Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus, aiming to support a terminal device to use, in an RRC non-connected state, a cell DTX mechanism to receive a multicast service, so as to reduce the power consumption overhead of the terminal device. The method comprises: in an RRC connected state, a first communication apparatus (i.e., a terminal device) receives a multicast service on the basis of a first cell DTX configuration; the first communication apparatus enters an RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state; and in the RRC non-connected state, the first communication apparatus receives the multicast service on the basis of the first cell DTX configuration, the first cell DTX configuration being used for the first communication apparatus to receive the multicast service in the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311866753.6 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] Multicast services are designed for services with high quality of service (QoS) requirements. Group management is required for multicast services, and the same QoS level as unicast services can be provided.

[0005] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has begun discussing enhanced multicast services, such as enabling devices to receive multicast services even when in the non-connected radio resource control (RRC) state. Therefore, reducing the power consumption of multicast services for devices in the non-connected RRC state is a question worth considering. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to support a terminal device in an RRC non-connected state using a cell discontinuous transmission (cell DTX) mechanism to receive multicast services, thereby reducing the power consumption overhead of the terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a first communication device, where the first communication device may refer to the terminal device itself, or may refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the terminal device that implements the method. The method includes: the first communication device receiving a multicast service in an RRC connected state according to a first cell DTX configuration; the first communication device entering an RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state; the first communication device receiving a multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, where the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in both the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

[0008] Through the above method, the cell DTX mechanism can be introduced into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the RRC non-connected state (such as the RRC deactivated state and / or the RRC idle state), thereby avoiding the problem that the first communication device needs to monitor channels or signals such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) all the time when receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state. The first communication device can save power by not monitoring channels or signals such as the PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time according to the cell DTX configuration. In addition, by introducing the cell DTX mechanism into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, the second communication device (such as a network device) that sends the multicast service can also save energy by not sending channels or signals such as the PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time.

[0009] In one possible design, before the first communication device receives the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC connected state, the method also includes: the first communication device receives the first cell DTX configuration from the second communication device.

[0010] Through the above design, the first communication device can receive the multicast service according to the cell DTX configuration from the second communication device in the RRC connected state to save energy.

[0011] In one possible design, before the first communication device receives the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state, the method also includes: the first communication device receives first information from the second communication device, and the first information indicates that the first communication device uses the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0012] Through the above design, the second communication device (such as a network device) and the first communication device (such as a terminal device) can align their understanding of the first communication device receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state, so that both the second communication device and the first communication device can send and receive multicast services more energy-efficiently according to the cell DTX mechanism.

[0013] In one possible design, before the first communication device receives the multicast service according to the DTX configuration of the first cell in the RRC non-connected state, the method also includes: the first communication device determines that the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state.

[0014] Through the above design, the second communication device (such as a network device) and the first communication device (such as a terminal device) can align their understanding of the first communication device receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state, so that both the second communication device and the first communication device can send and receive multicast services more energy-efficiently according to the cell DTX mechanism.

[0015] In one possible design, the first communication device receives multicast services according to the DTX configuration of the first cell in the RRC non-connected state, including: the first communication device receives the multicast control channel (MBS control channel, MCCH) and / or the multicast service channel (MBS traffic channel, MTCH) according to the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0016] Through the above design, unlike the first communication device in the RRC connected state which does not need to receive the MCCH, the first communication device in the RRC unconnected state can receive the MCCH to obtain the MTCH configuration to ensure normal reception of the multicast service.

[0017] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first communication device receives second information from the second communication device in the RRC non-connected state, the second information indicating deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell; and the first communication device deactivates the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0018] Through the above design, it is possible to support deactivation of the cell DTX configuration for the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state.

[0019] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first communication device receives third information from the second communication device, the third information indicating that the first cell DTX configuration is updated to the second cell DTX configuration; the first communication device receives the multicast service according to the second cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state.

[0020] Exemplarily, the third information may be carried through an RRC release message, a paging message, or an MCCH message.

[0021] Through the above design, it is possible to support updating of the cell DTX configuration of the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state.

[0022] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a second communication device, where the second communication device may refer to either the network device itself or a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the network device that implements the method. The method includes: the second communication device sending a multicast service to a first communication device in an RRC connected state according to a first cell DTX configuration; the second communication device instructing the first communication device to enter an RRC non-connected state; and the second communication device sending a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, where the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in both the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

[0023] In one possible design, before the second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the method also includes: the second communication device sends the first cell DTX configuration to the first communication device.

[0024] In one possible design, before the second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the method also includes: the second communication device sends first information to the first communication device, and the first information instructs the first communication device to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0025] In one possible design, before the second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the DTX configuration of the first cell, the method also includes: the second communication device determines that the transmission resources for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state.

[0026] In one possible design, the method further includes: the second communication device sending second information to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, the second information indicating deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0027] In one possible design, the method also includes: the second communication device sends third information to the first communication device, the third information indicating that the first cell DTX configuration is updated to the second cell DTX configuration; the second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the second cell DTX configuration.

[0028] Exemplarily, the third information may be carried through an RRC release message, a paging message, or an MCCH message.

[0029] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device having the functionality to implement the method of the first or second aspect described above. The functionality may be implemented through hardware or through hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functionality, such as an interface unit and a processing unit.

[0030] In one possible design, the device may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0031] In one possible design, the device includes a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store instructions executed by the processor, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the device can perform the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising an interface circuit and a processor, wherein the processor and the interface circuit are coupled to each other. The processor implements the method of the first or second aspect described above through a logic circuit or executing instructions. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to transmit signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. It will be understood that the interface circuit may be a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0033] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing instructions executed by the processor, or storing input data required by the processor to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor executes instructions. The memory may be a physically independent unit, or may be coupled to the processor, or the processor may include the memory (i.e., the processor and memory are integrated together).

[0034] In a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip.

[0035] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can implement the method of the first aspect above, and the second communication device can implement the method of the second aspect above.

[0036] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method of the first or second aspect mentioned above can be implemented.

[0037] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, can implement the method of the first or second aspect above.

[0038] In the eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor and an interface, and the processor is used to call and execute instructions from the interface. When the processor executes the instructions, the method of the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect can be implemented.

[0039] The technical effects that can be achieved in the second to eighth aspects mentioned above can refer to the technical effects that can be achieved in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the multicast service provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of multicast service transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of cell DTX provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG6 is a second schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a state of receiving a multicast service according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG9 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates an architectural diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one network device (such as 110a and 110b in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). The terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to the network device 110. The network device 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device in the core network 200 and the network device 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0050] The RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G, or an evolved system beyond 5G (e.g., a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0051] The apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the network device 110 or to the terminal device 120. It is understood that FIG1 only shows a possible communication system architecture to which the embodiment of the present application can be applied, and in other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture may also include other devices.

[0052] The network device 110 is a node in the radio access network (RAN), which can also be called an access network device or a RAN node (or device). The network device 110 is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. The multiple network devices 110 in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 are relative. For example, the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal device. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0053] In one possible scenario, a network device can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in future mobile communication systems, a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a mobile switching center, or a network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, i.e., 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 be a device that functions 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).

[0054] 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 CN, which is not limited here.

[0055] 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.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0057] The terminal device 120, which may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), can be a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, or an IoT device. For example, the terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless connectivity, an in-vehicle device, and the like. Currently, terminal devices may include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), vehicle-mounted devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in unmanned driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying devices (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, a terminal device may also be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication.

[0058] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal device. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components.

[0059] To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, some terms in this application are explained below.

[0060] 1) Radio resource control (RRC) state. In NR, a terminal device (such as UE) may have three RRC states, namely, RRC connected state, RRC idle state, and RRC inactive state. The RRC inactive state may also be referred to as the RRC inactive state, or the RRC inactive state, or the RRC deactivated state, etc. The RRC deactivated state and / or the RRC idle state may also be referred to as the RRC non-connected state, that is, the RRC non-connected state may be the RRC idle state and / or the RRC deactivated state. In the RRC connected state, an RRC connection is established between the terminal device and the base station. When there is no data transmission, the base station may release the terminal device to the RRC idle state. In the RRC idle state, no RRC connection is established between the base station and the terminal device; or the base station may release the terminal device to the RRC deactivated state and suspend the RRC connection. The base station in the RRC deactivated state still maintains the context information of the terminal device. The benefit of introducing the RRC deactivated state is that compared to the RRC idle state, the base station still retains the terminal device context in the RRC deactivated state, so the RRC connection can be restored more quickly, which can reduce the latency when a service arrives. In the following text, the connected state can be understood as the RRC connected state, and the non-connected state can be understood as the RRC non-connected state.

[0061] The base station can release the terminal device to the RRC idle state or RRC deactivated state by sending an RRC release (RRCRelease) message to the terminal device. When the RRCRelease message received by the terminal device contains a suspend configuration (suspendConfig), the terminal device enters the RRC deactivated state. For a terminal device in the RRC deactivated state, when certain trigger conditions are met, such as the arrival of uplink services or the receipt of a paging message from the network, the terminal device will trigger RRC connection recovery and send an RRC recovery request (RRCResumeRequest) message to the base station, which carries the inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) assigned to the terminal device by the last serving gNB, requesting recovery to the RRC connected state.

[0062] 2) Multicast service. Multicast service can also be called multicast service or multicast multicast service, which refers to services for multiple terminal devices, such as live broadcast service, public safety service, batch software update service, etc. Multicast service is designed for services with higher quality of service (QoS) requirements. By performing group management on multicast service, the same QoS level as unicast service can be provided. In the long term evolution (LTE) system, multicast service is also called multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) service. In the new radio (NR) system, multicast service is also called multicast / multicast broadcast (MBS) service. That is to say, NR MBS can include broadcast, multicast / also called multicast. It can be understood that in this application, multicast can also be replaced by MBS, or broadcast, or multicast, etc.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 2 for a schematic diagram of the multicast service architecture. As shown in Figure 2, a server can provide multicast service data to terminal devices. The server sends the multicast service data to the core network device, which then sends the multicast service data to the base station. Finally, the base station sends the multicast service data to at least one terminal device that receives the multicast service data. Figure 2 uses the example of at least one terminal device including terminal device 1 and terminal device 2.

[0064] The core network device can perform group management (group management) for multicast services, that is, manage the terminal devices to join or exit the group. The multicast session (MBS session) corresponding to the multicast service can be established based on the protocol data unit (PDU) session (session) established between the core network device and the base station for the terminal device, and the multicast session also introduces a new MBS QoS flow (flow). The core network device can send multicast service data to the base station through the MBS session, and then the base station sends it to at least one terminal device, and the terminal devices in one group can correspond to the same group radio network temporary identifier (group radio network temporary ientity, G-RNTI). It can be understood that in this application, services and sessions are one-to-one corresponding and can be replaced with each other. For example, a multicast session can also be called a multicast service.

[0065] As shown in Figure 3, when MBS services are transmitted from the core network to the base station, the core network equipment can send MBS service data to the base station via a common transmission channel, an MBS session. Each MBS session includes at least one MBS QoS flow. The base station can send MBS service data to at least one terminal device via an MBS radio bearer. Two transmission modes (or modes) are available for an MBS radio bearer: point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission and point-to-point (PTP) transmission. The RAN supports both PTP and PTM transmission modes for sending data to terminal devices, and supports dynamic switching between PTP and PTM controlled by the RAN. According to the 3GPP Release 17 (R17) standard, multicast services can only be provided to terminal devices in RRC-connected state. The base station and the core network must maintain terminal device information corresponding to the multicast service group. Multicast services also support MBS session deactivation / activation triggered by the core network, without the terminal device being aware of the service status.

[0066] However, when the number of multicast users (such as terminal devices receiving multicast services) in a cell is too large, the number of RRC-connected users that the cell can accommodate may exceed the number. For example: in user-dense scenarios such as concert stadiums and other public safety scenarios, the number of multicast users may exceed the number of RRC-connected users that the cell can accommodate. In order to alleviate network congestion, the R18 standard supports terminal devices that join multicast sessions to receive multicast in an RRC non-connected state (such as an RRC deactivated state). Terminal devices in an RRC non-connected state use PTM to receive multicast sessions, and the terminal devices receive multicast sessions according to the multicast configuration provided by the network device (which may also be referred to as multicast PTM configuration in this application). For a multicast session, the multicast PTM configuration used for RRC deactivated terminal devices to receive multicast may include one or more of the following: an identifier of the multicast session (for example, a temporary multicast group identifier (TMGI)), a multicast broadcast radio bearer (MBS radio bearer, MRB) configuration of the multicast (for example, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) configuration of the multicast MRB, a radio link control (RLC) configuration, etc.), a G-RNTI for descrambling the multicast MTCH, multicast MTCH scheduling information, etc.

[0067] For a terminal device that has joined a multicast session, the network device can send RRC signaling (such as an RRCRelease message) to the terminal device to release the terminal device in the RRC connected state to the RRC deactivated state. The RRCRelease message can instruct the terminal device to enter the RRC deactivated state to receive the multicast session. The network device has the following two ways to provide the PTM configuration for the RRC deactivated state multicast: 1) Send the PTM configuration for the RRC deactivated state terminal device to receive the multicast session to the terminal device in the RRCRelease message. The specific multicast PTM configuration can be included in the Suspendconfig field in the RRCRelease message; 2) Similar to the above-mentioned method of providing the MBS broadcast configuration, send it to the terminal device through the MCCH message. In addition, if the terminal device has started receiving the multicast session in the RRC connected state, the network device can also instruct the terminal device to use the PTM configuration for receiving the multicast session in the RRC connected state to receive the multicast session in the RRC deactivated state. Of course, the above two methods can also be used to provide the RRC deactivated state multicast PTM configuration. It should be noted that the PTM configuration of the RRC deactivated state multicast provided by the above two methods can be the same as the configuration of the RRC connected state, or different from the configuration of the RRC connected state.

[0068] In the case of sending MBS broadcast configuration to terminal devices via MCCH messages, the MCCH configuration method can be as follows: 1) The RRCRelease message can also include the cell's MCCH configuration for the terminal device to obtain the MCCH message. 2) The MCCH configuration can also be sent via cell public signaling, similar to broadcasting. The MCCH configuration is sent in a system message (for example, one or more system information blocks (SIBs)). The terminal device obtains the multicast MCCH configuration by reading the system message, and then reads the cell's multicast MCCH message, and then obtains the multicast PTM configuration through the MCCH message.

[0069] 3) Cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX). To reduce power consumption on the network equipment side (such as base stations) in low- to medium-load scenarios, researchers have proposed cell DTX / DRX energy-saving technology. Cell DTX / DRX is an energy-saving technology for RRC-connected terminal devices. The basic idea is to configure an active / inactive cycle. During the inactive time of the cycle, the network equipment and terminal devices do not transmit or receive certain signals / channels in the cell. By not transmitting these signals / channels during the inactive time, both the network equipment and the terminal devices can further save power.

[0070] As shown in Table 1, for cell DTX, during the inactive time of cell DTX, the channels / signals that are not transmitted in the downlink (DL) may include: semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), UE-specific physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) (i.e., UE-specific PDCCH), periodic / semi-persistent CSI-RS for CSI reporting, and group-common PDCCHs; for cell DRX, during the inactive time of cell DRX, the channels / signals that are not received in the uplink (UL) may include: configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), scheduling request (SSR), and UE-specific PDCCH. request, SR), periodic / semi-persistent CSI-RS report (Periodic / Semi-persistent CSI report), and periodic / semi-persistent sounding reference signal (SRS) required for positioning (i.e., Periodic / Semi-persistent SRS expect SRS for positioning).

[0071] Table 1

[0072] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a cell DTX. As shown in Figure 4 , network devices and terminal devices can transmit the corresponding DL channels / signals listed in Table 1 during the cell DTX active period, and may not transmit the corresponding DL channels / signals listed in Table 1 during the cell DTX inactive period. By not transmitting these signals / channels during the cell DTX inactive period, the network devices and terminal devices can further save power. Similarly, for cell DRX, terminal devices and network devices can also not transmit the corresponding UL channels or signals listed in Table 1 during the cell DTX inactive period to save energy.

[0073] It should be noted that, unlike the connected discontinuous reception (C-DRX) of the terminal device, which is a terminal device-level configuration, the C-DRX of each terminal device can be different. Cell DTX / DRX is a cell-level configuration, and all terminal devices in the entire cell comply with the same set of cell DTX / DRX. The cell DTX / DRX configuration (or parameters) may include: cycle, duration of activity (onDurationTimer), etc. At the same time, cell DTX / DRX also supports activation / deactivation through group-common DCI, that is, dynamically indicating whether the cell DTX / DRX configuration is effective (if it is not effective, it will remain active in the time domain). The group-common DCI may include multiple transport blocks, and its bit size may be configured by the higher layer of the network. Exemplary: The group common DCI may include block #1, and the first two bits of block 1 may be used for cell DTX indication and cell DRX indication, respectively indicating activation / deactivation of cell DTX configuration and cell DRX configuration of serving cell 1. For example, when the cell DTX indication bit is 1, it is activated, and when the bit is 0, it is deactivated.

[0074] In addition, cell DTX and cell DRX can be used together or separately (for example, cell DTX can be configured without configuring cell DRX). The network device can activate the cell DTX configuration and / or cell DRX configuration during initial configuration, or indicate that the configuration is currently inactive during configuration, and then send terminal device-specific RRC signaling (such as RRC reconfiguration signaling) or group common physical layer (physical, PHY) signaling (such as DCI format 2_9 (DCI format 2_9)) to activate / deactivate on a per-cell basis, where the physical layer signaling may also be referred to as L1 signaling.

[0075] At present, in the standard discussion, the design scenario of network energy saving (such as cell DTX) does not take into account the terminal equipment in the RRC non-connected state (such as RRC deactivated state and / or RRC idle state). This is because the terminal equipment in the RRC non-connected state measures the reference signal, monitors the system messages, paging messages, etc. at specific times, and does not monitor the PDCCH all the time. The network equipment will only send reference signals, system messages, paging messages, etc. for measurement at specific times. Therefore, in order to reduce the complexity of the implementation of terminal equipment and network equipment, the RRC non-connected state is not enhanced, and the behavior of additionally designing a cell DTX mechanism for terminal equipment in the RRC non-connected state (such as RRC deactivated state and RRC idle state) is avoided. In other words, it is stipulated that the cell DTX technology for network energy saving is not applicable to terminal equipment in the RRC non-connected state, but is only applicable to the terminal equipment in the RRC connected state stopping receiving PDCCH according to the cell DTX mechanism to save power consumption. However, for multicast services, in some scenarios, the terminal device needs to continue to receive multicast services (or multicast sessions) when entering the RRC non-connected state, and also needs to monitor PDCCH (for example, using multicast MCCH-radio network temporary identity (RNTI) to monitor PDCCH, and using G-RNTI to monitor PDCCH). If the terminal device continues to monitor PDCCH in the RRC non-connected state, it will lead to unnecessary resource consumption.

[0076] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to support a terminal device in an RRC non-connected state using a cell DTX mechanism to receive multicast services, thereby saving resource consumption (e.g., saving power consumption of the terminal device). The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] In addition, it should be understood that the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first cell DTX configuration and the second cell DTX configuration do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two cell DTX configurations.

[0078] 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 may 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 and 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 similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0079] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device here can refer to the terminal device itself, or it can refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the terminal device that implements the method; the second communication device can refer to the network device itself, or it can refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the network device that implements the method.

[0080] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the method includes:

[0081] S501: The second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the multicast service in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration.

[0082] In a communication system, a second communication device (e.g., a network device) can include one or more cells. Alternatively, a second communication device can serve one or more cells, or a second communication device can cover one or more cells. The following example illustrates a situation where the second communication device includes cell 1 and the serving cell of the first communication device is cell 1.

[0083] A first communication device in cell 1 can join a multicast service in an RRC connected state and receive multicast services sent by a second communication device according to the first cell DTX configuration corresponding to cell 1. For example, according to the first cell DTX configuration, the device can monitor the PDCCH and receive multicast data from the second communication device during the active time configured by the first cell DTX configuration. During the inactive time configured by the first cell DTX configuration (also called the sleep time), the device can not monitor the PDCCH to save energy.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the multicast configuration for the first communication device to receive the multicast service can be sent by the second communication device to the first communication device through an RRC reconfiguration message, etc., where the multicast configuration may include one or more of the multicast session identifier, MRB configuration (such as MRB PDCP configuration, RLC configuration, etc.), G-RNTI for de-scrambling the multicast MTCH, multicast MTCH scheduling information, etc.

[0085] For the first cell DTX configuration, the second communication device can send the first cell DTX configuration to the first communication device through an RRC reconfiguration (RRCreconfiguration) message including a cell DTXDRX configuration (CellDTXDRX-Config) information element, where the first cell DTX configuration may include one or more of the first cell DTX cycle, offset (cellDTXDRX-CycleStartOffset, where the offset identifies the duration from the start of a cycle to the start of the active timer), active duration (cellDTXDRX-onDurationTimer), etc.

[0086] In addition, for the first cell DTX configuration, it can be activated during configuration or through signaling after configuration. For example: the above-mentioned CellDTXDRX-Config information element may include a cellDTXDRX activation status (cellDTXDRXactivationStatus) field, and the second communication device may use this field to indicate whether the first cell DTX configuration is in an activated state or a deactivated state; of course, the second communication device may also activate the first cell DTX configuration through group common L1 signaling (such as downlink control information (DCI) or media access control control element (MAC CE)) after sending the first cell DTX configuration to the terminal device through the above-mentioned CellDTXDRX-Config information element.

[0087] When the first cell DTX configuration is in an activated state, the first communication device may receive a multicast service and / or a unicast service from the second communication device according to the first cell DTX configuration in an RRC connected state.

[0088] It is understood that the above-mentioned manner in which the first communication device obtains the multicast configuration and the first cell DTX configuration is merely an example, and the present application does not limit the manner in which the first communication device obtains the multicast configuration and the first cell DTX configuration. Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present application, multicast may be replaced with MBS, broadcast, or multicast, and services and sessions may correspond to each other, and a multicast service may be replaced with a multicast session.

[0089] S502: The second communication device instructs the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state. Accordingly, the first communication device enters the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state.

[0090] In cases where the cell is congested or there are too many devices receiving multicast services in the cell, the second communication device can instruct the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state (such as the RRC non-connected state or the RRC idle state), and the first communication device can enter the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state according to the instruction of the second communication device.

[0091] For example: in cases where the cell is congested or there are too many devices receiving multicast services in the cell, the second communication device can send an RRCRelease message to the first communication device, instructing the first communication device to enter an RRC non-connected state (such as an RRC non-connected state or an RRC idle state). After receiving the RRCRelease message, the first communication device can enter the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state.

[0092] For the same multicast service, the first communication device may need to re-acquire the multicast configuration of the multicast service when it enters the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state to receive the multicast service.

[0093] Exemplarily: the second communication device may send the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast session in the RRC non-connected state to the first communication device in the RRCRelease message used to instruct the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state; alternatively, the first communication device may also send the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast session in the RRC non-connected state to the first communication device through an MCCH message or a system message. It should be noted that the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast session in the RRC non-connected state sent by the second communication device may be the same as or different from the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast session in the RRC connected state by the first communication device, and this is not limited by comparison in this application.

[0094] In addition, the second communication device may also instruct the first communication device to use the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state. Exemplary: the RRCRelease message, MCCH message, or system message sent by the second communication device to the first communication device may include a 1-bit indication bit. When the bit is 1, it may instruct the first communication device to use the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state; when the bit is 0, it may instruct the first communication device not to use the multicast configuration for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0095] Alternatively, after the first communication device enters the RRC non-connected state, if it does not receive a multicast configuration for receiving a multicast session in the RRC non-connected state from the second communication device within a set time period, the first communication device may default to using the multicast configuration for receiving multicast services in the RRC connected state to receive multicast services in the RRC non-connected state.

[0096] S503: The second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. Accordingly, the first communication device receives the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. The first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in both the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

[0097] In the embodiments of the present application, unlike conventional methods in which a first communication device does not continue to use the cell DTX configuration after entering the RRC non-connected state, the first communication device can continue to maintain the first cell DTX configuration for receiving multicast services in the RRC connected state after entering the RRC non-connected state, and continue to receive multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration. For example, the first communication device can monitor the PDCCH only during the active time of the first cell DTX configuration to obtain the multicast data transmission schedule corresponding to the MTCH, etc.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may receive a multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in an RRC non-connected state upon receiving first information from the second communication device, wherein the first information indicates that the first communication device uses the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in an RRC non-connected state, and the first information may be carried or sent via an RRC release message, a paging message, an MCCH message, or a system message.

[0099] As an example: the first information may be a 1-bit indicator bit in an RRC release message, or a paging message, or an MCCH message, or a system message, etc. When the indicator bit is 1, it may instruct the first communication device to continue using the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state; when the indicator bit is 0, it may instruct the first communication device not to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state. Alternatively, the first information may be an indicator field in an RRC release message, or a paging message, or an MCCH message, or a system message, etc. When the value of the field is true (true), it may instruct the first communication device to continue using the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state; when the indicator bit is false (false) or empty, it may instruct the first communication device not to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0100] In addition, it can be understood that the granularity of the first information is session or cell level. That is to say, for a multicast service (or multicast session or TMGI), all first communication devices (such as terminal devices) receiving the multicast service can be informed based on the first information whether they can continue to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state after entering the RRC non-connected state; or, for a cell, all first communication devices (such as terminal devices) in the cell can be informed based on the first information whether they can continue to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state after entering the RRC non-connected state.

[0101] In some implementations, the first information may further indicate a first cell DTX configuration used by the current cell (e.g., the cell in which the first communications device is currently receiving a multicast service), and / or a cell DTX configuration of at least one second cell (e.g., a neighboring cell). In the case where the first information further indicates the cell DTX configuration of the second cell, if the first communications device in an RRC non-connected state moves / reselects to the second cell, it may receive the multicast service in the second cell according to the cell DTX configuration of the second cell. The first communications device's acquisition of the multicast configuration corresponding to the multicast service of the second cell may refer to the aforementioned implementation in which the second communications device sends the multicast configuration for receiving a multicast session in the RRC non-connected state to the first communications device, and no further description is given.

[0102] Similarly, in the case where the first information also indicates the first cell DTX configuration used by this cell (such as the cell in which the first communication device currently receives multicast services), other first communication devices (such as other terminal devices) in other cells that are in an RRC non-connected state can also directly obtain the first cell DTX configuration used by this cell to receive multicast services in this cell if they move to this cell, thereby avoiding the first communication device entering a connected state to obtain the cell DTX configuration.

[0103] It can be understood that the cell DTX configuration of the second cell can be obtained by the second communication device (such as a network device) of the current cell from the second communication device (such as a network device) of the second cell through the Xn interface. Specifically, the cell DTX configuration of the second cell can be included in an Xn setup request (XN SETUP REQUEST) message, an Xn setup response (XN SETUP RESPONSE) message, or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node configuration update (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE) message or an NG-RAN node configuration update confirmation (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE) message. For example, the cell DTX configuration can be included in the NR serving cell information (Served Cell Information NR) domain or field of the above message.

[0104] In addition, if the first information sent by the second cell indicates the cell DTX configuration of the second cell, if the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state moves to the second cell, it can also obtain the cell DTX configuration of the second cell based on the first information of the second cell, and can directly receive multicast services in the second cell based on the cell DTX configuration of the second cell, thereby avoiding the first communication device entering the connected state to obtain the cell DTX configuration.

[0105] Unlike the existing first communication device, which does not continue to use the cell DTX configuration after entering the RRC non-connected state, the first communication device continues to monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH after entering the RRC non-connected state, which will bring about large power consumption overhead. In an embodiment of the present application, first information can be introduced. At the same time as (or after) instructing the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state, the second communication device can send the first information to the first communication device to instruct the first communication device to continue using the first cell DTX configuration used in the RRC connected state to receive multicast services in the RRC non-connected state. By sending the first information to the first communication device, the first communication device and the second communication device can align their understanding of the first communication device receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state, so that the second communication device and the first communication device can use a more energy-saving method to send and receive multicast services based on the first cell DTX configuration.

[0106] In another possible implementation, the first communications device may also receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration when determining that the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state. Optionally, the transmission resources for the multicast service may be one or more of a common frequency resource (CFR) for the multicast service, a PDSCH configuration, an MRB configuration, or a PTM configuration.

[0107] If the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service by the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state, the first communication device can receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state based on the first cell DTX configuration. This is because the transmission resources are the same, which means that the second communication device (such as a network device) performs the same data transmission for the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the RRC non-connected state and the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the RRC connected state, so the same cell DTX configuration should be used for reception.

[0108] If the transmission resources used by a first communication device to receive a multicast service in an RRC non-connected state differ from those used to receive the multicast service in an RRC connected state, the first communication device generally needs to continuously monitor a channel or signal such as the PDCCH. This is because the transmission resources are different, and a second communication device (e.g., a network device) may perform different data transmissions for a first communication device (e.g., a terminal device) in an RRC non-connected state and a first communication device (e.g., a terminal device) in an RRC connected state. Therefore, the same cell DTX configuration should not be used for reception.

[0109] In addition, it can be understood that when the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state receives the multicast service according to the DTX configuration of the first cell, it monitors the PDCCH within the active time of the DTX configuration of the first cell. The specific PDCCH monitored may include the PDCCH corresponding to the MCCH of the multicast service and / or the PDCCH corresponding to the MTCH of the multicast service (wherein the PDCCH corresponding to the MCCH of the multicast service and / or the PDCCH corresponding to the MTCH of the multicast service may also be referred to as MCCH and / or MTCH, or may be referred to as using multicast MCCH-RNTI and / or G-RNTI to monitor the PDCCH). The first communication device in the RRC connected state does not need to receive the MCCH. This is because in the RRC connected state, the MTCH configuration may be sent to the first communication device through dedicated signaling (such as sent to the terminal device through terminal device dedicated signaling). Only when receiving the multicast service in the non-RRC connected state does the first communication device need to receive the MCCH for receiving the MTCH configuration.

[0110] Through the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cell DTX mechanism can be introduced into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the RRC non-connected state, thereby avoiding the problem that the first communication device needs to monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH when receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state. The first communication device can be configured to not monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time according to the cell DTX configuration, thereby saving power consumption. In addition, by introducing the cell DTX mechanism into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, the second communication device (such as a network device) that sends the multicast service can also save energy by not sending channels or signals such as PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time.

[0111] In addition, through the communication method provided by the present application, the second communication device (such as a network device) and the first communication device (such as a terminal device) can align their understanding of the first communication device receiving the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state, which can avoid the situation where the first communication device receives according to the cell DTX mechanism, the second communication device does not use the cell DTX mechanism to send, and the first communication device misses data. It can also avoid the problem that the first communication device does not use the cell DTX mechanism to receive, and the second communication device uses the cell DTX mechanism to send, thereby wasting power consumption of the first communication device.

[0112] In some implementations, if the first communications device continues to use the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state, the second communications device may also activate or deactivate the first cell DTX configuration, or update the used first cell DTX configuration.

[0113] FIG6 is a second schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising:

[0114] S601: The second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the multicast service in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration.

[0115] S602: The second communication device instructs the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state. Accordingly, the first communication device enters the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state.

[0116] S603: The second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration.

[0117] The implementation of the above steps S601 to S603 can refer to the implementation of the above steps S501 to S503, and will not be described in detail.

[0118] S604: The second communication device sends second information to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, and accordingly, the first communication device receives the second information in the RRC non-connected state. The second information indicates deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0119] As an example: the second information can be carried through RRC signaling (such as RRC reconfiguration signaling) or DCI signaling (such as DCI format 2_9) or MAC CE. The second communication device can send RRC signaling or DCI signaling or MAC CE including the second information for indicating deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell to the first communication device. After receiving the RRC signaling or DCI signaling or MAC CE, the first communication device can deactivate the used DTX configuration of the first cell. After deactivating the DTX configuration of the first cell, the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state can always monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH.

[0120] It is understandable that after the first cell DTX configuration is deactivated, the second communication device may also instruct the first communication device to activate the first cell DTX configuration through RRC signaling, DCI signaling, or MAC CE.

[0121] S605: The second communication device sends third information to the first communication device, and accordingly, the first communication device receives the third information. The third information indicates that the first cell DTX configuration is updated to the second cell DTX configuration.

[0122] In a possible implementation, the third message may be carried or sent via an RRC release (RRCRelease) message, a paging message, an MCCH message, or a system message.

[0123] Exemplary: After the first communication device receives an RRCRelease message, or a paging message, or an MCCH message or a system message indicating an updated cell DTX configuration (such as the second cell DTX configuration), the first cell DTX configuration may be updated to the second cell DTX configuration.

[0124] S606: The second communication device sends a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the second cell DTX configuration. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the second cell DTX configuration.

[0125] After the second cell DTX configuration is activated, the second communication device can send multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the second cell DTX configuration, and the first communication device can receive multicast services according to the second cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state.

[0126] It can be understood that steps S604-S606 in Figure 6 are optional steps. For example, the first communication device and the second communication device only execute S604 to deactivate the cell DTX configuration of the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state; or only execute S605 and S606 to update the cell DTX configuration of the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state; or S604-S606 can also be executed, that is, the cell DTX configuration of the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state is deactivated, and the cell DTX configuration of the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state can also be updated.

[0127] In some implementations, if a first communication device in an RRC unconnected state moves or reselects to another cell (e.g., a second cell), it may no longer use the cell DTX mechanism (or cell DTX configuration) to receive multicast services. For example, after moving or reselecting to the second cell, the first communication device may continue to monitor the PDCCH.

[0128] As an example: as in the above step S603, the first communication device that receives the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state, if it moves / reselects to other cells (such as the second cell), the first communication device may no longer use the first cell DTX configuration and continue to monitor the PDCCH.

[0129] Referring to the state diagram of receiving multicast services shown in Figure 7, before the first cell DTX configuration is configured, the first communication device can receive the multicast service provided by the second communication device in the RRC connected state. After the second communication device sends the first cell DTX configuration to the first communication device and activates it, the first communication device can receive the multicast service in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. In situations such as network congestion, after the second communication device instructs the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state, the first communication device can receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration. After the second communication device instructs the first communication device to update the first DRX configuration to the second cell DTX configuration, the first communication device can receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state according to the second DTX configuration.

[0130] Through the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cell DTX mechanism can be introduced into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the RRC non-connected state, thereby avoiding the problem that the first communication device needs to monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH when receiving multicast services in the RRC non-connected state. The first communication device can be configured to not monitor channels or signals such as PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time according to the cell DTX configuration, thereby saving power consumption. In addition, by introducing the cell DTX mechanism into the reception of multicast services by the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, the second communication device (such as a network device) that sends the multicast service can also save energy by not sending channels or signals such as PDCCH during the cell DTX inactive time.

[0131] The following describes the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may include units or modules corresponding to all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and may be used to execute the steps executed by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) or the second communication device (such as a network device) in the above-mentioned embodiment. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0132] As shown in Figure 8, communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and an interface unit 820. The processing unit 810 can be a processor or processing circuit, and the interface unit 820 can also be a transceiver unit or an input / output interface. Communication device 800 can be used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0133] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the above embodiment:

[0134] The interface unit 820 is used to receive the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC connected state; the processing unit 810 is used to control the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state from the RRC connected state; the interface unit 820 is also used to receive the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state, and the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

[0135] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive the first cell DTX configuration from the second communication device before receiving the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC connected state.

[0136] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further used to receive first information from the second communication device before receiving the multicast service according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC non-connected state, and the first information instructs the first communication device to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0137] In one possible design, the processing unit 810 is further used to determine that the transmission resources for the interface unit 820 to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state before the interface unit 820 receives the multicast service according to the DTX configuration of the first cell in the RRC non-connected state.

[0138] In one possible design, when the interface unit 820 receives a multicast service according to the DTX configuration of the first cell in the RRC non-connected state, it is specifically used to receive MCCH and / or MTCH according to the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0139] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further used to receive second information from the second communication device in the RRC non-connected state, where the second information indicates deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell; the processing unit 810 is further used to deactivate the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0140] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to receive third information from the second communication device, the third information indicating that the first cell DTX configuration is updated to the second cell DTX configuration; and receive a multicast service according to the second cell DTX configuration in the RRC unconnected state. Exemplarily, the third information may be carried via an RRC release message, a paging message, or an MCCH message.

[0141] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device (such as a network device) in the above embodiment:

[0142] The interface unit 820 is configured to send a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration; instruct the first communication device to enter the RRC non-connected state; and send a multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, where the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in both the RRC connected state and the RRC non-connected state.

[0143] In one possible design, the processing unit 810 is used to determine the first cell DTX configuration; the interface unit 820 is also used to send the first cell DTX configuration to the first communication device before sending the multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration.

[0144] In one possible design, before sending the multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the interface unit 820 is also used to send first information to the first communication device, where the first information instructs the first communication device to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state.

[0145] In one possible design, before the interface unit 820 sends the multicast service to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the processing unit 810 is further used to determine that the transmission resources for the first communication device to receive the multicast service in the RRC non-connected state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving the multicast service in the RRC connected state.

[0146] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further used to send second information to the first communication device in the RRC non-connected state, where the second information indicates deactivation of the DTX configuration of the first cell.

[0147] In one possible design, the interface unit 820 is further configured to send third information to the first communications device, where the third information indicates that the first cell DTX configuration is updated to the second cell DTX configuration; and the processing unit 810 is further configured to send a multicast service to the first communications device in an RRC unconnected state based on the second cell DTX configuration. Exemplarily, the third information may be carried via an RRC release message, a paging message, or an MCCH message.

[0148] As shown in Figure 9, the present application also provides a communication device 900, which includes a processor 910 and may also include a communication interface 920. The processor 910 and the communication interface 920 are coupled to each other. It is understandable that the communication interface 920 can be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an input interface, an output interface, an interface circuit, etc. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 910 or storing input data required by the processor 910 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processor 910 runs instructions. The memory 930 may be a physically independent unit, or may be coupled to the processor 910, or the processor 910 may include the memory 930.

[0149] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device (such as a terminal device) or the second communication device (such as a network device) in the above embodiments, the processor 910 can be used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 810, and the communication interface 920 can be used to implement the functions of the above interface unit 820.

[0150] 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), logic circuits, 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.

[0151] 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 CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. 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 network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0152] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present 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 user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transmitted from one network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center to another network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or it can be 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.

[0153] 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.

[0154] Furthermore, it should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the word "exemplary" is used to indicate an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0155] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that Including: The first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state. The first communication device transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state. The first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC idle state, and the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive multicast services in both the RRC connected state and the RRC idle state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before the first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC connected state, the method further includes: The first communication device receives the first cell DTX configuration from the second communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC idle state, the method further includes: The first communication device receives first information from the second communication device, and the first information indicates that the first communication device uses the first cell DTX configuration to receive multicast services in the RRC idle state.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC idle state, the method further includes: The first communication device determines that the transmission resources for receiving multicast services in the RRC idle state are the same as those for receiving multicast services in the RRC connected state.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, When the first communication device receives multicast services according to the first cell DTX configuration in the RRC idle state, it includes: The first communication device receives the multicast control channel (MCCH) and / or the multicast traffic channel (MTCH) according to the first cell DTX configuration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first communication device receives second information from the second communication device in the RRC idle state, and the second information indicates deactivation of the first cell DTX configuration. The first communication device deactivates the first cell DTX configuration.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further includes: The first communication device receives third information from the second communication device, and the third information indicates updating the first cell DTX configuration to a second cell DTX configuration. The first communication device receives multicast services according to the second cell DTX configuration in the RRC idle state.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The third information is carried by an RRC release message, a paging message, or an MCCH message.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: The second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state according to the first cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration. The second communication device instructs the first communication device to enter the RRC idle state. The second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC idle state according to the first cell DTX configuration, and the first cell DTX configuration is used for the first communication device to receive multicast services in both the RRC connected state and the RRC idle state.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Before the second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC connected state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the method further includes: The second communication device sends the first cell DTX configuration to the first communication device.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, Before the second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC idle state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the method further includes: The second communication device sends first information to the first communication device, and the first information instructs the first communication device to use the first cell DTX configuration to receive multicast services in the RRC idle state.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that Before the second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC idle state according to the first cell DTX configuration, the method further includes: The second communication device determines that the transmission resources for the first communication device to receive multicast services in the RRC idle state are the same as the transmission resources for receiving multicast services in the RRC connected state.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second communication device sends second information to the first communication device in the RRC idle state, and the second information instructs to deactivate the first cell DTX configuration.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second communication device sends third information to the first communication device, and the third information instructs to update the first cell DTX configuration to a second cell DTX configuration; The second communication device sends multicast services to the first communication device in the RRC idle state according to the second cell DTX configuration.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The third information is carried by an RRC release message, a paging message, or a multicast / multicast control channel MCCH message.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes an interface unit and a processing unit; The interface unit is used for receiving and sending data; The processing unit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-15 through the interface unit.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1-15 is implemented.

18. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes: A processor and an interface, and the processor is used to call and execute instructions from the interface. When the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1-15 is implemented.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored in the storage medium, and when the computer program or instruction is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-15 is implemented.

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