Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, which are used for solving the problem of poor communication performance of a downlink control channel of a narrowband terminal device. In order to improve the PDCCH aggregation level of the narrowband terminal device, the present application breaks the quantity limitation of time domain resources of a control resource set of the narrowband terminal device, i.e., not being restricted by three symbols, and thus the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device can be increased by means of adding time domain resources of the control resource set of the narrowband terminal and increasing the number of CCEs comprised in the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device.

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 February 4, 2024, with application number 202410169174.4 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] Machine-type terminal devices often have higher requirements for cost and power consumption. One way to reduce the cost of terminal devices is to reduce the bandwidth capabilities of the terminal devices. Terminal devices with reduced bandwidth capabilities can be called narrowband terminal devices.

[0005] Since narrowband terminal devices have low bandwidth capabilities, the control channel element (CCE) aggregation level supported by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the narrowband terminal devices is low, resulting in low PDCCH coverage capability of the narrowband terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for solving the problem of poor downlink control channel communication performance of narrowband terminal equipment.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a terminal device or a chip, chip system, or circuit for the terminal device. The method may be implemented by the following steps: monitoring a downlink control channel in a first control resource set, and receiving downlink data or sending uplink data according to the downlink control channel. The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, where N is an integer greater than 3.

[0008] The present application can increase the number of CCEs included in the first control resource set by increasing the time domain resources of the first control resource set, thereby improving the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set. For example, assuming n=3, the first control resource set occupies 6 RBs in the frequency domain resources, that is, M=6. If N is less than or equal to 3, the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 2 or 3. In the present application, N is greater than 3, for example, N=6, then the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 6. It can be seen that the method provided by the present application can improve the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0009] In one possible design, N symbols include K subsets, the number of symbols included in the first subset of the K subsets is no greater than 3, and K is an integer greater than 0 and no greater than N. The above approach enables the first control resource set and the second control resource set to dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0010] In one possible design, the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered according to the following rule: the resource element groups within a subset are numbered in ascending order by time-domain symbol index, then by resource block index; and the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered in ascending order by subset index. This ensures that the numbering scheme of each subset is the same as that of the second resource set, allowing the first control resource set and the second control resource set to dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0011] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating a number N of symbols occupied by the first control resource set and a number K of subsets; or the first information indicating the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets. This approach enables the network device and the first terminal device to align a position and structure of the first control resource set.

[0012] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information indicating the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set; wherein the number of symbols of the K subsets is determined based on the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; and the number of subsets K is determined based on the number of resource blocks occupied by the first control resource set and the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set. The above method can reduce information overhead and improve the reliability of information transmission performance by simultaneously configuring the first control resource set and the second control resource set through one piece of information.

[0013] In one possible design, the number of symbols in the K subsets is equal to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set. Through the above design, the first control resource set and the second control resource set can dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0014] In one possible design, the number of subsets or, Wherein, N1 is the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set, N2 is the number of resource blocks occupied by the first control resource set, To round down, To round up.

[0015] In one possible design, the second information is carried in the system information.

[0016] In one possible design, the system information is a main information block.

[0017] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information including a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate a time domain position of a subset of the K subsets having the number of symbols P. In this manner, the network device and the first terminal device can align a position and structure of the first control resource set.

[0018] In one possible design, the bits in the first bitmap that take the first value indicate the positions of the symbols included in the subset with the number of symbols being P.

[0019] In one possible design, the bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the first symbol of a subset with P symbols.

[0020] In one possible design, the number of bits in the first bitmap is equal to the number of symbols included in a time slot.

[0021] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources of the first control resource set are less than or equal to a preset value.

[0022] In one possible design, the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap, and the number of symbols of the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3.

[0023] In one possible design, the first control resource set corresponds to a first type of terminal device, the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than the maximum bandwidth capability of the second type of terminal device, or the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than or equal to a preset value.

[0024] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of the method may be a network device or a chip, a chip system or a circuit used for the network device. The method may be implemented by the following steps: sending a first downlink control channel in a first control resource set, and sending downlink data or receiving uplink data according to the first downlink control channel; wherein the first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, and N is an integer greater than 3.

[0025] The present application can increase the number of CCEs included in the first control resource set by increasing the time domain resources of the first control resource set, thereby improving the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set. For example, assuming n=3, the first control resource set occupies 6 RBs in the frequency domain resources, that is, M=6. If N is less than or equal to 3, the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 2 or 3. In the present application, N is greater than 3, for example, N=6, then the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 6. It can be seen that the method provided by the present application can improve the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0026] In one possible design, N symbols include K subsets, the number of symbols included in the first subset of the K subsets is no greater than 3, and K is an integer greater than 0 and no greater than N. The above approach enables the first control resource set and the second control resource set to dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0027] In one possible design, the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered according to the following rule: the resource element groups within a subset are numbered in ascending order by time-domain symbol index, then by resource block index; and the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered in ascending order by subset index. This ensures that the numbering scheme of each subset is the same as that of the second resource set, allowing the first control resource set and the second control resource set to dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0028] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first information, where the first information indicates a number N of symbols occupied by the first control resource set and a number K of subsets; or, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets. This allows the network device and the first terminal device to align a position and structure of the first control resource set.

[0029] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending second information, the second information indicating the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set; wherein the number of symbols of the K subsets is determined based on the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; and the number of subsets K is determined based on the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set. The above method can reduce information overhead and improve the reliability of information transmission performance by configuring the first control resource set and the second control resource set simultaneously through one message.

[0030] In one possible design, the number of symbols in the K subsets is equal to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set. Through the above design, the first control resource set and the second control resource set can dynamically share overlapping resources.

[0031] In one possible design, the number of subsets or, Wherein, N1 is the number of resource blocks occupied by the second control resource set, N2 is the number of resource blocks occupied by the first control resource set, To round down, To round up.

[0032] In one possible design, the second information is carried in the system information.

[0033] In one possible design, the system information is a main information block.

[0034] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending third information, where the third information includes a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate a time domain position of a subset of the K subsets having a number of symbols P. In this manner, the network device and the first terminal device can align a position and structure of the first control resource set.

[0035] In one possible design, the bits in the first bitmap that take the first value indicate the positions of the symbols included in the subset with the number of symbols being P.

[0036] In one possible design, the bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the first symbol of a subset with P symbols.

[0037] In one possible design, the number of bits in the first bitmap is equal to the number of symbols included in a time slot.

[0038] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources of the first control resource set are less than or equal to a preset value.

[0039] In one possible design, the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap, and the number of symbols of the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3.

[0040] In one possible design, the first control resource set corresponds to a first type of terminal device, the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than the maximum bandwidth capability of the second type of terminal device, or the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than or equal to a preset value.

[0041] In one possible design, the method also includes: sending a second downlink control channel in a second control resource set; sending downlink data or receiving uplink data according to the second downlink control channel; wherein the number of symbols in the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3, and the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap.

[0042] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a terminal device or a chip in a terminal device. The communication device has the function of implementing any of the methods provided in the first aspect above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0043] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in executing the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and a device such as a service network device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0044] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0045] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit (or processing module) and a communication unit (or communication module). These units can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a network device or a chip in a network device. The communication device has the function of implementing any of the methods provided in the second aspect above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0047] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in executing the corresponding functions of the network device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and a terminal device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0049] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit (or processing module) and a communication unit (or communication module). These units can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method in the aforementioned first aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0051] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the method in the aforementioned second aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

[0052] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method of the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design is implemented.

[0053] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method in the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, for implementing the method of the first or second aspect and any possible design. The chip system may be composed of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0055] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the apparatus described in the first aspect (e.g., a first terminal device) and the apparatus described in the second aspect (e.g., a network device), and may further comprise other terminal devices (e.g., a second terminal device) described in the second aspect.

[0056] The technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in any of the third to tenth aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in the first aspect mentioned above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of REG numbering in a CORESET according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of PDCCH aggregation levels of a narrowband terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of PDCCH aggregation levels of another narrowband terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a connection between a network device and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a first control resource set according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of another first control resource set according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of resource overlap according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a bit map according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another bit map according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] Below, some terms used in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0072] 1. Legacy UEs, for example, can be enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) terminals or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) terminals. Legacy UEs can also be referred to as non-reduced capability (REDCAP) UEs.

[0073] 2. REDCAP UE may be a terminal with reduced capabilities compared to legacy UE, for example, Release 17 user equipment (UE).

[0074] The differences between legacy UE and REDCAP UE include one or more of the following:

[0075] 1. Different bandwidth capabilities. The maximum bandwidth supported by legacy UEs can be greater than the maximum bandwidth supported by REDCAP UEs. For example, a legacy UE can support simultaneous communication with network equipment using up to 100 MHz of frequency resources on a single carrier, while a REDCAP UE can support communication with network equipment using up to 20 MHz, 10 MHz, or 5 MHz of frequency resources on a single carrier.

[0076] 2. The number of transmit and receive antennas is different. The antenna configuration of the legacy UE can be larger than that of the REDCAP UE. For example, the minimum antenna configuration supported by the legacy UE can be larger than the maximum antenna configuration supported by the REDCAP UE. For example, the minimum antenna configuration supported by the legacy UE can be 4 transmit and 2 receive, that is, under the minimum antenna configuration, 4 receive antennas are used to receive downlink signals, and 2 transmit antennas are used to send uplink signals; while the maximum antenna configuration supported by the REDCAP UE can be lower than 4 transmit and 2 receive, for example, the REDCAP UE only supports 2 receive and 1 transmit, or it can also support 2 receive and 2 transmit.

[0077] 3. Different uplink maximum transmit power. The maximum uplink transmit power of a legacy UE can be greater than that of a REDCAP UE. For example, the maximum uplink transmit power of a legacy UE can be 23dBm or 26dBm, while the maximum uplink transmit power of a REDCAP UE can only be between 4dBm and 20dBm.

[0078] 4. Legacy UEs and REDCAP UEs correspond to different protocol versions. For example, NR Rel-15 and NR Rel-16 terminals can be considered legacy UEs, while REDCAP UEs can be considered NR Rel-17 terminals.

[0079] 5. Legacy UEs and REDCAP UEs support different carrier aggregation (CA) capabilities. For example, legacy UEs can support CA, while REDCAP UEs do not. Another example is that both REDCAP UEs and legacy UEs support CA, but the maximum number of CAs supported by the legacy UE is greater than the maximum number of CAs supported by the REDCAP UE. For example, a legacy UE can support aggregation of up to 5 or 32 carriers simultaneously, while a REDCAP UE can support aggregation of up to 2 carriers simultaneously.

[0080] 6. The frequency division duplex (FDD) capabilities of legacy UEs and REDCAP UEs are different. For example, legacy UEs may support full-duplex FDD, while REDCAP UEs may only support half-duplex FDD.

[0081] 7. REDCAP UE and legacy UE have different data processing time capabilities. For example, the minimum delay between a legacy UE receiving downlink data and sending feedback on the downlink data is smaller than the minimum delay between a REDCAP UE receiving downlink data and sending feedback on the downlink data, and / or the minimum delay between a legacy UE sending uplink data and receiving feedback on the uplink data is smaller than the minimum delay between a REDCAP UE sending uplink data and receiving feedback on the uplink data.

[0082] 8. Legacy UE and REDCAP UE have different processing capabilities.

[0083] 9. The uplink and / or downlink transmission peak rates of legacy UEs and REDCAP UEs are different.

[0084] 10. Enhanced reduced capability (eREDCAP) terminals (EREDCAP UEs) support the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) configured by UE-specific radio resource control (RRC) and including cell-defined SSB (CD-SSB) or non-cell-defined SSB (NCD-SSB). Legacy UEs only support the downlink BWP configured by UE-specific RRC and including CD-SSB.

[0085] 11.REDCAP UE supports NCD-SSB based measurements in the downlink BWP configured by RRC.

[0086] 3. EREDCAP UE can be understood as a terminal with further reduced capabilities compared to REDCAP UE. EREDCAP UE adopts most of the configurations of REDCAP UE, and further enhancements include at least one of the following:

[0087] 1. The uplink and downlink peak rates are 10 Mbps, and for UEs in feature group FG 48-1, the corresponding peak rate is v*Q*f = 3.2. Here, v is the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, Q is the modulation order, and f is the scaling factor. For UEs in feature group FG 48-2, when the number of layers is 1, the corresponding peak rate is v*Q*f = 0.8; when the number of layers is 2, the corresponding peak rate is v*Q*f = 0.75.

[0088] 2. For UEs in FG 48-1, the maximum number of uplink or downlink unicast scheduling physical resource blocks (PRBs) supported by a single slot or hop is 25 PRBs at 15 kHz or 12 PRBs at 30 kHz.

[0089] 3. When the number of resource blocks (RBs) scheduled by the random access response (RAR) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or Message B (MsgB) PDSCH exceeds 25 PRBs at 15 kHz or 12 PRBs at 30 kHz, the RAR processing timing is relaxed by 1 / 0.5 ms corresponding to 15 / 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), respectively.

[0090] It should be noted that this application does not limit the naming of the above-mentioned types of terminal devices.

[0091] 4. Resource Block (RB)

[0092] RB is a frequency domain unit. For example, one RB may include consecutive subcarriers. is a positive integer, for example, It can be equal to 12.

[0093] 5. Resource element group (REG)

[0094] A REG may include a time domain unit, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, in the time domain, and a frequency domain unit, such as an RB, in the frequency domain. For ease of understanding, the following example illustrates a REG including an OFDM symbol in the time domain and an RB in the frequency domain.

[0095] It should be noted that OFDM symbols can also be called symbols.

[0096] 6. Control Channel Element (CCE)

[0097] A CCE consists of M REGs, where M is a positive integer, for example, M may be 6.

[0098] 7. Downlink Control Channel

[0099] The downlink control channel can also be called PDCCH. The downlink control channel is one of the downlink channels and is used to carry downlink control information. The uses of downlink control information include but are not limited to scheduling the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), scheduling the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), indicating the time slot format, transmitting transmit power control (TPC) commands, UE energy saving information, etc. This application does not limit the naming of the downlink control channel.

[0100] A PDCCH consists of one or more CCEs. For example, as shown in Table 1, when the PDCCH aggregation level is 1, a PDCCH includes 1 CCE, when the PDCCH aggregation level is 2, a PDCCH includes 2 CCEs, when the PDCCH aggregation level is 4, a PDCCH includes 4 CCEs, and so on.

[0101] Table 1

[0102] 5. Control Resource Set

[0103] The control resource set is used to carry downlink control channels or downlink control information. The control resource set can be called CORESET (control resource set), control resource region, or control region. This application does not limit the naming of the control resource set.

[0104] A control resource set in the frequency domain may include Resource blocks (RBs), which include Symbols, for example, The size and location of the time-frequency resources occupied by CORESET can be configured by network devices.

[0105] The REGs in a CORESET are numbered in ascending order in a time-first manner, starting with 0, where 0 corresponds to the first OFDM symbol and the lowest numbered resource block in the control resource set. symbols, frequency domain occupancy The time-frequency resources occupied by CORESET are shown in Figure 1. Within CORESET, REGs are numbered in order of their time domain numbers. REG 0 corresponds to the first OFDM symbol in the time domain, i.e., OFDM symbol 0 in Figure 1, and to the lowest-numbered RB in the frequency domain, i.e., RB 0 in Figure 1. The numbers continue in ascending order. When the CCE-to-REG mapping is non-interleaved, CCE 0 includes six REGs: REG 0, REG 1, REG 2, REG 3, REG 4, and REG 5.

[0106] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: 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.

[0107] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" 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 control resource set and the second control resource set are only used to distinguish different bandwidth portions, and do not indicate a difference in size, priority, or importance between the two bandwidth portions.

[0108] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0109] The terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof mentioned in the following description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0110] The foregoing text introduces some of the terms and concepts involved in the embodiments of this application. The following text introduces the technical background involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0111] Currently, a terminal device's CORESET can be configured with a maximum of three symbols. However, to support relatively low-cost IoT applications, NR systems will introduce narrowband devices with smaller bandwidths. Due to limited bandwidth capabilities, the PDCCH supports lower aggregation levels for narrowband devices with smaller bandwidths. For example, assuming the narrowband device's maximum bandwidth capability corresponds to 6 RBs, and the CORESET time domain occupies 2 OFDM symbols, the narrowband device's PDCCH supports a maximum aggregation level of 2, as shown in Figure 2. If the CORESET time domain occupies 3 OFDM symbols, the narrowband device's PDCCH supports a maximum of 3 CCE aggregations, as shown in Figure 3.

[0112] Currently, the PDCCH of broadband terminal devices supports higher aggregation levels, such as a maximum aggregation level of 16, while narrowband terminal devices support lower aggregation levels, such as the maximum supported aggregation levels of 2 or 3 shown in Figures 2 and 3 above. With the same control information overhead, a higher aggregation level provides better coverage. However, because the PDCCH of narrowband terminal devices supports lower CCE aggregation levels, the PDCCH coverage capability of narrowband terminal devices is lower.

[0113] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for resolving the problem of poor downlink control channel communication performance in narrowband terminal devices. The method and apparatus are based on the same concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0114] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, the Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), long term evolution (LTE), fifth generation (5G) communication system, LTE and 5G hybrid architecture, 5G new radio (NR) system, and 6G or new communication systems emerging in future communication development. The 5G communication system described in this application may include at least one of a non-standalone (NSA) 5G communication system and a standalone (SA) 5G communication system. The communication system may also be a machine to machine (M2M) network or other network.

[0115] The network device and the terminal can communicate through the licensed spectrum, the unlicensed spectrum, or both. The network device and the terminal can communicate through the spectrum below 6G, the spectrum above 6G, or both. The network device and the terminal can communicate through the spectrum below 6G and the spectrum above 6G at the same time. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used between the network device and the terminal.

[0116] Referring to Figure 4, a communication system is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a network device and multiple terminals. For ease of description, Figure 4 takes a communication system including a network device and six terminals as an example. The six terminals are referred to as UE1 to UE6. In this communication system, UE1 to UE6 can send uplink data to the network device, and the network device can receive uplink data sent by UE1 to UE6. In addition, UE4 to UE6 can also form a sub-communication system. The network device can send downlink information to UE1, UE2, UE3, and UE5, and UE5 can send downlink information to UE4 and UE6 based on device-to-device (D2D) technology. Figure 4 is only a schematic diagram and does not specifically limit the type of communication system, the number and type of devices included in the communication system, etc.

[0117] Exemplarily, the network device and the terminal may be connected via an air interface. For example, the connection relationship between the network device and the terminal may be as shown in FIG5 .

[0118] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a communication system serving a first type of terminal, and of course can also be applied to a communication system serving a second type of terminal, or a communication system serving both the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal. The maximum bandwidth supported by the first type of terminal device is smaller than the maximum bandwidth supported by the second type of terminal device. For example, the second type of terminal device can be a legacy UE, and the first type of terminal device can be a REDCAP UE or an EREDCAP UE or other narrowband terminal device, such as a terminal device with a bandwidth less than or equal to a preset value. Exemplarily, the preset value can be a frequency value, such as 20MHz or 5MHz or 3MHz, or the preset value can also be the number of resource units, such as 25 or 15 or 12 or 6, wherein the number of resource units is related to the subcarrier spacing, and the resource unit can be a resource block, a subcarrier, etc.

[0119] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0120] It should be noted that this application does not limit the naming of terms involved in this application, such as control resource set, downlink control channel, symbol, resource element group, resource block, etc.

[0121] The following describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For ease of description, the following uses the method performed by a network device and a first terminal as an example. For example, the first terminal device can be a first-category terminal device. The method of the present application is described below.

[0122] Refer to Figure 6, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the present application. Currently, the time domain resources of the control resource set of a terminal device can be configured with up to 3 (i.e., n=3). However, due to the small bandwidth capacity of the narrowband terminal device, even if the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device is configured with 3 symbols, the PDCCH aggregation level supported by the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device is at most 2 or 3. In order to improve the PDCCH aggregation level of the narrowband terminal device, the present application breaks the quantity limit of the time domain resources of the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device, that is, it is not constrained by 3 symbols, so that the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device can be improved by increasing the time domain resources of the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device and increasing the number of CCEs included in the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device. Furthermore, the present application groups the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device from the perspective of the time domain so that the subset of the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device meets the time domain resource quantity constraint of the control resource set of the broadband terminal device (i.e., not more than 3 symbols), thereby facilitating resource sharing between narrowband terminal devices and broadband terminal devices. In addition, by making the numbering method within the subset of the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device the same as the coding method of the control resource set of the broadband terminal device, it is further facilitated for the narrowband terminal device and the broadband terminal device to share resources.

[0123] The method includes:

[0124] S601: A network device sends a first downlink control channel in a first control resource set. Correspondingly, a first terminal device monitors the first downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0125] The first control resource set is introduced below from the perspectives of time domain and frequency domain respectively.

[0126] First, let's introduce the first control resource set from the perspective of the time domain:

[0127] The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, where N is an integer greater than n. Here, n is the maximum number of symbols that can be configured for the second control resource set. That is, the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set is less than or equal to n. For example, if the second control resource set can be configured with a maximum of 3 symbols, then n is 3, and accordingly, N is an integer greater than 3.

[0128] The first control resource set may correspond to a first type of terminal device. The second control resource set may correspond to a second type of terminal device. In other words, more time domain resources may be configured for the control resource set of a narrowband terminal device, thereby enabling the narrowband terminal device to receive a PDCCH with a high aggregation level, thereby improving communication performance.

[0129] Specifically, the present application can increase the number of CCEs included in the first control resource set by increasing the time domain resources of the first control resource set, thereby improving the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set. For example, assuming n=3, the first control resource set occupies 6 RBs in the frequency domain resources, that is, M=6. If N is less than or equal to 3, the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 2 or 3. In the present application, N is greater than 3, for example, N=6, then the maximum CCE aggregation level supported by the first control resource set is 6. It can be seen that the method provided by the present application can improve the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0130] Next, the first control resource set is introduced from the perspective of the frequency domain. It should be noted that the following features are optional features: the frequency domain resources (eg, number of RBs) M of the first control resource set are less than or equal to a preset value M0.

[0131] In one possible implementation, M0 may be the number of frequency domain resources of the second control resource set. For example, M0 may be equal to 48, 24, 20, 15, or 12. Therefore, the above exemplary description may also be described as indicating that the frequency domain resources of the first control resource set are smaller than the frequency domain resources of the second control resource set. Alternatively, it may be understood that the first control resource set is a control resource set corresponding to a narrowband terminal device, and the second control resource set is a control resource set corresponding to a broadband terminal device. Since the bandwidth capability of the narrowband terminal device is smaller than the bandwidth capability of the broadband terminal device, the number of frequency domain resources (or bandwidth) of the first control resource set may be smaller than the number of frequency domain resources (or bandwidth) of the second control resource set.

[0132] The above describes the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set.

[0133] As an optional solution, the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap. The first control resource set may be a control resource set corresponding to a narrowband terminal device, and the second control resource set may be a control resource set corresponding to a broadband terminal device. In a scenario where the narrowband terminal device and the broadband terminal device are deployed at the same site, by making the time-frequency resources of the control resource set corresponding to the narrowband terminal device and the control resource set corresponding to the broadband terminal device overlap, resource utilization can be improved and coverage blind spots can be reduced. For example, the narrowband terminal device and the broadband terminal device can dynamically share overlapping resources. For example, when the downlink control channel of the broadband terminal device does not occupy the overlapping resources, the overlapping resources can be used for the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device. Similarly, when the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device does not occupy the overlapping resources, the overlapping resources can be used for the downlink control channel of the broadband terminal device. Alternatively, the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device and the downlink control channel of the broadband terminal device can occupy the overlapping resources at the same time.

[0134] In one possible application scenario, a network device can transmit a second downlink control channel in a second control resource set and send downlink data or receive uplink data based on the second downlink control channel. This scenario can be understood as a scenario where the communication system also includes broadband terminal devices, or a scenario where narrowband terminal devices and broadband terminal devices are co-located.

[0135] The structure of the first control resource set is introduced below.

[0136] In one possible manner, N symbols include K subsets, and the number of symbols included in the first subset of the K subsets is not greater than n, where K is an integer greater than 0 and not greater than N. In a specific implementation manner, the number of symbols in the K subsets is not greater than n. Taking n=3 as an example, the number of symbols in each subset can be 1, 2, or 3. The number of symbols in any two subsets can be the same or different. In this manner, the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device is grouped from the perspective of the time domain, so that the time domain resources of each subset are not greater than the total time domain resources of the broadband terminal device, thereby facilitating the dynamic sharing of overlapping time-frequency resources by the broadband terminal device and the narrowband terminal device.

[0137] As an example, the numbering of the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets satisfies the following rule: the resource element groups within a subset are numbered in ascending order by time-domain symbol index and then by resource block index; the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered in ascending order by subset index. REGs between different subsets are numbered consecutively.

[0138] It can also be understood that the resource element groups within each subset are first numbered in ascending order of time domain symbol index and then in ascending order of resource block index. It should be noted that the starting number of each subset is different. The starting number of the first subset is 0, and the starting number of each subset in the remaining subsets is the next number of the last number in the previous subset.

[0139] In the present application, each subset in the first control resource set is numbered separately, and the numbering method within each subset is the same as the numbering method of the second control resource set. The numbering method of the second control resource set can be the numbering method described in the fifth terminology introduction above, that is, the resource element groups in the second control resource set are first numbered in ascending order of time domain symbol index and then in ascending order of resource block index.

[0140] The numbering method of the first control resource set is described below with reference to examples.

[0141] Example 1: The K subsets occupy the same number of symbols.

[0142] As shown in Figure 7, in this example, it is assumed that N=8, M=6, and K=4, that is, the first control resource set occupies 8 symbols in the time domain, namely symbol 1 to symbol 8, and occupies 6 RBs in the frequency domain, namely RB1 to RB6. The 8 symbols are divided into 4 subsets, namely subset 0 to subset 3, and each subset occupies 2 symbols.

[0143] The resource element groups within each subset are first numbered in ascending order of time domain symbol index and then in ascending order of resource block index. It should be noted that the starting number of each subset is different. The starting number of subset 0 is 0, and the starting number of each subset in subsets 1 to 3 is the next number of the last number in the previous subset.

[0144] For example, subset 0 includes RB1 to RB6 in the frequency domain and symbol 1 and symbol 2 in the time domain. The CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 1 in subset 0 is numbered 0, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 2 is numbered 1, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 1 is numbered 2, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 2 is numbered 3, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 1 is numbered 10, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 2 is numbered 11.

[0145] Subset 1 includes RB1 to RB6 in the frequency domain and symbol 3 and symbol 4 in the time domain. The CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 3 in subset 1 is numbered 12, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 4 is numbered 13, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 3 is numbered 14, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 4 is numbered 15, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 3 is numbered 22, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 4 is numbered 23.

[0146] Subset 2 includes RB1 to RB6 in the frequency domain and symbol 5 and symbol 6 in the time domain. The CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 5 in subset 2 is numbered 24, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 6 is numbered 25, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 5 is numbered 26, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 6 is numbered 27, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 5 is numbered 34, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 6 is numbered 35.

[0147] Subset 3 includes RB1 to RB6 in the frequency domain and symbol 7 and symbol 8 in the time domain. The CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 7 in subset 3 is numbered 36, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 8 is numbered 37, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 7 is numbered 38, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 8 is numbered 39, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 7 is numbered 46, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 8 is numbered 47.

[0148] Example 2: At least two of the K subsets occupy different numbers of symbols.

[0149] As shown in Figure 8, in this example, it is assumed that N=6, M=6, K=3, that is, the first control resource set occupies 6 symbols in the time domain, namely symbol 1 to symbol 6, and occupies 6 RBs in the frequency domain, namely RB1 to RB6. The 6 symbols are divided into 3 subsets, namely subsets 0 to 2, where subset 0 includes symbol 1, subset 1 includes symbol 2 and symbol 3, and subset 2 includes symbol 4, symbol 5 and symbol 6.

[0150] The resource element groups within each subset are first numbered in ascending order of time domain symbol index and then in ascending order of resource block index. It should be noted that the starting number of each subset is different. The starting number of subset 0 is 0, and the starting number of each subset in subsets 1 to 3 is the next number of the last number in the previous subset.

[0151] For example, in subset 0, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 1 is numbered 0, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 1 is numbered 1, the CCE corresponding to RB3 and symbol 1 is numbered 2, the CCE corresponding to RB4 and symbol 1 is numbered 3, and so on, the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 1 is numbered 5.

[0152] The CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 2 in subset 1 is numbered 6, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 3 is numbered 7, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 2 is numbered 8, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 3 is numbered 9, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 2 is numbered 16, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 3 is numbered 17.

[0153] In subset 2, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 4 is numbered 18, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 5 is numbered 19, the CCE corresponding to RB1 and symbol 6 is numbered 20, the CCE corresponding to RB2 and symbol 4 is numbered 21, and so on. The CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 4 is numbered 33, the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 5 is numbered 34, and the CCE corresponding to RB6 and symbol 6 is numbered 35.

[0154] In the above example 1, the downlink control channel in the first control resource set (that is, the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device) supports an aggregation level of up to 8. In the above example 2, the downlink control channel in the first control resource set (that is, the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device) supports an aggregation level of up to 6. Compared with aggregation level 2 or 3, the coverage capability is significantly improved.

[0155] Moreover, each subset is encoded in the subset in the order of first the time domain and then the frequency domain, so that the numbering method of each subset is the same as the numbering method of the control resource set in the fifth terminology introduction above (that is, the numbering method of the control resource set of the broadband terminal device, which is also the numbering method of the second control resource set in this application). Therefore, when the second control resource set (that is, the control resource set of the broadband terminal device) occupies 2 symbols in the time domain, if a subset of the first control resource set (that is, the control resource set of the narrowband terminal device) overlaps with the second control resource set (for example, any subset in Example 1 or subset 1 in Example 2), as shown in the dotted box area in Figure 9, since the numbering method in the subset in the first control resource set is the same as the numbering method of the second control resource set, the narrowband terminal device and the broadband terminal device can dynamically share the overlapping resources. For example, when the downlink control channel of the second control resource set does not occupy the overlapping resources, the overlapping resources can be used for the downlink control channel of the narrowband terminal device. Similarly, when the downlink control channel of the first control resource set does not occupy the overlapping resources, the overlapping resources can be used for the downlink control channel of the broadband terminal device. Alternatively, when the aggregation level of the downlink control channel of the first control resource set and the downlink control channel of the second control resource set are both 1, the overlapping resources can be occupied by the downlink control channels of the narrowband terminal device and the broadband terminal device at the same time, thereby reducing resource fragmentation, reducing coverage blind spots, and improving resource utilization.

[0156] The configuration method of the first control resource set will be described below.

[0157] S602: The first terminal device receives downlink data or sends uplink data according to the downlink control channel. Correspondingly, the network device sends downlink data or receives uplink data according to the first downlink control channel.

[0158] The present application can increase the number of CCEs included in the first control resource set by increasing the time domain resources of the first control resource set, thereby improving the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0159] The following describes how to configure the first control resource set.

[0160] Optionally, the first control resource set may be configured by a network device. Three methods of configuring the first control resource set by a network device are described below.

[0161] In method 1, the network device sends first information to the first terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of symbols N and the number of subsets K occupied by the first control resource set; alternatively, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to each of the K subsets. Optionally, the first information may also indicate frequency domain resources of the first control resource set, such as the location and number of frequency domain resources.

[0162] Method 2: The network device sends second information to the first terminal device, and the second information can configure the first control resource set and the second control resource set.

[0163] In a possible example, if the first control resource set is used to carry scheduling information of public messages, such as for scheduling system information block 1 (SIB1), paging message or random access response, the second information can be carried in the master information block (MIB).

[0164] In a possible application scenario, when a first type of terminal device (i.e., a narrowband terminal device) and a second type of terminal device (i.e., a broadband terminal device) are accessed through a network device, the first control resource set corresponding to the narrowband terminal device and the second control resource set corresponding to the broadband terminal device can be configured through the same MIB.

[0165] For example, the second information may be the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of resource blocks RB occupied by the second control resource set. The first terminal device may determine the first control resource set based on the second information.

[0166] For example, the first terminal device may determine the number of symbols in the K subsets based on the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set. For example, the number of symbols in the K subsets is equal to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set. For example, assuming that the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set is 2, the number of symbols included in each subset in the first control resource set is 2.

[0167] The first terminal device may also determine the number K of subsets based on the number N2 of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number N1 of RBs occupied by the second control resource set, where the number N2 of RBs occupied by the first control resource set may be an agreed value (such as a value defined by a protocol) or a value configured by a network device. As an example, the frequency domain resources of the first control resource set may be the first N2 RBs in the second control resource set in ascending order of RB index.

[0168] For example, the number of subsets K can satisfy: or, Wherein, N1 is the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set, and N2 is the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set. To round down, To round up.

[0169] The above method can reduce information overhead and improve the reliability of information transmission performance by configuring the first control resource set and the second control resource set simultaneously through a single message. For example, when the second message is the MIB, since the MIB is an important message for obtaining system parameters, its overhead must be controlled within a certain range to ensure its reliable transmission. The above method can avoid increasing the MIB overhead, thereby ensuring the reliability of MIB transmission performance.

[0170] Method three: The network device sends third information to the first terminal device, and the third information includes a first bit map, wherein the first bit map is associated with the number of symbols P, and the first bit map is used to indicate the time domain position of the subset with the number of symbols P among the K subsets.

[0171] For example, taking n as 3, the possible number of symbols in the K subsets in the first control resource set is 1, 2, or 3. Therefore, the third information may include three bitmaps, wherein the bitmap is associated with one symbol, and the bitmap is used to indicate the time domain position of the subset with the number of symbols of 1 in the K subsets. The bitmap is associated with two symbols, and the bitmap is used to indicate the time domain position of the subset with the number of symbols of 2 in the K subsets. The bitmap is associated with three symbols, and the bitmap is used to indicate the time domain position of the subset with the number of symbols of 3 in the K subsets. The symbols occupied by the first control resource set may be the union of the symbol positions determined by the three bitmaps.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the bits in the first bitmap that take the first value indicate positions of symbols included in the subset with the number of symbols being P.

[0173] For example, as shown in Figure 10, taking the three bitmaps described above as an example, bitmap 1 can be 10000011000000, bitmap 2 can be 01100000000110, and bitmap 3 can be 00011100111000. Based on these three bitmaps, it can be determined that symbol 0 belongs to subset 0, and the number of symbols in subset 0 is 1. Symbols 1 and 2 belong to subset 1, and the number of symbols in subset 0 is 2. Symbols 3, 4, and 5 belong to subset 2, and the number of symbols in subset 2 is 3. Symbol 6 belongs to subset 3, and the number of symbols in subset 3 is 1. Symbol 7 belongs to subset 4, and the number of symbols in subset 4 is 1. Symbols 8, 9, and 10 belong to subset 5, and the number of symbols in subset 5 is 3. Symbols 11 and 12 belong to subset 6, and the number of symbols in subset 6 is 2. The symbols determined by the three-bit bitmap are symbol 0 to symbol 12, that is, the first control resource set includes symbol 0 to symbol 12.

[0174] In another possible implementation, a bit in the first bitmap that takes a first value indicates a position of a first symbol in a subset having P symbols.

[0175] For example, as shown in Figure 11, taking the three bitmaps described above as an example, bitmap 1 can be 10000011000000, bitmap 2 can be 01000000000100, and bitmap 3 can be 00010000100000. Based on these three bitmaps, it can be determined that symbol 0 belongs to subset 0, and the number of symbols in subset 0 is 1. Symbols 1 and 2 belong to subset 1, and the number of symbols in subset 0 is 2. Symbols 3, 4, and 5 belong to subset 2, and the number of symbols in subset 2 is 3. Symbol 6 belongs to subset 3, and the number of symbols in subset 3 is 1. Symbol 7 belongs to subset 4, and the number of symbols in subset 4 is 1. Symbols 8, 9, and 10 belong to subset 5, and the number of symbols in subset 5 is 3. Symbols 11 and 12 belong to subset 6, and the number of symbols in subset 6 is 2. The symbols determined by the three-bit bitmap are symbol 0 to symbol 12, that is, the first control resource set includes symbol 0 to symbol 12.

[0176] Exemplarily, the number of bits in the first bitmap is equal to the number of symbols included in a time slot.

[0177] In one possible design, when configuring the three bitmaps, the bit positions set to the first value may avoid overlapping as much as possible.

[0178] Optionally, in the case where each subset in the K subsets contains a different number of symbols, the mapping manner from CCE to REG may be a non-interleaved manner.

[0179] The present application can increase the number of CCEs included in the first control resource set by increasing the time domain resources of the first control resource set, thereby improving the aggregation level of the downlink control channel in the first control resource set.

[0180] Furthermore, each subset is encoded within the subset in the order of first the time domain and then the frequency domain, so that the numbering method of each subset is the same as the numbering method of the control resource set in the fifth terminology introduction above (such as the numbering method of the second resource set). Therefore, when the second control resource set occupies 2 symbols in the time domain, if a subset of the first control resource set overlaps with the second control resource set (such as any subset in Example 1 or Subset 1 in Example 2), since the numbering method within the subsets in the first control resource set is the same as the numbering method of the second control resource set, the first control resource set and the second control resource set can dynamically share the overlapping resources, thereby reducing resource fragmentation and improving resource utilization.

[0181] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiment, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the structure of which may be as shown in FIG12 , including a communication unit 1201 and a processing unit 1202 .

[0182] In one embodiment, a communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the terminal device in the embodiment of FIG. 6 . The device can be the terminal device itself, or a chip, chipset, or portion of a chip in the terminal device that performs the functions of the related method. The processing unit 1202 is configured to monitor a downlink control channel via the communication unit 1201 in a first control resource set; and receive downlink data or send uplink data via the communication unit 1201 based on the downlink control channel. The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, where N is an integer greater than 3.

[0183] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is further used to receive first information, where the first information indicates the number of symbols N occupied by the first control resource set and the number of subsets K; or, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets respectively.

[0184] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is also used to receive second information, where the second information indicates the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set; wherein the number of symbols of the K subsets is determined based on the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; and the number of subsets K is determined based on the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set.

[0185] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is further used to receive third information, where the third information includes a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate the time domain position of a subset with a number of symbols P among the K subsets.

[0186] In one embodiment, a communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the network device in the embodiment of FIG. 6 . The device can be the network device itself, or a chip, chipset, or a portion of a chip in the network device that performs the functions of the related method. The processing unit 1202 is configured to send a first downlink control channel via the communication unit 1201 in a first control resource set; and to send downlink data or receive uplink data via the communication unit 1201 based on the first downlink control channel. The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, where N is an integer greater than 3.

[0187] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is further used to send first information, where the first information indicates the number of symbols N occupied by the first control resource set and the number of subsets K; or, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets respectively.

[0188] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is also used to send second information, where the second information indicates the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set; wherein the number of symbols of the K subsets is determined based on the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; and the number of subsets K is determined based on the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set.

[0189] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is further used to send third information, where the third information includes a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate the time domain position of a subset with a number of symbols P among the K subsets.

[0190] Optionally, the communication unit 1201 is further used to send a second downlink control channel in the second control resource set; send downlink data or receive uplink data according to the second downlink control channel; wherein the number of symbols in the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3, and the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap.

[0191] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processor, or can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It is understood that the functions or implementations of the various modules in the embodiments of the present application can be further referred to the relevant description of the method embodiment.

[0192] In one possible embodiment, a communication device may be as shown in FIG13 . The device may be a communication device or a chip within the communication device, wherein the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device in the above embodiments. The device includes a processor 1301 and a communication interface 1302, and may also include a memory 1303. The processing unit 1202 may be the processor 1301. The communication unit 1201 may be the communication interface 1302. Optionally, the processor 1301 and the memory 1303 may be integrated.

[0193] The processor 1301 may be a CPU, a digital processing unit, or the like. The communication interface 1302 may be a transceiver, an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver chip, or the like. The device further includes: a memory 1303 for storing programs executed by the processor 1301. The memory 1303 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 1303 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0194] The processor 1301 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1303, specifically to execute the actions of the processing unit 1202, which will not be described in detail in this application. The communication interface 1302 is specifically used to execute the actions of the communication unit 1201, which will not be described in detail in this application.

[0195] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 1302, processor 1301, and memory 1303 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 13, the embodiment of the present application shows that the memory 1303, processor 1301, and communication interface 1302 are connected via bus 1304. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 13. The connection method between other components is only for schematic illustration and is not limiting. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used in Figure 13, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0196] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor, which includes a program required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor.

[0197] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including a communication device for implementing the terminal device function in the embodiment of Figure 6 and a communication device for implementing the network device function in the embodiment of Figure 6.

[0198] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0199] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0200] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0201] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0202] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: monitoring a downlink control channel in a first control resource set; receiving downlink data or sending uplink data according to the downlink control channel; The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, and N is an integer greater than 3.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The N symbols include K subsets, the number of symbols included in the first subset among the K subsets is not greater than 3, and K is an integer greater than 0 and not greater than N.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The numbering of the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets satisfies the following rules: The corresponding resource element groups within a subset are numbered in the order of increasing time domain symbol index and then increasing resource block index; The resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered in ascending order of subset index.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The method further comprises: Receive first information, where the first information indicates the number of symbols N occupied by the first control resource set and the number K of the subsets; or, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets respectively.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving second information, where the second information indicates the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the second control resource set; The number of symbols of the K subsets is determined according to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; the number of subsets K is determined according to the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The number of symbols in the K subsets is equal to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The number of subsets or, Wherein, N1 is the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set, and N2 is the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set. To round down, To round up.

8. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The method further comprises: Receive third information, where the third information includes a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate a time domain position of a subset with the number of symbols P among the K subsets.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the symbol included in the subset with the number of symbols being P; Alternatively, the bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the first symbol of the subset with the number of symbols being P.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The number of bits in the first bitmap is equal to the number of symbols included in a time slot.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The frequency domain resources of the first control resource set are less than or equal to a preset value.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap, and the number of symbols of the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The first control resource set corresponds to a first type of terminal device, the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than the maximum bandwidth capability of the second type of terminal device, or the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than or equal to a preset value.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending a first downlink control channel in a first control resource set; sending downlink data or receiving uplink data according to the first downlink control channel; The first control resource set occupies N symbols in the time domain, and N is an integer greater than 3.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The N symbols include K subsets, the number of symbols included in the first subset among the K subsets is not greater than 3, and K is an integer greater than 0 and not greater than N.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The numbering of the resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets satisfies the following rules: The corresponding resource element groups within a subset are numbered in the order of increasing time domain symbol index and then increasing resource block index; The resource element groups corresponding to the K subsets are numbered in ascending order of subset index.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The method further comprises: Send first information, where the first information indicates the number of symbols N occupied by the first control resource set and the number K of the subsets; or, the first information indicates the number of symbols corresponding to the K subsets respectively.

18. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending second information, where the second information indicates the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set and the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the second control resource set; The number of symbols of the K subsets is determined according to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set; the number of subsets K is determined according to the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set and the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The number of symbols in the K subsets is equal to the number of symbols occupied by the second control resource set.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein The number of subsets or, Wherein, N1 is the number of RBs occupied by the second control resource set, and N2 is the number of RBs occupied by the first control resource set. To round down, To round up.

21. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The method further comprises: Send third information, the third information including a first bitmap, wherein the first bitmap is associated with a number of symbols P, and the first bitmap is used to indicate a time domain position of a subset with a number of symbols P among the K subsets.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the symbol included in the subset with the number of symbols being P; Alternatively, the bit with the first value in the first bitmap indicates the position of the first symbol of the subset with the number of symbols being P.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein: The number of bits in the first bitmap is equal to the number of symbols included in a time slot.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 23, wherein: The frequency domain resources of the first control resource set are less than or equal to a preset value.

25. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein: The method further comprises: sending a second downlink control channel in a second control resource set; sending downlink data or receiving uplink data according to the second downlink control channel; The number of symbols in the second control resource set is less than or equal to 3, and the time-frequency resources of the first control resource set and the second control resource set overlap.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein: The first control resource set corresponds to a first type of terminal device, the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than the maximum bandwidth capability of the second type of terminal device, or the maximum bandwidth capability of the first type of terminal device is less than or equal to a preset value.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store program instructions, and when the processor executes the program instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store program instructions, and when the processor executes the program instructions, the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26 is executed.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer storage medium stores computer-readable instructions, and when the computer-readable instructions are executed on the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26 is executed.

32. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a device, the device is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

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