Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which can improve the PBCH receiving performance of a narrowband terminal while reducing common channel overheads. The method comprises: mapping M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to a PBCH time-frequency resource, wherein the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource do not overlap subcarriers occupied by the second time-frequency resource; and M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, M and M1 being integers greater than 1. For example, the M1 consecutive symbols can be the first M1 symbols or the last M1 symbols among the M symbols.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 31, 2024, with application number 202410148678.8 and application name “Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0003] The services of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system mainly include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services, ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services, and massive machine type communication (mMTC) services.

[0004] mMTC typically requires low energy consumption, low cost, low speed, and enhanced coverage. Narrower bandwidth is the most direct way to reduce terminal costs. Therefore, based on different services, a communication system may have multiple terminals with different bandwidths, such as eMBB terminals and reduced capability (RedCap) terminals. RedCap terminals have a smaller bandwidth than eMBB terminals.

[0005] Typically, for different types of terminals, the network side can send dedicated physical broadcast channels (PBCH) for terminal access. Although this solution effectively guarantees the performance of initial access for narrowband terminals, it significantly increases the overhead of the network side's public channels.

[0006] However, if a narrowband terminal is made to directly receive the PBCH currently designed for a traditional terminal in order to save overhead, the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal will be greatly deteriorated. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve the PBCH reception performance of narrowband terminals while saving common channel overhead.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a RAN node, or by a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the RAN node, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions. The method includes: mapping M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to PBCH time-frequency resources. The PBCH time-frequency resources are composed of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

[0009] Based on this solution, the PBCH time-frequency resources are divided into two parts in this application, and the continuous M1 symbols of the PBCH are mapped to one part of the resources (i.e., the first time-frequency resources), and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the other part of the resources (i.e., the second time-frequency resources). When the narrowband terminal can receive the information carried on the first time-frequency resources, it can enable the narrowband terminal to obtain the continuous M1 symbols of the PBCH, thereby having a greater probability of demodulating the complete system information, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal. In addition, the broadband terminal can receive the complete PBCH on the PBCH time-frequency resources, that is, there is no need to send PBCH to the narrowband terminal and the broadband terminal separately, which can save the overhead of the common channel.

[0010] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first-class terminal, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the first-class terminal, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first-class terminal. The method includes: obtaining M1 symbols of a physical broadcast channel PBCH, and the M1 symbols are mapped to a first time-frequency resource. The first time-frequency resource belongs to the PBCH time-frequency resource, and the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource. The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. Among them, the M1 symbols are M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols of the PBCH, and the remaining M-M1 symbols among the M symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, and M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1. Among them, the technical effects brought about by the second aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0011] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second-class terminal, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the second-class terminal, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second-class terminal. The method includes: obtaining M symbols of a physical broadcast channel PBCH, the M symbols are mapped to a PBCH time-frequency resource, the PBCH time-frequency resource is composed of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. Among them, M1 consecutive symbols of the M symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, and M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1. Among them, the technical effects brought about by the third aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in one possible design, the bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals. The bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is greater than the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals and less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the second category of terminals.

[0013] Based on this possible design, the bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum reception bandwidth of the first category of terminals, enabling the first category of terminals to receive all information on the first time-frequency resource. This ensures that the first category of terminals can receive M1 consecutive PBCH symbols, thereby improving PBCH reception performance for the first category of terminals. Furthermore, the bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum reception bandwidth of the second category of terminals, ensuring PBCH reception performance for the second category of terminals.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in one possible design, the first time-frequency resource is a common PBCH time-frequency resource for the first category terminal and the second category terminal, and the second time-frequency resource is a PBCH time-frequency resource exclusive to the second category terminal relative to the first category terminal.

[0015] Based on this possible design, the first type of terminal can receive all the information on the first time-frequency resource, that is, it is ensured that the first type of terminal can receive M1 consecutive symbols of the PBCH, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the first type of terminal; and the second type of terminal can receive the complete PBCH on the complete PBCH time-frequency resource, thereby ensuring the PBCH reception performance of the second type of terminal.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in one possible design, the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resources are continuous in the frequency domain.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible design, the M1 consecutive symbols in the M symbols are: the first M1 symbols in the M symbols.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible design, the M1 consecutive symbols in the M symbols are: the last M1 symbols in the M symbols.

[0019] Based on the two possible designs described above, since PBCH is typically encoded using Polar codes, based on the design principles of Polar codes, after the PBCH information bits are encoded, important information bits are typically located at the front or end of the sequence. Therefore, when the first M1 symbols or the last M1 symbols of the M symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, since the bits contained in the first M1 symbols or the last M1 symbols have a higher weight, the first type of terminal can receive important information bits as much as possible, thereby having a greater probability of demodulating complete system information, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the first type of terminal.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible design, M1 is the number of valid resource elements RE in the first time-frequency resource, and the valid RE is the RE in the first time-frequency resource except for the RE used to map the demodulation reference signal DMRS.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in one possible design, the mapping order of M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is the same as the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource.

[0022] Based on this possible design, the mapping order of PBCH symbols on the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource is the same, which can reduce the processing complexity of the RAN node and the terminal.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible design, the mapping order of M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first, the subcarrier index from low to high, and then the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbol index from low to high.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in one possible design, the union of the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resources.

[0025] In one implementation scenario, the M1 consecutive symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource may be replaced by M1 symbols among M2 consecutive symbols of the PBCH, where M2 > M1. In this scenario, the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource may be continuous or discontinuous, without limitation.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the methods. The modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0027] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively configured to implement the receiving functionality and the transmitting functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0028] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the aspects.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method described in any aspect.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any one of the aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0032] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0033] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0034] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0035] It can be understood that the communication device provided in the fourth to eighth aspects can be the RAN node in the first aspect, or it can be a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the RAN node that corresponds one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect, or it can be a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the RAN node, or it can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0036] Alternatively, the communication device may be the first type of terminal in the second aspect, or a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the first type of terminal that corresponds one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first type of terminal, or may also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first type of terminal.

[0037] Alternatively, the communication device may be the second type terminal in the third aspect, or a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the second type terminal that corresponds one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action described in the third aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in combination with the second type terminal, or a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second type terminal.

[0038] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0039] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0040] In an eleventh aspect, a communications system is provided, comprising a RAN node, a first-category terminal, and a second-category terminal. The RAN node is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, the first-category terminal is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and any possible design thereof, and the second-category terminal is configured to perform the method described in the third aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0041] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the fourth to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a time-frequency resource grid provided by this application;

[0043] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the time-frequency position of a PBCH provided in this application;

[0044] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a narrowband terminal receiving PBCH provided by the present application;

[0045] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the performance of a narrowband terminal and a traditional terminal receiving PBCH provided by the present application;

[0046] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0047] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0048] Figures 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams of the locations of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource provided in this application;

[0049] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of the symbol mapping sequence provided by this application;

[0050] 12-14 are schematic diagrams of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0052] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0053] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0054] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application 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 to facilitate understanding.

[0055] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0056] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0057] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0058] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following description of the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0059] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0060] 1. New radio (NR):

[0061] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications technology, NR, features a new air interface design based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and is the foundation of next-generation cellular communications. NR services primarily include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

[0062] In NR, the basic unit in the frequency domain is a subcarrier, and the subcarrier spacing (SCS) can be 15kHz, 30kHz, etc. In the NR physical layer, the unit of uplink or downlink frequency domain resources is the resource block (RB), and each RB consists of 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0063] For example, the NR downlink time-frequency resource grid is shown in Figure 1. = represents the number of downlink RBs. Each element on the resource grid is called a resource element (RE). An RE is the smallest physical resource, consisting of a subcarrier within an OFDM symbol. The uplink time-frequency resource grid is similar to the downlink time-frequency resource grid and will not be described in detail here.

[0064] 2. Synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block, SSB):

[0065] In NR, the SSB includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The PBCH carries the master information block (MIB).

[0066] In the time domain, one SSB occupies four consecutive OFDM symbols, which are numbered 0 to 3 in ascending time order. In the frequency domain, one SSB occupies 240 consecutive subcarriers, which are numbered 0 to 239 in ascending frequency order.

[0067] It should be noted that the numbering of the four OFDM symbols is relative to the starting position of the SSB time domain, and the numbering of the 240 subcarriers is relative to the starting position of the SSB frequency domain. For example, the mapping method of PSS, SSS, PBCH and PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is shown in Table 1.

[0068] Table 1

[0069] Among them, the DMRS of PBCH is mapped to one subcarrier in every 4 subcarriers, and v represents the offset of the subcarrier used to map DMRS in every 4 subcarriers. For example, the value of v can be 0, 1, 2, 3, which respectively indicates that DMRS is mapped on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th subcarrier in every 4 subcarriers.

[0070] Based on Table 1, the structure of SSB can be shown in Figure 2. Among them, PBCH occupies 3 OFDM symbols in the time domain, and occupies subcarriers numbered 0-239 in the frequency domain corresponding to OFDM symbols numbered 1 and 3, and occupies subcarriers numbered 0-47 and 192-239 in the frequency domain corresponding to OFDM symbol numbered 2.

[0071] In addition, the mapping order of the modulation symbols obtained based on the information carried by the PBCH on the time-frequency resources occupied by the PBCH follows the rule of "frequency domain first, time domain second". Based on the examples in Table 1 and Figure 1, the modulation symbols are first mapped on subcarriers 0-239 in ascending order of subcarrier numbers in OFDM symbol 1, then on subcarriers 0-47 and 192-239 in descending order of subcarrier numbers in OFDM symbol 2, and finally on subcarriers 0-239 in descending order of subcarrier numbers in OFDM symbol 3.

[0072] 3. Internet of Things (IoT):

[0073] IoT stands for "Internet of Things." It extends the internet's user-side capabilities to any object, enabling information exchange and communication between them. This type of communication is also known as machine-type communications (MTC). The communicating nodes are called IoT terminals or IoT devices. Typical IoT applications include connected vehicles, smart communities, industrial monitoring and control, smart metering, smart grids, smart agriculture, smart transportation, smart homes, and environmental monitoring.

[0074] Because the IoT needs to be applied in a variety of scenarios, from outdoor to indoor, above ground to underground, it places many unique requirements on IoT design. For example, in some scenarios, IoT terminals are used in environments with poor coverage. For example, electricity and water meters are often installed indoors or even in basements, where wireless network signals are weak. Therefore, coverage enhancement technologies are needed. Alternatively, in some scenarios, the number of IoT terminals far exceeds the number of devices used for interpersonal communication, necessitating large-scale deployment. Therefore, IoT terminals must be available and used at a very low cost. Furthermore, in some scenarios, IoT terminals transmit very small data packets and are not sensitive to latency, requiring low-speed data rates. Furthermore, in most cases, IoT terminals are battery-powered, yet in many scenarios, they are required to last for more than ten years without battery replacement, requiring them to operate with extremely low power consumption.

[0075] In other words, MTC has requirements such as coverage enhancement, low cost, low speed, and low energy consumption. Narrower bandwidth is the most direct way to reduce terminal costs. Therefore, there may be multiple terminals with different bandwidths in the network. For example, in the fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, there are traditional LTE terminals and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT); in the NR system, there are eMBB terminals and reduced capability (RedCap) terminals.

[0076] In LTE systems, the network sends separate PBCHs for traditional LTE terminals and NB-IoT terminals. While this solution effectively ensures the initial access performance of NB-IoT terminals, it significantly increases the network's public signaling overhead. Therefore, in future IoT systems, the ideal goal remains a broadband-narrowband integrated design, in which the network sends a single PBCH for access by both broadband and narrowband terminals.

[0077] However, in the NR system, if a narrowband terminal is allowed to directly receive the PBCH designed for a traditional terminal (such as an eMBB terminal), the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal will be greatly deteriorated.

[0078] For example, taking the subcarrier spacing of 30kHz as an example, the PBCH design shown in Figure 2 occupies a bandwidth of 7.2 megahertz (MHz). If there is a narrowband terminal with a bandwidth of 5MHz in the system (both the RF and baseband bandwidths are 5MHz), then the narrowband terminal can only receive part of the PBCH. Assuming that the narrowband terminal and the traditional terminal are accessed from the same synchronization grid position, as shown in Figure 3, the narrowband terminal receives the 144 subcarriers (12 RBs, bandwidth 4.32MHz) at the center of the PBCH. At this time, the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal and the traditional terminal is shown in Figure 4. Referring to Figure 4, under the same block error rate (BLER), the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the narrowband terminal and the eMBB terminal is quite different. When the BLER is 10 -2 In this case, the SNR difference between narrowband terminals and eMBB terminals reaches 7.7 decibels (dB).

[0079] However, a narrowband terminal with a bandwidth of 5 MHz can actually receive information on 288 REs across 144 subcarriers (excluding DMRS, PBCH modulation symbols can be received on 216 REs). A traditional terminal can receive the entire PBCH, that is, information on 576 REs occupied by the PBCH (excluding DMRS, PBCH modulation symbols can be received on 432 REs).

[0080] In other words, compared to traditional terminals, this narrowband terminal loses 50% of its resources, and therefore 50% of its information. From a resource conversion perspective, the ideal performance difference for a 50% resource loss should be 3dB. However, as shown in Figure 4, the performance difference between the narrowband terminal and the traditional terminal reaches 7.7dB, indicating a significant deterioration in the narrowband terminal's reception performance.

[0081] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method that can map M1 consecutive symbols of the M symbols (i.e., modulation symbols) of the PBCH to a first time-frequency resource, and map the remaining M-M1 symbols to a second time-frequency resource. The first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource constitute the PBCH time-frequency resource. In addition, the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap, and the union of the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resource.

[0082] That is, in this application, the PBCH time-frequency resources are divided into two parts, and M1 consecutive PBCH symbols are mapped to one part of the resources (i.e., the first time-frequency resources), and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the other part of the resources (i.e., the second time-frequency resources). When a narrowband terminal can receive information carried on the first time-frequency resources, it can obtain M1 consecutive PBCH symbols, thereby obtaining relatively complete partial system information, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal.

[0083] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used in various communication systems, which may be third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication systems, for example, 4G systems such as LTE systems, 5G systems such as NR systems, LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or other next-generation communication systems such as 5.5G systems, sixth generation (6G) systems, etc. The communication system may also be a non-3GPP communication system without limitation.

[0084] Among them, the above-mentioned communication system applicable to this application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to this application is not limited to this. The communication system provided by this application does not impose any limitations on the solution of this application. It is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0085] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 5 , communication system 50 includes a radio access network (RAN) 500 and a core network (CN) 600. RAN 500 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 510a and 510b in Figure 5 , collectively referred to as 510) and at least one terminal (e.g., 520a-520j in Figure 5 , collectively referred to as 520). RAN 500 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 5 ).

[0086] The terminals in the embodiments of the present application may include first-category terminals and second-category terminals. The maximum operating bandwidth / maximum receiving bandwidth of the first-category terminals is smaller than the maximum operating bandwidth / maximum receiving bandwidth of the second-category terminals. The second-category terminals may also be referred to as traditional terminals, ordinary terminals, non-reduced-capability terminals, or normal terminals.

[0087] For example, the maximum operating bandwidth / maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals can be 5 MHz or 3 MHz, and of course it can also be other bandwidths, which is not specifically limited in this application. The first category of terminals may include reduced capability (RedCap) terminals, enhanced RedCap (eRedCap) terminals, NR light terminals, long range radio (LoRa) terminals, NB-IoT terminals, weightless terminals, Sigfox terminals, and other narrowband IoT terminals. The second category of terminals may be enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) terminals.

[0088] In the communication system shown in Figure 5, terminal 520 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 510. RAN node 510 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 600. The core network equipment in core network 600 and RAN node 510 in RAN 500 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0089] The RAN 500 may be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 500 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 500 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0090] The RAN node 510, which may also sometimes be referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity or access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 510 in the communication system 10 may be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 510 and the terminal 520 are relative. For example, the network element 520i in Figure 5 may be a helicopter or a drone, which may be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 520j that accesses the RAN 500 through the network element 520i, the network element 520i is a base station; but for the base station 510a, the network element 520i is a terminal. The RAN node 510 and the terminal 520 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 510a and 510b in Figure 5 may be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and the network elements 520a-520j may be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0091] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (such as 510a in FIG5 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 510b in FIG5 ), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an onboard device. For example, an access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of a RAN node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). A RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of a RAN node.

[0092] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node 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 be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0093] 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.

[0094] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0095] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0096] The following describes the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, taking the interaction between a terminal and a RAN node as an example, in conjunction with the communication system shown in Figure 5. It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between the terminal and the RAN node are merely examples, and other names may be used in other embodiments, and the method provided in the present application is not specifically limited to this.

[0097] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal or RAN node may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0098] It is understandable that this application uses the RAN node and the terminal as examples to illustrate the execution entities of the interaction diagram, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction diagram. For example, the method executed by the RAN node in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the RAN node (such as a chip, chip system, or processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the terminal (such as a chip, chip system, or processor), and can also be implemented by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions.

[0099] 6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method may include the following steps:

[0100] S601: The RAN node maps M symbols of the PBCH to PBCH time-frequency resources, where M is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0101] The PBCH time-frequency resources consist of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and the frequency domain locations of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. M1 of the M symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource. M1 is a positive integer greater than 1. Exemplarily, the PBCH time-frequency resources can be understood as the time-frequency resources occupied by the PBCH.

[0102] It is understood that the above symbols refer to modulation symbols or complex symbols, wherein the complex symbols can be complex symbols obtained by modulating bits or complex symbols obtained by scrambling and modulating bits. In the following embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, symbols refer to modulation symbols or complex symbols.

[0103] It should be noted that modulation symbols / complex symbols and OFDM symbols are two different concepts. Modulation symbols / complex symbols carry information, while OFDM symbols represent resources in the time domain.

[0104] In a possible implementation, the M symbols of the PBCH may also be referred to as a PBCH symbol set or symbol sequence. The M symbols may be represented as d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),dPBCH (2),…,d PBCH (M-1).

[0105] In a possible implementation, the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, which can also be understood as: the PBCH time-frequency resource can be divided into two parts: the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain positions of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap, which can be understood as: the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap, or the RBs occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap, which can also be understood as: the index of the subcarriers included in the first time-frequency resource is different from the index of the subcarriers included in the second time-frequency resource.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the union of the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resource. Exemplarily, the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource may partially overlap or completely overlap. If the OFDM symbols completely overlap, the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource can be considered to be the same.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource or the second time-frequency resource can be understood as two types of time-frequency resources. The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource are continuous in the frequency domain, or in other words, the first time-frequency resource includes multiple subcarriers that are continuous in the frequency domain. The second time-frequency resource can be understood as the resources in the PBCH time-frequency resource other than the first time-frequency resource, that is, the resources in the PBCH time-frequency resource other than the first time-frequency resource can be collectively referred to as the second time-frequency resource. The subcarriers occupied by the second time-frequency resource can be continuous or discontinuous, without limitation.

[0109] As a possible example, the frequency domain resources of the first time-frequency resources can be the frequency domain resources of the middle part of the PBCH time-frequency resources, and the frequency domain resources of the second time-frequency resources include part of the frequency domain resources of the low-frequency edge and high-frequency edge of the PBCH time-frequency resources. Taking the PBCH time-frequency resources as shown in Table 1 as an example, the OFDM symbol numbers and subcarrier numbers occupied by the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources respectively can be as shown in Table 2. Correspondingly, the position diagram of the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources can be shown in Figure 7.

[0110] For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the number may also be called an index or a serial number, and the three may be interchangeable.

[0111] It can be understood that the OFDM symbol number is the number relative to the starting position of the SSB time domain, and the subcarrier number is the number relative to the starting position of the SSB frequency domain.

[0112] Table 2

[0113] That is, the first time-frequency resources are {OFDM symbol 1, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191} and {OFDM symbol 3, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191}. The second time-frequency resources are {OFDM symbol 1, subcarriers 1, 49, ..., 47, 192, 193, ..., 239}, {OFDM symbol 2, subcarriers 1, 49, ..., 47, 192, 193, ..., 239} and {OFDM symbol 3, subcarriers 1, 49, ..., 47, 192, 193, ..., 239}.

[0114] As another possible example, the frequency domain resources of the first time-frequency resource are part of the frequency domain resources at the low-frequency edge of the PBCH, and the frequency domain resources of the second time-frequency resource are the remaining frequency domain resources of the PBCH time-frequency resource. Taking the PBCH time-frequency resources as shown in Table 1 as an example, the OFDM symbol numbers and subcarrier numbers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource, respectively, can be as shown in Table 3. Correspondingly, the position diagram of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource can be shown in Figure 8.

[0115] Table 3

[0116] As another possible example, the frequency domain resources of the first time-frequency resource are part of the frequency domain resources of the high-frequency edge of the PBCH, and the frequency domain resources of the second time-frequency resource are the remaining frequency domain resources of the PBCH time-frequency resource. Taking the PBCH time-frequency resources as shown in Table 1 as an example, the OFDM symbol numbers and subcarrier numbers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource, respectively, can be as shown in Table 4. Correspondingly, the position diagram of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource can be shown in Figure 9.

[0117] Table 4

[0118] In one possible implementation, the bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum operating bandwidth of the first category of terminals, meaning that the first category of terminals are capable of receiving all information on the first time-frequency resource. The bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is greater than the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum operating bandwidth of the first category of terminals and less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum operating bandwidth of the second category of terminals. This means that the first category of terminals cannot receive all information on the PBCH time-frequency resource, while the second category of terminals are capable of receiving all information on the PBCH time-frequency resource.

[0119] For example, the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum operating bandwidth of the first type of terminal is 5MHz, and the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum operating bandwidth of the second type of terminal is greater than or equal to 10MHz; when the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz, the first time-frequency resource occupies 144 subcarriers, and the bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is 4.32MHz; the PBCH time-frequency resource occupies 240 subcarriers, and the bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is 7.2MHz.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the first time-frequency resources may be understood as common PBCH time-frequency resources for first-category terminals and second-category terminals, and the second time-frequency resources may be understood as PBCH time-frequency resources specific to the second-category terminals relative to the first-category terminals. For example, the common PBCH time-frequency resources may be understood as PBCH time-frequency resources that can be received by both first-category terminals and second-category terminals. The PBCH time-frequency resources specific to the second-category terminals relative to the first-category terminals may be understood as PBCH time-frequency resources that can be received by the second-category terminals but cannot be received by the first-category terminals.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource are M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols of the PBCH. For example, the M1 consecutive symbols are the first M1 symbols among the M symbols, that is, d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),…,d PBCH (M1-1), accordingly, the M-M1 symbols mapped to the second time-frequency resource are the last M-M1 symbols of the M symbols, that is, d PBCH (M1),d PBCH (M1+1),…,d PBCH (M). Alternatively, the M1 consecutive symbols are the last M1 symbols in the M symbols, i.e., d PBCH (M-M1),d PBCH (M-M1+1),…,d PBCH (M-1), accordingly, the M-M1 symbols mapped to the second time-frequency resource are the first M-M1 symbols of the M symbols, d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),…,d PBCH (M-M1-1).

[0122] In another possible implementation, the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource are M1 symbols among M2 consecutive symbols of the PBCH, where M2>M1. Exemplarily, the M2 consecutive symbols are the first M2 symbols among the M symbols, or the last M2 symbols among the M symbols. It is understandable that in this possible implementation, the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource may be M1 consecutive symbols or M1 discontinuous symbols, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0123] In one possible implementation, M1 is the number of valid REs in the first time-frequency resource. Valid REs may be understood as REs in the first time-frequency resource excluding REs used for mapping reference signals, where the reference signal is a DMRS or the reference signal may include but is not limited to a DMRS; or, valid REs may be understood as REs in the first time-frequency resource excluding REs not used for mapping PBCH symbols, where the REs not used for mapping PBCH symbols may include REs used for mapping reference signals or idle REs (e.g., REs set to 0).

[0124] In a possible implementation, the mapping order of M1 symbols among the M symbols of the PBCH on the first time-frequency resource is the same as the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource. Of course, the mapping order of the M1 symbols on the first time-frequency resource may also be different from the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource.

[0125] As a possible example, the mapping order of M1 symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first, the subcarrier index is from low to high, and then the OFDM symbol index is from low to high. For example, taking the position diagram of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource as shown in FIG7 , and the M1 consecutive symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource as the first M1 symbols of the M symbols, as shown in FIG10 , the RAN node will d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),…,d PBCH (M1 / 2-1) is mapped to the effective REs in {OFDM symbol 1, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191}, and d PBCH (M1 / 2),d PBCH (M1 / 2+1),…,d PBCH (M1-1) is mapped to valid REs in {OFDM symbol 3, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191}.

[0126] Alternatively, taking the position diagram of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource as shown in FIG7 , and the M1 consecutive symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource as the last M1 symbols of the M symbols as an example, as shown in FIG11 , the RAN node sets d PBCH(M-M1),…,d PBCH (M-M1 / 2-1) is mapped to the effective REs in {OFDM symbol 1, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191}, and d PBCH (M-M1 / 2),…,d PBCH (M-1) are mapped to valid REs in {OFDM symbol 3, subcarriers 48, 49, ..., 191}.

[0127] As another possible example, the mapping order of M1 symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first the subcarrier index from high to low, then the OFDM symbol index from high to low; or, first the subcarrier index from low to high, then the OFDM symbol index from high to low; or, first the subcarrier index from high to low, then the OFDM symbol index from low to high.

[0128] Among them, the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource can refer to the mapping order of the M1 symbol on the first time-frequency resource, and will not be repeated here.

[0129] Based on the above scheme, the present application divides the PBCH time-frequency resources into two parts, maps M1 consecutive PBCH symbols to one part of the resources (i.e., the first time-frequency resources), and maps the remaining M-M1 symbols to the other part of the resources (i.e., the second time-frequency resources). When a narrowband terminal can receive information carried on the first time-frequency resources, it can obtain M1 consecutive PBCH symbols, thereby having a greater probability of demodulating complete system information, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal.

[0130] For example, taking the subcarrier spacing as 30 kHz, the OFDM symbols and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource as shown in Table 2, when the BLER is 10 -2 When the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource are the first M1 symbols of the M symbols of PBCH, the SNR of the second type of terminal receiving PBCH, the SNR of the first type of terminal receiving PBCH when the PBCH symbols are mapped according to the current NR method, and the SNR of the first type of terminal receiving PBCH when the PBCH symbols are mapped according to the method of this application are shown in Table 5.

[0131] Table 5

[0132] For another example, taking the subcarrier spacing as 30kHz, the OFDM symbols and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource as shown in Table 2, when the BLER is 10 -2When the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource are the last M1 symbols of the M symbols of PBCH, the SNR of the second type of terminal receiving PBCH, the SNR of the first type of terminal receiving PBCH when the PBCH symbols are mapped according to the current NR method, and the SNR of the first type of terminal receiving PBCH when the PBCH symbols are mapped according to the method of this application are shown in Table 6.

[0133] Table 6

[0134] From Table 5, we can see that when BLER is 10 -2 In the case of , the SNR difference between the second type of terminal and the first type of terminal receiving PBCH is 3.5dB, which is close to the ideal performance difference of 3dB. As shown in Table 6, when the BLER is 10 -2 In this case, the SNR difference between the second type of terminal and the first type of terminal in receiving PBCH is 2.7dB, which is even slightly lower than the ideal performance. In other words, the solution based on this application can significantly improve the PBCH reception performance of narrowband terminals.

[0135] In one possible implementation, before step S601, the RAN node needs to determine M PBCH symbols. For example, the RAN node may sequentially encode, rate-match, scramble, and modulate the PBCH information bits to obtain the M PBCH symbols. The information bits include payload bits (e.g., scrambled payload bits) and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits. CRC bits are also called CRC check bits. The RAN node scrambles the payload bits to obtain scrambled payload bits. The CRC bits are then obtained based on the scrambled payload bits and the PBCH CRC generator polynomial.

[0136] The implementation of S601 above can be considered as a new modulation symbol mapping method provided by this application. In addition, this application also provides another implementation of S601, in which: the M symbols of PBCH are represented as d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),d PBCH (2),…,d PBCH (M-1), the M symbols d PBCH (0),d PBCH (1),d PBCH (2),…,d PBCH The mapping order of (M-1) on the PBCH time-frequency resources is: first the subcarrier index from low to high, and then the OFDM symbol index from low to high.

[0137] In this scenario, before step S601, the RAN node may sequentially encode, rate-match, scramble, and modulate the PBCH information bits to obtain M PBCH symbols. For example, assuming that the PBCH modulation method is Q-order modulation, for example, Q is equal to 2, and the PBCH modulation is QPSK modulation, the M PBCH symbols may be obtained by scrambling and modulating Q*M coded bits. For example, assuming that Q is equal to 2, the coded bits may be represented as c(0), c(1), c(2), ..., c(2M-1).

[0138] In one possible approach, after obtaining the coded bits and before performing scrambling and modulation, consecutive Q*M1 bits among the Q*M coded bits may be exchanged to the coded bit sequence number or index corresponding to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining Q*MQ*M1 bits may be exchanged to the coded bit sequence number or index corresponding to the second time-frequency resource. For example, the consecutive Q*M1 bits are the first Q*M1 bits among the Q*M coded bits. Exemplarily, the operation of exchanging the order of the coded bits may be referred to as bit interleaving, that is, bit interleaving may be performed after obtaining the coded bits and before performing scrambling and modulation.

[0139] For example, assuming Q=2 and the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource at the center of the PBCH, and for example, the first time-frequency resource occupies 144 subcarriers, then 2*M1 equals 432, and 2*M=864. The coded bit numbers or indices corresponding to the first time-frequency resource are 72-287 and 576-791, and the coded bit numbers or indices corresponding to the second time-frequency resource are 0-71, 312-575, and 792-863. Therefore, the RAN node swaps the first 432 coded bits to the bit numbers or indices 72-287 and 576-791, and swaps the last 432 coded bits to the bit numbers or indices 0-71, 312-575, and 792-863.

[0140] Based on this method, after the coded bits are scrambled and modulated, the modulation symbols with high bit weights will be mapped to the time-frequency resources received by the narrowband terminal, so that the narrowband terminal has a greater probability of demodulating the complete system information, thereby improving the PBCH reception performance of the narrowband terminal.

[0141] In a possible implementation, after step S601, the communication method provided by the present application further includes the following steps S602 to S604:

[0142] S602: The RAN node sends a PBCH. Accordingly, the first type of terminal receives part of the PBCH, and the second type of terminal receives the PBCH.

[0143] It can be understood that the first type of terminal receives part of the PBCH on the first time-frequency resource, or in other words, the first type of terminal receives part of the PBCH carried by the first time-frequency resource. The second type of terminal receives the complete PBCH on the PBCH time-frequency resource.

[0144] In a possible implementation, "sending" in this application can be understood as one device sending to at least one other device, or it can also be understood as a logic module / unit inside the device outputting or sending to at least one other logic module / unit.

[0145] For example, a RAN node sending a PBCH can also be understood as a RAN node sending a wireless signal carrying the PBCH. After step S601, the RAN node can sequentially perform digital-to-analog conversion, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), and cyclic prefix (CP) addition on the symbols carried on all subcarriers in each OFDM symbol of the PBCH time-frequency resource to obtain a wireless signal carrying the PBCH.

[0146] Alternatively, for another example, the RAN node sending the PBCH may also be understood as the baseband unit (such as a base station chip) of the RAN node outputting or sending the PBCH to the radio frequency unit (such as a radio frequency chip) of the RAN node.

[0147] Optionally, receiving a portion of the PBCH by the first category terminal can also be understood as receiving a radio signal carrying a portion of the PBCH, that is, receiving a radio signal on the first time-frequency resource, where the radio signal carries a portion of the PBCH; or can be understood as demodulating a portion of the PBCH or detecting a portion of the PBCH. Receiving the PBCH by the second category terminal can also be understood as receiving a radio signal carrying the PBCH, or demodulating the PBCH or detecting the PBCH.

[0148] S603: The first type of terminal obtains M1 symbols of the PBCH.

[0149] The M1 symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, that is, the first type of terminal obtains M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource. The first time-frequency resource belongs to the PBCH time-frequency resource, which is composed of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource. The frequency domain positions of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. The M1 symbols are M1 symbols out of the M symbols of the PBCH, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S601 and will not be repeated here.

[0150] Optionally, the first type of terminal obtaining the M1 symbols mapped on the first time-frequency resource can be understood as: the first type of terminal obtaining the M1 symbols from the wireless signal on the first time-frequency resource. For example, the first type of terminal can sequentially perform down-conversion, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), serial-to-parallel conversion (S->P), and fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the time domain signal carried on each OFDM symbol on the wireless signal to obtain the M1 symbols mapped on the first time-frequency resource.

[0151] Optionally, after obtaining M1 symbols, the first type of terminal can perform demodulation, descrambling, rate matching, decoding, and CRC check in sequence based on the M1 symbols to obtain the information bits of the PBCH, and then access according to the information bits of the PBCH.

[0152] S604: The second type of terminal obtains M symbols of the PBCH.

[0153] The M symbols are mapped to the PBCH time-frequency resource, which consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and the frequency domain positions of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. M1 consecutive symbols of the M symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S601 and will not be repeated here.

[0154] Optionally, the second type of terminal can first obtain all the symbols on the PBCH time-frequency resources, and then based on the mapping rules (i.e., M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resources, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resources), restore the complete M symbols in the same sending order according to the M1 symbols received on the first time-frequency resources and the M-M1 symbols received on the second time-frequency resources.

[0155] For example, taking the M1 symbols mapped to the first time-frequency resource as the first M1 symbols as an example, the second type of terminal can concatenate (or splice) the M1 symbols received on the first time-frequency resource and the M-M1 symbols received on the second time-frequency resource to obtain a complete M symbols.

[0156] Optionally, the implementation of the second type of terminal acquiring M symbols of the PBCH is similar to the implementation of the first type of terminal acquiring M1 symbols of the PBCH. Please refer to the relevant description in step S603, which will not be repeated here.

[0157] Optionally, after the second type of terminal obtains M symbols of the PBCH, it can perform demodulation, descrambling, rate matching, decoding, and CRC check in sequence based on the M symbols to obtain the information bits of the PBCH, and then access according to the information bits of the PBCH.

[0158] The above description uses the example of a PBCH time-frequency resource consisting of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource. Furthermore, the PBCH time-frequency resource may include the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource. That is, in addition to the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource, the PBCH time-frequency resource may also include other time-frequency resources, and the union of the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource may be part of the PBCH time-frequency resource. In this scenario, the symbols mapped to the other time-frequency resources can be set to 0.

[0159] The communication method provided in this application is described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0160] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0161] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0162] Communication Device Figure 12 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 120. The communication device 120 includes a processing module 1201 and a transceiver module 1202. The communication device 120 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned RAN node or the first type terminal or the second type terminal.

[0163] In some embodiments, the communication device 120 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0164] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1202, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 1202 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0165] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1202 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the RAN node or the first type terminal or the second type terminal in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 1201 may be used to execute the processing steps performed by the RAN node or the first type terminal or the second type terminal in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0166] When the communication device 120 is used to implement the function of a RAN node:

[0167] Processing module 1201 is configured to map M physical broadcast channel (PBCH) symbols to PBCH time-frequency resources. The PBCH time-frequency resources consist of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, where the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. Of the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

[0168] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is configured to send PBCH.

[0169] When the communication device 120 is used to implement the functions of the first type of terminal, in a possible implementation manner:

[0170] Processing module 1201 is configured to obtain M1 physical broadcast channel (PBCH) symbols, where the M1 symbols are mapped to a first time-frequency resource. The first time-frequency resource belongs to the PBCH time-frequency resource, which is composed of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource. The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. The M1 symbols are M1 consecutive symbols of the M PBCH symbols, and the remaining M-M1 symbols of the M symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

[0171] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is configured to receive PBCH.

[0172] When the communication device 120 is used to implement the functions of the second type of terminal, in a possible implementation manner:

[0173] Processing module 1201 is configured to obtain M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), where the M symbols are mapped to a PBCH time-frequency resource, where the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, where subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap. Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

[0174] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is configured to receive PBCH.

[0175] When the communication device 120 is used to implement the functions of a RAN node, a first-category terminal, or a second-category terminal:

[0176] Optionally, the bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals. The bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is greater than the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals and less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the second category of terminals.

[0177] Optionally, the first time-frequency resource is a common PBCH time-frequency resource for the first category of terminals and the second category of terminals, and the second time-frequency resource is a PBCH time-frequency resource exclusive to the second category of terminals relative to the first category of terminals.

[0178] Optionally, the subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resources are continuous in the frequency domain.

[0179] Optionally, the M1 consecutive symbols in the M symbols are: the first M1 symbols in the M symbols.

[0180] Optionally, the M1 consecutive symbols in the M symbols are: the last M1 symbols in the M symbols.

[0181] Optionally, M1 is the number of valid resource elements RE in the first time-frequency resource, and the valid RE is the RE in the first time-frequency resource except the RE used to map the demodulation reference signal DMRS.

[0182] Optionally, the mapping order of M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is the same as the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource.

[0183] Optionally, the mapping order of M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first, subcarrier index from low to high, and then orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbol index from low to high.

[0184] Optionally, the union of the OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resources.

[0185] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0186] In the present application, the communication device 120 may be presented in the form of functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0187] In some embodiments, when the communication device 120 in Figure 12 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1202 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1201 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0188] Since the communication device 120 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0189] As a possible product form, the first-category terminal or the second-category terminal or the RAN node described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0190] As another possible product form, the first-category terminal or the second-category terminal or the RAN node described in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 13, which is a structural diagram of a communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1300 includes a processor 1301 and a transceiver 1302. The communication device 1300 can be a first-category terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1300 can be a second-category terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1300 can be a RAN node, or a chip or module therein. Figure 13 only shows the main components of the communication device 1300. In addition to the processor 1301 and the transceiver 1302, the communication device can further include a memory 1303 and an input and output device (not shown in the figure).

[0191] Optionally, the processor 1301 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as to control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The memory 1303 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1302 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and to process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as a touch screen, display screen, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive data input by a user and output data to the user.

[0192] Optionally, the processor 1301 , the transceiver 1302 , and the memory 1303 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0193] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1301 can read the software program in the memory 1303, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1301 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1301. The processor 1301 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0194] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0195] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 120 may take the form of the communication device 1300 shown in FIG. 13 .

[0196] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1201 in FIG12 can be implemented by the processor 1301 in the communication device 1300 shown in FIG13 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1303. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1202 in FIG12 can be implemented by the transceiver 1302 in the communication device 1300 shown in FIG13.

[0197] As another possible product form, the first-category terminal, second-category terminal, or RAN node in this application may adopt the structure shown in Figure 14, or include the components shown in Figure 14. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1400 provided in this application. The communication device 1400 may be a first-category terminal, or a chip or system-on-chip in a first-category terminal; or the communication device 1400 may be a second-category terminal, or a chip or system-on-chip in a second-category terminal; or it may be a RAN node, or a module, chip, or system-on-chip in a RAN node.

[0198] As shown in FIG14 , the communication device 1400 includes at least one processor 1401 and at least one communication interface ( FIG14 is merely an example of one communication interface 1404 and one processor 1401). Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a communication bus 1402 and a memory 1403.

[0199] Processor 1401 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Processor 1401 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0200] Communication bus 1402 is used to connect the various components in communication device 1400, enabling communication between them. Communication bus 1402 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, for example. Such buses may be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, and the like. For ease of illustration, FIG14 shows a single bold line, but this does not imply a single bus or type of bus.

[0201] Communication interface 1404 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, communication interface 1404 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any other device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 1404 can also be an input / output interface within processor 1401, used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0202] The memory 1403 may be a device with a storage function, used to store instructions and / or data, wherein the instructions may be computer programs.

[0203] Exemplarily, the memory 1403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0204] It should be noted that the memory 1403 can exist independently of the processor 1401 or can be integrated with the processor 1401. The memory 1403 can be located within the communication device 1400 or outside the communication device 1400, without limitation. The processor 1401 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1403 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0205] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1400 may further include an output device 1405 and an input device 1406. The output device 1405 communicates with the processor 1401 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 1405 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1406 communicates with the processor 1401 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 1406 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0206] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 120 shown in FIG. 12 may take the form of the communication device 1400 shown in FIG. 14 .

[0207] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1201 in FIG12 can be implemented by the processor 1401 in the communication device 1400 shown in FIG14 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1403. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1202 in FIG12 can be implemented by the communication interface 1404 in the communication device 1400 shown in FIG14.

[0208] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 14 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal or RAN node. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the terminal or RA node may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined or separated, or arranged differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0209] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0210] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may invoke the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute any of the above-described method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be located in the communication device.

[0211] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0212] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, where the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0213] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0214] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0215] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0216] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0217] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0218] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the objectives of this embodiment as needed.

[0219] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0220] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0221] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0222] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Mapping M symbols of a physical broadcast channel PBCH to a PBCH time-frequency resource, where the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

2. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtain M1 symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), where the M1 symbols are mapped to a first time-frequency resource, where the first time-frequency resource belongs to a PBCH time-frequency resource, and the PBCH time-frequency resource is composed of the first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, where subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; The M1 symbols are M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols of the PBCH, and the remaining M-M1 symbols among the M symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resources, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

3. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtain M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), where the M symbols are mapped to a PBCH time-frequency resource, where the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals; the bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is greater than the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals and less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the second category of terminals.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first time-frequency resource is a common PBCH time-frequency resource for first-category terminals and second-category terminals, and the second time-frequency resource is a PBCH time-frequency resource exclusive to the second-category terminals relative to the first-category terminals.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resources are continuous in the frequency domain.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols are: the first M1 symbols among the M symbols.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols are: the last M1 symbols among the M symbols.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The M1 is the number of valid resource elements RE in the first time-frequency resource, and the valid RE is the RE in the first time-frequency resource except the RE used for mapping the demodulation reference signal DMRS.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The mapping order of the M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is the same as the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The mapping order of the M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first, subcarrier index from low to high, and then orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbol index from low to high.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The union of the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resources.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processing module; The processing module is configured to map M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to a PBCH time-frequency resource, where the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processing module; The processing module is configured to obtain M1 symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), where the M1 symbols are mapped to a first time-frequency resource, where the first time-frequency resource belongs to a PBCH time-frequency resource, and where the PBCH time-frequency resource is composed of the first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, where subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; The M1 symbols are M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols of the PBCH, and the remaining M-M1 symbols among the M symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resources, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processing module; The processing module is configured to obtain M symbols of a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), where the M symbols are mapped to a PBCH time-frequency resource, where the PBCH time-frequency resource consists of a first time-frequency resource and a second time-frequency resource, and where subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource do not overlap; Among the M symbols, M1 consecutive symbols are mapped to the first time-frequency resource, and the remaining M-M1 symbols are mapped to the second time-frequency resource, where M and M1 are positive integers greater than 1.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that: The bandwidth of the first time-frequency resource is less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals; the bandwidth of the PBCH time-frequency resource is greater than the maximum receiving bandwidth of the first category of terminals and less than or equal to the maximum receiving bandwidth of the second category of terminals.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The first time-frequency resource is a common PBCH time-frequency resource for first-category terminals and second-category terminals, and the second time-frequency resource is a PBCH time-frequency resource exclusive to the second-category terminals relative to the first-category terminals.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that: The subcarriers occupied by the first time-frequency resources are continuous in the frequency domain.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that: The M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols are: the first M1 symbols among the M symbols.

20. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that: The M1 consecutive symbols among the M symbols are: the last M1 symbols among the M symbols.

21. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that: The M1 is the number of valid resource elements RE in the first time-frequency resource, and the valid RE is the RE in the first time-frequency resource except the RE used for mapping the demodulation reference signal DMRS.

22. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that: The mapping order of the M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is the same as the mapping order of the remaining M-M1 symbols on the second time-frequency resource.

23. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein: The mapping order of the M1 consecutive symbols on the first time-frequency resource is: first, subcarrier index from low to high, and then orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbol index from low to high.

24. The communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that: The union of the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM symbols occupied by the first time-frequency resources and the second time-frequency resources is the OFDM symbol occupied by the PBCH time-frequency resources.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A chip or a chip system, characterized in that: The chip or chip system includes a processor, which is coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs. When the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed.

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