c is a positive integer, and c is less than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle.

[0111] Take a time slot including 2 first SSBs, a first SSB occupying 4 consecutive symbols, and a time slot including 14 symbols as an example: If an SSB cycle includes 64 first SSBs, 64 first SSBs require 32 time slots to send. Under the configuration of FR2SCS=120kHz, the length of a symbol time is approximately 8.3us, the length of a time slot is approximately 0.12ms (14×8.3us=0.12ms), and the length of a cycle is approximately 3.84ms (32×0.12ms=3.84ms). If an SSB cycle includes 32 first SSBs, 32 first SSBs require 16 time slots to send, and the length of a cycle is approximately 1.92ms (16×0.12ms=1.92ms).

[0112] In example a2, a time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. When N is greater than or equal to 2, each of the first N-1 time slots in the cycle includes 7 of the first SSBs. The Nth time slot is not restricted. The Nth time slot may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB and serve as an idle transmission interval within a cycle. 7*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in an SSB cycle. When the number of first SSBs included in an SSB cycle is less than or equal to 7, N may be equal to 1 or greater than 1.

[0113] A predefined first SSB pattern can be described as follows: the index of the first symbol of two consecutive symbols occupied by the cth first SSB satisfies the following formula: index_c=2×c. Where c is a positive integer, and c is less than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in an SSB period.

[0114] For example, if an SSB cycle includes 64 first SSBs, 10 time slots are required to transmit the 62 first SSBs. Each of the first 9 time slots includes 7 first SSBs, the first 2 symbols in the 10th time slot carry one first SSB, and the last 12 symbols in the 10th time slot do not transmit a first SSB. In the FR2 SCS = 120 kHz configuration, the length of a symbol is approximately 8.3 µs, the length of a time slot is approximately 0.12 ms (14 × 8.3 µs = 0.12 ms), and the length of a cycle is approximately 1.2 ms (10 × 0.12 ms = 1.2 ms). 1.2 ms is 6% of the cycle length of 20 ms in the example of Figure 3.

[0115] Mode b: With a subframe (1 ms) as the minimum granularity, one period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer, and one subframe includes a time slots, where a is a positive integer, for example, a is 8 or 16, i.e., one period of the first SSB includes a*M time slots.

[0116] In example b1, a time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. Each time slot in the first N-1 subframes in the cycle includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first SSB is not included in the last a*MN time slots in the cycle. There is no restriction on the Nth subframe, and each time slot in the Nth subframe may include 1, 2, or 3 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB, but serve as an idle transmission interval within a cycle. When each time slot in the first N-1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle. When each time slot in the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle.

[0117] In example b2, a time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies two consecutive symbols. Each of the first N-1 time slots in the cycle includes 7 of the first SSBs. The Nth time slot is not limited and may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 first SSBs. It may also not include the first SSB and instead serve as an idle transmission interval within the cycle. 7*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in an SSB cycle.

[0118] Mode c: With half a frame (5 ms) as the minimum granularity. One period of the first SSB is one half frame, one half frame includes 5 subframes, one subframe includes a time slots, where a is a positive integer, for example, a is 8 or 16, that is, one period of the first SSB includes 5*a time slots.

[0119] In example c1, a time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N-1 time slots in the cycle includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first SSB is not included in the last 5*aN time slots in the cycle. There is no restriction on the Nth subframe. Each time slot in the Nth subframe may include 1, 2, or 3 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB and serve as an idle transmission interval within a cycle. When each of the first N-1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle. When each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle.

[0120] In example c2, a time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N-1 time slots in the cycle includes 7 of the first SSBs. The Nth time slot is not limited and may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 first SSBs. It may also not include the first SSB and instead serve as an idle transmission interval within the cycle. 7*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in an SSB cycle.

[0121] In the above methods a1, b1 and c1, when a time slot includes 12 or 14 symbols and a first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, it is required that a time slot include at most 3 first SSBs. This can avoid a first SSB being dispersed in different time slots and avoid inaccurate synchronization.

[0122] In one example, the protocol specifies that a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs, and relevant information is configured in both the terminal device and the network device. In another example, the protocol specifies that a time slot may include two first SSBs or three first SSBs; or the protocol does not specify this. The network device can decide whether a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs, and the network device indicates to the terminal device whether a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs. For example, the network device can indicate to the terminal device through first information, that is, the first information also indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is two or three. The network device can also indicate to the terminal device through other information different from the first information.

[0123] In one example, within a time slot, two adjacent first SSBs occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot, as shown in Figure 5. In another example, within a time slot, two adjacent first SSBs may occupy discontinuous symbols in the time slot. In other words, within a time slot, the last symbol of multiple (e.g., 4) symbols occupied by the previous first SSB and the first symbol of multiple (e.g., 4) symbols occupied by the next first SSB are not adjacent / discontinuous, and other symbols exist.

[0124] In one example, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / continuous, as shown in Figure 5; in other words: in two adjacent time slots, the last symbol of the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol of the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the next time slot are not adjacent / continuous, and other symbols exist. In another example, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / continuous. For example, a time slot includes 12 symbols, and a time slot includes 3 first SSBs, and a first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. Then, the 3 first SSBs have completely occupied the symbols in the time slot, and there are no empty symbols. Then, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / continuous. For another example, a time slot includes 14 symbols, and a time slot includes 7 first SSBs. One first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. The 7 first SSBs have completely occupied the symbols in the time slot, and there are no empty symbols. The symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / continuous.

[0125] Step 403: The terminal device and the network device execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0126] In this embodiment, the length of the cycle is determined based on the number of SSBs in a cycle. Each of the first N-1 time slots in a cycle of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission interval in a cycle and shortening the length of the cycle, which greatly reduces the delay in activating the secondary cell.

[0127] The activation process of the secondary cell performed based on the first SSB includes but is not limited to one or more of the following processes: automatic gain control adjustment (AGC settling), cell search, and L1 reference signal received power measurement (L1-RSRP measurement). These three processes are similar to the AGC settling, cell search, and L1-RSRP measurement processes described above. The following is a detailed description using the example of a terminal device configured with b receive beams, where b is a positive integer and, optionally, is less than or equal to 8.

[0128] AGC settling: The network device sends 2*b periods of first SSBs on the secondary cell. The terminal device receives one period of first SSBs based on each of the b receive beams on the secondary cell. Then, the terminal device receives one period of first SSBs based on each of the b receive beams on the secondary cell. This allows the terminal device to initially determine the receive power of each beam pair.

[0129] Cell search: The network device sends b cycles of first SSBs on the secondary cell. The terminal device receives one cycle of first SSBs using b receive beams on the secondary cell. The terminal device detects the content of the first SSBs, obtains synchronization information, and determines frame boundaries.

[0130] L1-RSRP measurement: The network device transmits the first SSB for b periods on the secondary cell, and the terminal device receives the first SSB for one period using each of the b receive beams on the secondary cell. The terminal device determines the optimal beam pair (i.e., the terminal device's receive beam and the network device's transmit beam) based on the RSRP of each beam pair and notifies the network device of the optimal beam pair. For example, the optimal beam pair is the one with the highest RSRP.

[0131] The activation process of the secondary cell also includes the following steps:

[0132] The network device sends a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the downlink reference signal on the secondary cell. The terminal device sends a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, and accordingly, the network device receives the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell. For example, the downlink reference signal is a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0133] Based on the L1-RSRP measurement process described above, the terminal device determines the optimal beam pair, namely, the terminal device's receive beam and the network device's transmit beam. The network device can use the transmit beam in the optimal beam pair to send downlink reference signals on the secondary cell. The terminal device can use the receive beam in the optimal beam pair to receive downlink reference signals on the secondary cell.

[0134] The terminal device will only send a downlink reference signal measurement report on the primary cell when it determines that the received power of the downlink reference signal has reached the set threshold. If the network device receives the downlink reference signal measurement report on the primary cell, it can be considered that the secondary cell activation is successful. If the network device does not receive the downlink reference signal measurement report on the primary cell, it can be considered that the secondary cell activation has failed.

[0135] After the network device receives the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, after the terminal device sends the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell. The length of the period of the second SSB is greater than the length of the period of the first SSB. For example, the length of the period of the second SSB is 20ms as described in (a) of Figure 3. Exemplarily, the network device uses the transmitting beam in the optimal beam pair to send the second SSB on the secondary cell. Exemplarily, the terminal device uses the receiving beam in the optimal beam pair to receive the second SSB on the secondary cell. After activating the secondary cell through the first SSB, fall back to the sending process of the normal SSB (i.e., the second SSB).

[0136] In combination with FIG. 4 and the process of falling back to normal SSB (ie, the second SSB) after successful activation, as shown in FIG. 6 , a flow chart of a communication method is introduced.

[0137] Step 60: The terminal device sends indication information on the primary cell, where the indication information is used to instruct the sending of a first SSB to activate a secondary cell to serve the terminal device. Step 60 is optional.

[0138] Step 61: The network device prepares to activate the secondary cell. The network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell and configures relevant information of the first SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives RRC signaling on the primary cell and configures relevant information of the first SSB.

[0139] For example, the number of first SSBs included in one SSB cycle is configured through RRC signaling (refer to step 401).

[0140] Step 62: The network device sends a MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell, where the MAC CE signaling includes the identifier of the secondary cell. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the MAC CE signaling on the primary cell and starts monitoring the first SSB.

[0141] Step 63: The network device sends a first SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell. For step 63, reference may be made to the description of step 402 and will not be repeated here.

[0142] Step 64: Execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB. For step 64, reference may be made to the description of step 403 and will not be repeated here.

[0143] Step 65: The network device sends a CSI-RS on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the CSI-RS on the secondary cell.

[0144] Step 66: The terminal device sends a CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell, and correspondingly, the network device receives the CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell.

[0145] Step 67: The network device sends a second SSB on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0146] In one possible implementation, if the network device does not receive a measurement report of a downlink reference signal on the primary cell, it determines that the activation of the secondary cell has failed. The network device again sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell. Accordingly, the terminal device again receives MAC CE signaling on the primary cell. The MAC CE signaling is used to indicate that the secondary cell is activated to serve the terminal device. The MAC CE signaling includes an identifier of the secondary cell. The network device repeats step 402 (or step 63), step 403 (or step 64), and subsequent steps to execute the activation process of the secondary cell. In this case, the activation delay of the secondary cell is large.

[0147] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may request the network device to re-execute (re-execution may also be understood as re-execution) the activation process of the secondary cell. For example, the terminal device may request the network device to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell after AGC settling and before cell search, that is, after the terminal device receives the first SSB of 2 periods based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. For another example, the terminal device may request the network device to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell after cell search and before L1-RSRP measurement, that is, after the terminal device receives the first SSB of 3 periods based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. For another example, the terminal device may request the network device to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell after L1-RSRP measurement and before receiving the downlink reference signal, that is, after the terminal device receives the first SSB of 4 periods based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. Compared with the network device sending MAC CE signaling to indicate the re-execution of the activation process of the secondary cell, the delay of secondary cell activation can be reduced.

[0148] A solution with lower latency is that after the terminal device receives one period of the first SSB based on each of the b receive beams on the secondary cell, that is, after only a part of the process in the AGC settling is performed, it requests the network device to execute the secondary cell activation process again. For the network device, after sending multiple (i.e., b) periods of first SSBs, where the multiple periods of first SSBs are used for each receive beam configured by the terminal device to receive one period of the first SSB, the network device knows to execute the secondary cell activation process again.

[0149] During AGC settling, the terminal device can initially obtain the received power of each beam pair. One possible implementation is: the terminal device determines that the signal quality of all first SSBs is below a set threshold, for example, the RSRP is below a set threshold, and the terminal device requests the network device to re-activate the secondary cell.

[0150] There are several possible examples of the terminal device proactively requesting the network device to re-activate the secondary cell:

[0151] An example: the terminal device sends the second information on the primary cell, and accordingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell, and the second information is used to instruct to execute the secondary cell activation process again. Furthermore, the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell, and executes the secondary cell activation process again based on the first SSB. Alternatively, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell, and executes the secondary cell activation process again based on the second SSB. In this method a, the network device decides whether to send the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0152] In another example, the terminal device sends second information on the primary cell, and the network device receives the second information on the primary cell accordingly. The second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB on the secondary cell. Furthermore, the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell accordingly. The secondary cell activation process is performed again based on the first SSB.

[0153] In another example, the terminal device sends second information on the primary cell, and the network device receives the second information on the primary cell accordingly. The second information is used to instruct the network device to send the second SSB on the secondary cell. Furthermore, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell accordingly. The secondary cell activation process is performed again based on the second SSB.

[0154] In methods b and c, the terminal device instructs the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB. For example, the sending of the first SSB or the second SSB can be indicated by at least one bit. For example, a value of 1 for the bit indicates that the first SSB is sent, and a value of 0 for the bit indicates that the second SSB is sent.

[0155] For example, if the terminal device determines that it is the first time to request the network device to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell, or the number of times the terminal device is requested to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell is less than or equal to the set number threshold, the terminal device instructs the network device to send the first SSB on the secondary cell. Otherwise, the terminal device instructs the network device to send the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0156] In order to re-execute the activation process of the secondary cell, the network device sends the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, which may be at least 4*b cycles of the first SSB or the second SSB, where b is the number of receive beams configured for the terminal device, so that the terminal device performs the three processes of AGC settling, cell search, and L1-RSRP measurement. In addition, compared with the previous execution of the activation process of the secondary cell, the transmission beam used by the network device to send the first SSB in one cycle when the activation process of the secondary cell is re-executed may be completely the same, partially the same, partially different, or completely different. In addition, the transmission power of the first SSB in the re-execution of the activation process of the secondary cell may be the same as or different from the transmission power of the first SSB in the previous execution of the activation process of the secondary cell.

[0157] As shown in Figure 7, a flow chart of a communication method is introduced. Compared with Figure 6, in Figure 7, the terminal device infers that the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB fails, and the terminal device requests the network device to execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB again.

[0158] Steps 70 to 73 refer to steps 60 to 63 .

[0159] Step 74: In the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving a period of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than the set threshold, the terminal device infers / estimates that the activation process will fail, and the terminal device sends a second information on the primary cell to instruct the network device to send the first SSB on the secondary cell. Accordingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell.

[0160] Step 75: The network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell.

[0161] Step 76: Execute the secondary cell activation process again based on the first SSB.

[0162] Step 77: The network device sends a CSI-RS on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the CSI-RS on the secondary cell.

[0163] Step 78: The terminal device sends a CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell, and correspondingly, the network device receives the CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell.

[0164] Step 79: The network device sends a second SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0165] As shown in Figure 8, a flow chart of a communication method is introduced. Compared with Figures 6 and 7, Figure 8 shows that the terminal device infers that the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB fails, and the terminal device requests the network device to execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the second SSB.

[0166] Steps 80 to 83 refer to steps 70 to 73 .

[0167] Step 84: In the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving a period of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than the set threshold, the terminal device infers / estimates that the activation process will fail, and the terminal device sends a second information on the primary cell to instruct the network device to send the second SSB on the secondary cell. Accordingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell.

[0168] Step 85: The network device sends a second SSB on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell.

[0169] Step 86: Execute the secondary cell activation process again based on the second SSB.

[0170] Step 87: The network device sends a CSI-RS on the secondary cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the CSI-RS on the secondary cell.

[0171] Step 88: The terminal device sends a CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell, and correspondingly, the network device receives the CSI-RS measurement report on the primary cell.

[0172] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal devices and network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0173] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device and network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be the terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1, or the network device 110 shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal device or network device.

[0174] As shown in FIG. 9 , the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920 .

[0175] For example, the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4, 6, 7, and 8. The transceiver unit 920 can perform the receiving and sending actions performed by the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments described above. The processing unit 910 can perform other actions, except for the sending and receiving actions, among the actions performed by the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments described above.

[0176] Exemplarily, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive the first information on the primary cell of the terminal device and receive the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device. The processing unit 910 is configured to parse the first information and execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0177] Exemplarily, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive the first information sent to the terminal device on the primary cell of the terminal device and send the first SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell of the terminal device. The processing unit 910 is used to generate the first information.

[0178] A more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 4, 6, 7 and 8, and will not be repeated here. The processing unit 910 can be implemented by a processor, and the transceiver unit 920 can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0179] As shown in Figure 10, communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. Processor 1010 and interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1000 may also include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by processor 1010, or storing input data required by processor 1010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after processor 1010 executes instructions. Sometimes, interface circuit 1020 can also be understood as part of processor 1010, in which case communication device 1000 includes processor 1010.

[0180] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the methods shown in Figures 4, 6, 7 and 8 above, the processor 1010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 910 above, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 920 above.

[0181] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal device chip receives information from the network device, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal device chip by these modules. When the terminal device chip sends information to the network device, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0182] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device chip receives information from the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being sent to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal device by these modules. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network O-RAN architecture.

[0183] In the present application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A sends it directly to B, or that A sends it to B indirectly through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or that entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. Entities A and B here can be network devices or terminal devices, or modules within a network device or modules within a terminal device. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between a network device and a terminal device, or information interaction between two network devices, such as information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules within a device, such as information interaction between a terminal device chip and other modules of the terminal device, or information interaction between a network device chip and other modules in the network device.

[0184] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0185] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the above-mentioned communication method. In other words, the computer program includes instructions for implementing the above-mentioned communication.

[0186] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including: computer program code, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method provided above.

[0187] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes: a network device and a terminal device that execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0188] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) (also known as a read-only optical disc) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0189] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a first control plane network element, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0190] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0191] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plural" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A or B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following items" or "one or more of them" and other similar expressions refer 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, or one or more of a, b, or c, means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Each of a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0192] The ordinal numbers "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Moreover, such names do not indicate differences in the content, sender / receiver, transmission order, size, application scenario, priority, or importance of the two pieces of information. In addition, the numbering of the steps in the various embodiments introduced in this application is only for distinguishing different steps and is not used to define the order of the steps.

Claims

1. A method for activating a secondary cell, characterized in that: Applied to terminal equipment, including: Receiving first information on a primary cell of the terminal device, the first information indicating the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; The first SSB is received on the secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; Execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that One cycle of the first SSB includes N time slots; or, One period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer; or, One cycle of the first SSB is one half frame.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first information also indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in one time slot is 2 or 3.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Two adjacent first SSBs in a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also includes: receiving a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell; Sending a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that After sending the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the method further includes: A second SSB is received on the secondary cell, wherein a length of one cycle of the second SSB is greater than a length of one cycle of the first SSB.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: In the activation process of executing the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving a period of first SSBs on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all first SSBs is lower than a set threshold, it also includes: Second information is sent on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

8. A method for activating a secondary cell, characterized in that: Applied to network equipment, including: Sending first information to the terminal device on a primary cell of the terminal device, the first information indicating the number of first SSBs included in one synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB period; The first SSB is sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 2 first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N-1 time slots in one cycle of the first SSB includes 3 first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that One cycle of the first SSB includes N time slots; or, One period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer; or, One cycle of the first SSB is one half frame.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The first information also indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in one time slot is 2 or 3.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: Two adjacent first SSBs in a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: After sending the first SSB to the terminal device, the method further includes: Sending a downlink parameter signal to the terminal device on the secondary cell; A measurement report of the downlink reference signal is received from the terminal device on the primary cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that: After receiving the measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell, the method further includes: A second SSB is sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell, wherein a length of a cycle of the second SSB is greater than a length of a cycle of the first SSB.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that: After sending a plurality of periodic first SSBs, wherein the plurality of periodic first SSBs are used for each receiving beam configured by the terminal device to receive a periodic first SSB, the method further includes: Second information is received from the terminal device on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14.

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

17. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

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