Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are used for improving the signal coverage performance of terminal devices in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus receiving a first synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block and a first channel state information reference signal in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state, wherein the first synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block is one of M synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel blocks, the first channel state information reference signal is one of N channel state information reference signals, there is a correlation between the M synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel blocks and the N channel state information reference signals, and N is greater than or equal to M; and in the radio resource control idle state or the radio resource control inactive state, receiving a first physical downlink control channel on the basis of the first channel state information reference signal, or receiving a first physical downlink shared channel on the basis of the first synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block or the first channel state information reference signal.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410164194.2, filed on February 2, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology, New Radio (NR), has been rapidly commercialized globally in recent years and has achieved significant commercial success. Currently, research into the next generation, the sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, has also begun. Compared to 5G, 6G will support higher data rates and lower latency, thus requiring more spectrum.

[0005] Improving signal coverage performance is a pressing technical problem for terminal devices that are in the radio resource control (RRC) idle or inactive state. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the signal coverage performance of terminal devices in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be implemented by a first communication device or a terminal device. The first communication device can be a terminal device. The first communication device can also be a component within a terminal device. The components in this application may include, for example, at least one of a chip, a chip system, a processor, a transceiver, a processing unit, or a transceiver unit. Taking the execution entity as a first communication device as an example, the communication method provided in this application may include the following steps: the first communication device receives a first synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and a first channel state-information reference signal (CSI-RS) in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. The first SSB is one of M SSBs, and the first CSI-RS is one of N CSI-RSs. The M SSBs and the N CSI-RSs have a corresponding relationship, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M. The first communication device receives a first physical downlink control channel according to the first CSI-RS in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, or receives a first physical downlink shared channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. The first physical downlink control channel is used to schedule the first physical downlink shared channel.

[0008] Based on the first aspect, the first communication device, in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state, can receive the first physical downlink control channel based on the first SSB, or the first physical downlink shared channel based on the first SSB or the first CSI-RS, wherein the first SSB is one of M SSBs, the first CSI-RS is one of N CSI-RSs, and there is a correspondence between the M SSBs and the N CSI-RSs. Therefore, downlink transmission can be performed based on CSI-RS and SSB, which can improve the channel coverage performance of the terminal device during the initial access process. In addition, this method can enhance channel coverage without increasing the number of SSBs or with minimal increase in the number of SSB beams, that is, it can improve the coverage of each channel during the initial access process while minimizing the resource overhead of the reference signal.

[0009] In this application, in some cases, "channel" may be replaced with "channel / signal" or "signal".

[0010] The first physical downlink control channel and / or the first physical downlink control channel may originate from a second communication device. The second communication device may be an access network device, such as a base station.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first physical downlink control channel according to the first CSI-RS, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is one of N physical downlink control channels, and the N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

[0012] In this implementation, optionally, the N physical downlink control channels can be repeatedly transmitted physical downlink control channels.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: the N physical downlink control channels and the N CSI-RS are quasi-co-located (QCL); or, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the N physical downlink control channels is quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

[0014] Quasi-co-location refers to a situation where the large-scale parameters of the channel experienced by a symbol at one antenna port (AP) can be inferred from the channel experienced by a symbol at another antenna port, thus indicating that the two antenna ports are quasi-co-located. When receiving two quasi-co-located channels / signals, the method of receiving one channel / signal can be used to receive the other, reducing reception complexity and improving reception performance. Therefore, this implementation method can reduce the reception complexity of the first physical downlink control channel and improve reception performance.

[0015] There is a one-to-one correspondence between the N physical downlink control channels and the N CSI-RS. Any physical downlink control channel among the N physical downlink control channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding CSI-RS among the N CSI-RS; or, the DMRS of any physical downlink control channel among the N physical downlink control channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding CSI-RS among the N CSI-RS.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first physical downlink shared channel based on the first SSB, wherein the first physical downlink shared channel is one of M physical downlink shared channels, and the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs, including: the M physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the M SSBs; or, the DMRS of the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the M SSBs.

[0018] There is a one-to-one correspondence between the M physical shared control channels and the M SSBs. Any physical downlink shared channel among the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding SSB among the M SSBs; or, the DMRS of any physical downlink shared channel among the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding SSB among the M SSBs.

[0019] Based on this implementation method, the reception complexity of the first physical downlink shared channel can be reduced and the reception performance can be improved.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first physical downlink shared channel according to the first CSI-RS, wherein the first physical downlink shared channel is one of N physical downlink shared channels, and the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: the N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS; or, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the N physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

[0022] There is a one-to-one correspondence between the N physical shared control channels and the N CSI-RS. Any physical downlink shared channel among the N physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding CSI-RS among the N CSI-RS; or, any physical downlink shared channel's DMRS among the N physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the corresponding CSI-RS among the N CSI-RS.

[0023] Based on this implementation method, the reception complexity of the first physical downlink shared channel can be reduced and the reception performance can be improved.

[0024] In one possible implementation, each of the N physical downlink shared channels is a system information block (SIB); or each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a system information block (SIB); or each of the N physical downlink shared channels is a paging message; or each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a paging message.

[0025] Based on this implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel in this application can carry SIB or paging messages.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first physical downlink control channel according to the first CSI-RS, wherein the first physical downlink control channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS have a corresponding relationship, including: the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located; or, the demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located.

[0028] Based on this implementation method, the reception complexity of the first physical downlink control channel can be reduced and the reception performance can be improved.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first physical downlink shared channel according to the first CSI-RS, wherein the first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel and the first CSI-RS have a corresponding relationship, including: the first physical downlink shared channel and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located; or, the demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

[0031] Based on this implementation method, the reception complexity of the first physical downlink shared channel can be reduced and the reception performance can be improved.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel carries random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also use a first physical random access channel (PRACH) resource to send a random access preamble, wherein the first PRACH resource corresponds to the first CSI-RS.

[0034] Based on this implementation, network devices can send only the first physical downlink control channel and the first physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the first CSI-RS, without having to send the physical downlink control channels and physical downlink shared channels corresponding to all N CSI-RS, which can reduce transmission overhead.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the M SSBs correspond to the N CSI-RSs, including: any one of the M SSBs is quasi-co-located with Q of the N CSI-RSs, where Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. That is, any one of the M SSBs can be quasi-co-located with one or more of the N CSI-RSs, enabling flexible transmission.

[0036] In one possible implementation, any one of the M SSBs is used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs, and the configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: time domain resource information, frequency domain resource information, code domain resource information, and power control information.

[0037] Based on this implementation, any one of the M SSBs can be used to indicate one or more of the time-domain resource information, frequency-domain resource information, code-domain resource information, or power control information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSCSI-RSs, so as to realize flexible configuration of CSI-RS.

[0038] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be implemented by a second communication device or a network device. The second communication device can be an access network device (or replaced by a network device, such as a base station). The second communication device can also be a component within the access network device. Components in this application may include, for example, at least one of a chip, a chip system, a processor, a transceiver, a processing unit, or a transceiver unit. Taking a second communication device as the executing entity as an example, the communication method provided in this application may include the following steps: The second communication device sends M SSBs and N CSI-RSs, wherein the M SSBs correspond to the N CSI-RSs, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M; The second communication device sends a first physical downlink control channel, which corresponds to a first CSI-RS, wherein the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RSs; or, it sends a first physical downlink shared channel, which corresponds to a first CSI-RS or a first SSB, wherein the first CSI is one of the N CSI-RSs, and the first SSB is one of the M SSBs. The first physical downlink control channel is used to schedule the first physical downlink shared channel. This first physical downlink shared channel can be used to carry one of an SIB, a paging message, random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

[0039] Specifically, the first physical downlink control channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, meaning it is transmitted through the first CSI-RS. Similarly, the first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, meaning it is transmitted through the first CSI-RS. Finally, the first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first SSB, meaning it is transmitted through the first SSB.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can transmit N physical downlink control channels, where the first physical downlink control channel is one of the N physical downlink control channels, and the N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the N first physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: the N physical downlink control channels and the N CSI-RS are quasi-co-located; or, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the N physical downlink control channels is quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the second communication device may transmit M physical downlink shared channels, where the first physical downlink shared channel is one of the M physical downlink shared channels, and the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs, including: the M physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the M SSBs; or, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the M SSBs.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can transmit N physical downlink shared channels, where the first physical downlink shared channel is one of the N physical downlink shared channels, and the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including:

[0046] The N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS; or...

[0047] The demodulation reference signals (DMRS) of the N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

[0048] In one possible implementation, each of the N physical downlink shared channels is a bearer system information block (SIB); or, each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a bearer system information block (SIB); or, each of the N physical downlink shared channels is a bearer paging message; or, each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a bearer paging message.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink control channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, and the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RS.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS have a corresponding relationship, including: the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located; or, the demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to a first CSI-RS, and the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RS.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, including:

[0053] The first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS; or...

[0054] The demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the first physical downlink shared channel carries random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the second communication device may also use a first PRACH resource to receive a preamble, wherein the first PRACH resource corresponds to a first CSI-RS, and the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RS.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the M SSBs correspond to the N CSI-RSs, including: any one of the M SSBs is quasi-co-located with Q of the N CSI-RSs, where Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0058] In one possible implementation, any one of the M SSBs is used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs, and the configuration information includes at least one of the following configuration information: time domain resource information, frequency domain resource information, code domain resource information, and power control information.

[0059] The technical effects brought about by the second aspect above can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the corresponding solution in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0060] In any possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the N CSI-RS are multiplexed in at least one of the following ways: time division multiplexed (TDM), frequency division multiplexed (FDM), and code division multiplexed (CDM).

[0061] In any possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the primary synchronic signal (PSS), secondary synchronic signal (SSS), or physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of any of the M SSBs is used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs.

[0062] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. The device can implement the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first or second aspects described above. The device possesses the functions of the first or second communication device described above. The device is, for example, a terminal device, a functional module within a terminal device, a network device, or a functional module within a network device, etc.

[0063] In one optional implementation, the device may include modules corresponding one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions performed in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In another optional implementation, the device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a communication unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module, communication module, etc.). The transceiver unit is capable of both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the sending function, it may be called a sending unit (sometimes also called a sending module); when the transceiver unit performs the receiving function, it may be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit may be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit and can perform both sending and receiving functions; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be different functional modules, with the transceiver unit being a collective term for these functional modules.

[0064] For example, when the apparatus is used to perform the method described in any one of the first to second aspects, the apparatus may include a communication unit and a processing unit.

[0065] Fourthly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device, including one or more processors, for executing a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory, such that when the computer program (or computer-executable instructions) is executed, the device performs the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects.

[0066] In one possible implementation, one or more processors and memory are integrated together;

[0067] In another possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device.

[0068] The communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices, such as sending or receiving data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0069] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, enable the implementation of the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects, and the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0070] A sixth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, enables the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects to be implemented.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device for performing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0072] Eighthly, a chip or chip system is provided, comprising circuitry (such as analog circuitry and / or logic circuitry; or understood as including one or more processors, which may include circuitry, etc.), and further including input / output interfaces. The input / output interfaces can be used to input messages or to output messages. The input / output interfaces can be the same interface, i.e., the same interface can implement both sending and receiving functions; or, the input / output interface includes an input interface and an output interface, the input interface being used to implement the receiving function, i.e., for receiving messages; and the output interface being used to implement the sending function, i.e., for sending messages. The circuitry can be used to perform operations other than the sending and receiving functions in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above; the circuitry can also be used to transmit messages to the input / output interfaces or to receive messages from other communication devices from the input / output interfaces. The chip system can be used to implement the methods described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0073] Optionally, the chip system may also include a memory, which can be used to store instructions, and the circuit can call the instructions stored in the memory to implement the corresponding functions.

[0074] Ninth aspect, a communication method is provided, which may include the method implemented by a first communication device as shown in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the method implemented by a second communication device as shown in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0075] A tenth aspect provides a communication system that may include a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device may be used to implement the method shown in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second communication device may be used to implement the method shown in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0076] The technical effects brought about by the third to tenth aspects above can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the corresponding solutions in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0077] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an SSB transmission method;

[0079] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between M SSBs and N CSI-RSs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0081] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between PDCCH and PDSCH according to an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another relationship between PDCCH and PDSCH provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between PDCCH and PDSCH provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a port multiplexing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another port multiplexing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ports of an SSB and a CSI-RS according to an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the application scenario used in this application is described using the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to network device 110. Network device 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and network device 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0090] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5th generation (5G), New Radio (NR) mobile communication systems, or evolutionary systems beyond 5G (such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems). RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0091] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can be applied to network device 110 or terminal device 120. It is understood that Figure 1 only illustrates one possible communication system architecture applicable to this application embodiment; in other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture may also include other devices.

[0092] In another communication system applied in this application embodiment, a first communication device and a second communication device may be included.

[0093] In one implementation, the first communication device is a network device or a module for a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device or a module for a terminal device, wherein the network device is, for example, an access network device. The first communication device and the second communication device communicate via an air interface.

[0094] In another implementation, the first communication device is a terminal device or a module for a terminal device, and the second communication device is a network device or a module for a network device. The first communication device and the second communication device communicate via an air interface.

[0095] In another implementation, the first communication device is a network device or a module for a network device, and the second communication device is a network device or a module for a network device. The first communication device and the second communication device communicate via an air interface or a wired connection.

[0096] In another implementation, the first communication device is a terminal device or a module for a terminal device, and the second communication device is a terminal device or a module for a terminal device. The first communication device and the second communication device communicate via an air interface.

[0097] Of course, the first communication device and the second communication device in the embodiments of this application can also be other types of devices. For example, the first communication device can also be a cloud device or a cloud server, and the second communication device can also be a cloud device or a cloud server. This application does not limit this.

[0098] In this application, the terminal equipment is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, specifically referring to user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. The terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). The terminal equipment can be a cellular phone, mobile phone, tablet, handheld device, laptop, wireless data card, personal digital assistant computer, wireless modem, machine-type communication terminal, satellite terminal, vehicle-mounted equipment (e.g., car, bicycle, electric vehicle, airplane, ship, train, high-speed rail, etc.), robotic arm, workshop equipment, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, smart bracelet, pedometer, etc.), drone, robot, point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal equipment, augmented reality (AR) terminal equipment, terminal equipment in industrial control, terminal equipment in self-driving, terminal equipment in remote medical care, terminal equipment in smart grid, terminal equipment in transportation safety, terminal equipment in smart city, and terminal equipment in smart home. Terminals in the home (e.g., smart home devices such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, and electricity meters). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal; the device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing that function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0099] In this application, the network device is a device with wireless transceiver function, used to communicate with terminal devices or other network devices; it can also be a device that can connect terminal devices to a wireless network, such as a radio access network (RAN) device or node. The network devices in this application embodiment may include various forms of base stations, such as: base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNodeBs / gNBs), macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, devices that implement base station functions in communication systems evolved after 5th generation (5G) technology, access points (APs) in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, transmitting and receiving points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, and devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, etc., and may also include non-terrestrial communication networks. Network devices in a network (NTN) communication system can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. In some possible scenarios, different network devices may implement some of the functions of a base station. For example, network devices can be central units (CU), distributed units (DU), CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), or radio units (RU), etc. CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). RU can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), or remote radio head (RRH).It is understood that network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices that include both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, a CU can be classified as a network device in the access network (RAN) or a network device in the core network (CN); no restrictions are placed here.

[0100] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an Open RAN (ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0101] In this embodiment, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that supports the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0102] It is understood that network devices and terminal devices, network devices and network devices, and terminal devices in this application can communicate using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Furthermore, network devices and terminal devices, network devices and network devices, and terminal devices can communicate using spectrum below 6 GHz, such as the 700 / 900 MHz or 2.1 / 2.6 / 3.5 GHz bands, or spectrum above 6 GHz, such as millimeter wave or tera hertz (THz) wave communication. They can also communicate using both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0103] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes network device functions. This control subsystem, including network device functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0104] Throughout the evolution of communication systems, high throughput and massive connectivity have always been core challenges for wireless communication networks. To address these challenges, 5G communication has set technological goals such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). The 6G communication system, evolving after 5G, will inevitably move towards even higher throughput, lower latency, higher reliability, a larger number of connections, and higher spectrum utilization.

[0105] The technical terms used in this application are described below.

[0106] (1)SSB

[0107] The SSB consists of the PSS, SSS, and PBCH. The PSS and SSS are primarily used for time-frequency synchronization and defining the physical cell identity (PCI). The PBCH or PBCH payload carries a minimum amount of system information, called the master information block (MIB). The MIB carries parameter information for SIB1 transmission, such as subcarrier spacing, the control resource set (CORESET) for scheduling SIB1, and the search space set (SS set).

[0108] In NR, SSBs are transmitted using a beam scanning mechanism. Beam scanning means transmitting SSBs in different beam directions using time-division multiplexing. The set of SSBs within one beam scanning cycle is called a synchronization signal burst set (SS burst set). An SS burst set can be defined as a 5-millisecond (ms) time interval. By using beamforming on SSBs, the energy of the SSBs transmitted in each beam direction is more concentrated, thus improving coverage. Each SSB transmitted in each beam direction has a unique identifier, and each SSB represents an SSB beam. For example, in frequency range 1 (FR1), each cell supports a maximum of 8 SSB beams, which are SSB#0 to SSB#7. Frequency range 1 can refer to the sub-6GHz band. Figure 2 illustrates multiple SSBs transmitted via TDM within one SS burst set cycle.

[0109] SSBs can be transmitted periodically in the time domain. For example, the period can be 5ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms. This repeated transmission can be considered as the repetition of an SS burst set, meaning that multiple SSB beams within an SS burst set are transmitted repeatedly. For a terminal device performing cell search, the SSB repetition period can be assumed to be 20ms. Additionally, the MIB change period can be 80ms, meaning that for a terminal device performing cell search, the SSB is transmitted four times within 80ms.

[0110] It should be noted that the optimal receiving beam is different for different SSB transmission beams. Therefore, in addition to the network device (such as the terminal) side using beam scanning to transmit SSBs, the terminal device side also uses beam scanning to receive SSBs in order to obtain the optimal transmission and reception beam pair.

[0111] (2) SIB

[0112] The process of system information transmission mainly involves the terminal device receiving necessary parameters related to cell camping and access from the network device, including various system information blocks such as SIB1 and SIB2, and other SIBs. For terminal devices in RRC idle or RRC inactive states, it is also necessary to listen for paging messages sent by the network device.

[0113] Generally, for a terminal device in the initial access phase, after detecting an SSB, it can receive SIB1 based on the parameters related to SIB1 reception obtained from the MIB. In NR, SIB1 is carried through the physical downlink share channel (PDSCH) and scheduled through the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Specifically, the PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI). The DCI includes information such as the time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, and modulation and coding scheme of the PDSCH transmission. Similar to the SSB transmission mechanism, SIB1 is also transmitted using beam scanning, meaning that in each SSB beam direction, the network device uses that SSB beam to transmit the SIB1 PDCCH and PDSCH. For the terminal device, it can receive the associated SIB1 PDCCH and PDSCH in the same way as it receives SSB.

[0114] After receiving SIB1, the terminal device can continue to receive other SIBs or paging messages as needed. The transmission methods for other SIBs and paging messages can be similar to those for SIB1.

[0115] It should be noted that SIB1, like other SIBs and SSBs, transmits information periodically. For SIB1, the change cycle for the system information it carries is 160ms, and it can repeat transmission at 20ms intervals within that 160ms. For other SIBs besides SIB1, their transmission cycle is configured as specified by SIB1.

[0116] (3) Random access (RA)

[0117] In NR, terminal devices synchronize uplink time with network devices and establish RRC connections through a random access procedure. In NR, there are two types of random access procedures: Type-1 RA and Type-2 RA. Type-1 RA is also known as a four-step RA procedure, and Type-2 RA is also known as a two-step RA procedure.

[0118] During a Type-1 Random Access Response (RA), the terminal device sends a preamble via PRACH, i.e., Random Access Message 1 (Msg1). After sending Msg1, the terminal starts a random access response window, listening for random access response (RAR) messages (RAR messages) sent by the network device, i.e., Random Access Message 2 (Msg2). If the terminal successfully detects its own RAR, it continues to send Random Access Message 3 (Msg3) according to the RAR's instructions. The main function of Msg3 is to send an RRC connection establishment request. If the terminal does not receive its own RAR, it considers the RA process to have failed, and the terminal re-initiates the RA process according to the fallback parameters indicated by the network device until the maximum number of random access attempts is reached. After sending Msg3, the terminal listens for Random Access Message 4 (Msg4) sent by the network device. Msg4 carries a contention resolution flag and air interface parameter configurations specific to the terminal. If the terminal successfully receives Msg4, it considers the RA process to have succeeded; otherwise, it fails. If successful, the terminal continues to send Msg5, which is mainly for sending an RRC connection establishment completion command. If it fails, the terminal will re-initiate the random access procedure according to the fallback parameters indicated by the network device until the maximum number of random access attempts is reached.

[0119] The Type-2 RA process can be understood as combining the first four steps of the Type-1 RA process into two steps. Specifically, the terminal can send a Random Access Message A (MsgA), which includes a preamble and a terminal identifier. Correspondingly, the network device can send a Random Access Message B (MsgB) to the terminal, including a conflict resolution identifier and air interface parameter configurations for that terminal. In other words, MsgA can correspond to Msg1 and Msg3, and MsgB can correspond to Msg2 and Msg4.

[0120] In NR, PRACH resources are configured in association with SSBs; that is, each SSB is associated with dedicated PRACH resources, and different SSB beams are associated with different time-domain, frequency-domain, or code-domain PRACH resources. For example, different SSBs are associated with different Random Access Channel occasions (ROs), where an RO can be considered as a block of time-frequency resources for transmitting a preamble.

[0121] When a terminal device initiates a Relationship (RA), it can select one of its Service Blocks (SSBs) and send a preamble using the PRACH resource associated with that SSB. When a network device replies to the terminal device with Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB, it can use the SSB associated with the PRACH resource used by the detected preamble to send the Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB. Similarly, the terminal device receives the corresponding Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB by receiving the SSB associated with its own preamble.

[0122] It is understandable that associating PRACH resources with SSBs enables Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB to be transmitted using beamforming, improving the coverage performance of Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB. On the other hand, it enables Msg2 / Msg4 / MsgB to be transmitted only on the SSB beam associated with the PRACH resource, without needing to scan and transmit on all SSB beams as required by SIB or paging, thus reducing resource overhead and improving system efficiency.

[0123] Currently, improving signal coverage performance for terminals in RRC idle or RRC inactive states is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0124] To address the above technical problems, this application provides a communication method. This communication method can be implemented by a first communication device and a second communication device. Optionally, the first communication device can be a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a network device. The first communication device can be a terminal device, or a module or chip within a terminal device. The second communication device can be a network device, or a module or chip within a network device, such as a RAN or other access network device.

[0125] The method will now be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 3. In Figure 3, a terminal device is used as the first communication device and a network device is used as the second communication device for illustration. In the following text, the terminal device can also be replaced by terminal, terminal device, UE, first communication device, etc., and the network device can also be replaced by base station, access network device, second communication device, etc., without specific restrictions.

[0126] S101: The network device sends M SSBs and N CSI-RSs.

[0127] Where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M. For example, M can be a value such as 8, 16, or 32, without specific restrictions.

[0128] In this application, there is a correspondence between M SSBs and N CSI-RSs. This correspondence can be described as follows: any one of the M SSBs is quasi-co-located with Q of the N CSI-RSs, where Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. Furthermore, any one of the N CSI-RSs is quasi-co-located with one of the M SSBs. The advantage of quasi-co-location is that when a terminal device receives a CSI-RS, it can receive the CSI-RS based on the SSB that is quasi-co-located with it, thereby improving the reception performance of the CSI-RS and reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0129] In this application, "correspondence relationship" can also be described as "association relationship", and "correspondence" can also be described as "association". "Corresponding" can also be described as "associated".

[0130] In this application, quasi-co-location means that the large-scale parameters of the channel experienced by a symbol on one antenna port can be inferred from the channel experienced by a symbol on another antenna port. Thus, the two antenna ports can be considered quasi-co-located, or the signals transmitted by the two antenna ports can be said to be quasi-co-located.

[0131] As an example, as shown in Figure 4, each of the M SSBs can be quasi-co-located with (N / M) CSI-RSs, i.e., Q = N / M. Here, Q is greater than 1. Figure 4 uses Q = 4 as an example; this application does not restrict Q to other values.

[0132] In one possible embodiment, the value of Q can be predefined or preconfigured.

[0133] In this application, predefinition can refer to predefinition through configuration information such as factory settings, or definition through relevant protocols such as 3GPP. Furthermore, in this application, preconfiguration can refer to configuration by the base station through prior messages or signaling. For example, after determining the configuration information, the base station configures the relevant configuration information to the terminal device through messages or information such as RRC messages, MAC control element (CE) messages, or downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0134] In one possible embodiment, any SSB and one or more associated CSI-RS may use TDM multiplexing, FDM multiplexing, or a combination of TDM and FDM multiplexing for transmission.

[0135] In S101, the network device sending M SSBs and N CSI-RSs can be described as: the network device outputting M SSBs and N CSI-RSs. For example, "output" could mean the network device sending M SSBs and N CSI-RSs to the terminal device. Alternatively, "output" could mean the baseband unit in the network device outputting M SSBs and N CSI-RSs to the radio frequency unit. Or, "output" could mean the radio frequency unit in the network device sending M SSBs and N CSI-RSs to the terminal device via the air interface.

[0136] S102: The terminal device receives the first SSB and the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state.

[0137] For terminals in RRC idle or RRC inactive states, during the initial access process, the terminal device can detect SSBs to perform cell search, obtain PCI, and perform time-frequency synchronization with the cell. The terminal device is not required to receive all N SSBs; it can receive one or more SSBs depending on the implementation. That is, the first SSB can be a subset of M SSBs, such as a single SSB. The terminal device can also detect CSI-RS to obtain more refined beam information. Again, the terminal device can receive one or more CSI-RSs from N CSI-RSs, meaning the first CSI-RS can be a subset of N CSI-RSs, such as a single CSI-RS.

[0138] Extending this further, for non-initial access procedures, the terminal device may also receive the SSB and / or CSI-RS for time-frequency synchronization, or for various measurement processes such as channel state measurement and radio resource management measurement, or for the source of quasi-co-location relationships for other channel or signal transmissions.

[0139] S103: The network device sends the first PDCCH. The first PDCCH can be used to schedule the first PDSCH. The first PDSCH can be used to carry one of SIB, paging message, random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4, or the first PDSCH can also carry other downlink information transmitted for terminal devices in the RRC idle state or inactive state.

[0140] Accordingly, the terminal device can receive the first PDCCH according to the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state.

[0141] Extendedly, the terminal device can also receive the first PDCCH in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state according to the first SSB, or receive the first PDCCH according to the first SSB and the first CSI-RS.

[0142] In S103, the network device sending the first PDCCH can be alternatively described as: the network device outputting the first PDCCH. For example, "outputting" could mean the network device sending the first PDCCH to the terminal device. Alternatively, "outputting" could mean the baseband unit in the network device outputting the first PDCCH to the radio frequency unit. Yet another example is that "outputting" could mean the radio frequency unit in the network device sending the first PDCCH to the terminal device via the air interface.

[0143] S104: The network device sends the first PDSCH.

[0144] Accordingly, the terminal device can receive the first PDSCH in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS.

[0145] In S104, the network device sending the first PDSCH can be alternatively described as: the network device outputting the first PDSCH. For example, "outputting" could mean the network device sending the first PDSCH to the terminal device. Alternatively, "outputting" could mean the baseband unit in the network device outputting the first PDSCH to the radio frequency unit. Or, "outputting" could mean the radio frequency unit in the network device sending the first PDSCH to the terminal device via the air interface.

[0146] Based on the method shown in Figure 3, the terminal device can receive the first PDCCH based on the first SSB in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state, or based on the first physical downlink shared channel based on the first SSB or the first CSI-RS. Here, the first SSB is one of M SSBs, and the first CSI-RS is one of N CSI-RSs. There is a correspondence between the M SSBs and the N CSI-RSs, such as a quasi-co-location relationship. Therefore, downlink transmission can be performed based on CSI-RS and SSBs, which can improve the channel coverage performance of the terminal device during the initial access process. Furthermore, this method can enhance channel coverage without increasing the number of SSBs or with minimal increase in the number of SSBs, that is, it can improve the coverage of each channel during the initial access process while minimizing channel resource overhead.

[0147] The implementation of the M SSBs in S101 and S102 is explained below.

[0148] In this application, the M SSBs can have different identifiers (IDs), indices, or numbers. The M SSBs can transmit data using either TDM or FDM methods. Alternatively, some of the M SSBs can transmit data using TDM, while the remaining M SSBs can transmit data using FDM.

[0149] Optionally, each SSB may contain a PSS, an SSS, and a MIB.

[0150] The implementation of the N CSI-RS in S101 and S102 is explained below.

[0151] In one possible embodiment, the N CSI-RSs have different IDs, and each ID corresponds to a CSI-RS port (or simply a port). In this case, any one of the N CSI-RSs has only one port, or in other words, any one CSI-RS is a single-port CSI-RS.

[0152] In another possible embodiment, the N CSI-RSs have fewer than N distinct IDs. For example, one or more CSI-RSs associated with the same SSB share the same ID. In this embodiment, CSI-RSs sharing the same ID can support one or more ports. Taking the example that each SSB is associated with Q > 1 CSI-RS, the N CSI-RSs can be considered as (N / Q) multi-port CSI-RSs, where any one of the (N / Q) multi-port CSI-RSs supports Q ports.

[0153] In one implementation of this application, the time-domain positions of the N CSI-RS can be predefined or preconfigured. In another implementation, the N CSI-RS are defined over a period of time; in this case, the time-domain positions of the N CSI-RS can be considered as relative time-domain positions within that period. The length of this period can be the same as the length of existing SS burst sets (5ms), or it can be 10ms, 20ms, or another length.

[0154] The N CSI-RS defined within the aforementioned time period can be referred to as a CSI-RS burst set. Optionally, referring to the SSB burst set, the CSI-RS burst set can be transmitted periodically, with a period of 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 160ms, or 320ms, etc., without specific restrictions.

[0155] Another implementation of this application can use M SSBs to indicate the time-domain location of N CSI-RSs. For example, any one of the M SSBs can be used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs. The configuration information of any CSI-RS may include at least one of the following configuration information: time-domain resource information, frequency-domain resource information, code-domain resource information, and power control information.

[0156] Specifically, any SSB can be used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs associated with that SSB. The configuration information of the CSI-RS can be carried in one or more of the PSS, SSS, or PBCH. For example, an SSB can be used to indicate the configuration information of Q CSI-RSs associated with that SSB. Alternatively, an SSB can be used to indicate the configuration information of all CSI-RSs. As an example, if the configurations of any two SSBs corresponding to any M SSBs are identical, the configuration information of all CSI-RSs can be indicated by a single SSB.

[0157] The implementation method of S103 will be introduced below.

[0158] As an example, in S103, the network device can send N PDCCHs, where the first PDCCH can be one of the N PDCCHs. There can be a correspondence between the N PDCCHs and the N CSI-RSs; for example, the N PDCCHs and N CSI-RSs can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the N PDCCHs can be quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RSs. Alternatively, it can be understood that there is a correspondence between the first PDCCH among the N PDCCHs and the first CSI-RS among the N CSI-RSs; for example, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the N PDCCHs and the N CSI-RSs. For instance, the first PDCCH and its corresponding first CSI-RS can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the first PDCCH and its corresponding first CSI-RS can be quasi-co-located.

[0159] In this example, the N PDCCHs can be sent according to N CSI-RSs. For example, a network device can send one of the N PDCCHs at different times, based on one of the N CSI-RSs.

[0160] In this application, transmitting PDCCH according to CSI-RS can mean that the network device uses the CSI-RS beam to transmit the PDCCH corresponding to the CSI-RS, or that the network device uses the same spatial filter as the one used to transmit the CSI-RS to transmit the PDCCH corresponding to the CSI-RS, so as to ensure that the PDCCH and the corresponding CSI-RS are quasi-co-located.

[0161] For example, this example can be applied to the transmission of system information or paging messages. For instance, the first PDCCH can be used to schedule SIBs or paging messages, that is, the first PDSCH can carry SIBs or paging messages.

[0162] As another example, in S103, the network device can send a first PDCCH, which can correspond to the first CSI-RS. For example, the first PDCCH and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the first PDCCH is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

[0163] In this example, the network device may send the first PDCCH based solely on the first CSI-RS for scheduling the first PDSCH.

[0164] For example, this example can be applied to a random access procedure, such as the first PDCCH being used to schedule one of random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4, i.e., the first PDSCH can carry one of random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

[0165] The implementation method of S104 will be introduced below.

[0166] As an example, in S104, the network device can send M PDSCHs, where the first PDSCH can be one of the M PDSCHs. There can be a correspondence between the M PDSCHs and the M SSBs; for example, the M PDSCHs and M SSBs can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the M PDSCHs can be quasi-co-located with the M SSBs. Alternatively, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the first PDSCH and the first SSB. For example, the first PDSCH and its corresponding first SSB can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the first PDSCH can be quasi-co-located with the first SSB corresponding to the first PDSCH.

[0167] Accordingly, the terminal device can receive the first PDSCH according to the first SSB in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state.

[0168] In this example, the M PDSCHs can be sent based on the M SSBs. For example, the network device can send one of the M PDSCHs at different times, based on one of the M SSBs respectively.

[0169] In this application, transmitting PDSCH according to SSB can mean that the network device uses the SSB beam to transmit the PDSCH corresponding to the SSB, or that the network device uses the same antenna as the one used to transmit the SSB to transmit the PDSCH corresponding to the SSB, so as to ensure that the PDSCH and the corresponding SSB are quasi-co-located.

[0170] For example, this example can be applied to the transmission of system information or paging messages; for instance, the first PDSCH can carry SIB or paging messages.

[0171] As another example, in S104, the network device can send N PDSCHs, where the first PDSCH can be one of the N PDSCHs. There can be a correspondence between the N PDSCHs and the N CSI-RSs; for example, the N PDSCHs and N CSI-RSs can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRSs of the N PDSCHs can be quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RSs. Alternatively, there can be a correspondence between the first PDSCH and the first CSI-RS; for example, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the N PDSCHs and the N CSI-RSs. Specifically, the first PDSCH and its corresponding first CSI-RS can be quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the first PDSCH can be quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS corresponding to the first PDSCH.

[0172] In this example, the N PDSCHs can be sent according to N CSI-RSs. For example, the network device can send one of the N PDSCHs at different times, respectively, according to one of the N CSI-RSs.

[0173] In this application, transmitting PDSCH according to CSI-RS can mean that the network device uses the CSI-RS beam to transmit the PDSCH corresponding to the CSI-RS, or that the network device uses the same antenna as the one used to transmit the CSI-RS to transmit the PDCCH corresponding to the CSI-RS, so as to ensure that the PDCCH and the corresponding CSI-RS are quasi-co-located.

[0174] For example, this example can be applied to the transmission of system information or paging messages; for instance, the first PDSCH can carry an SIB or a paging message.

[0175] As another example, in S103, the network device can send a first PDSCH, which can correspond to the first CSI-RS. For example, the first PDSCH and the first CSI-RS are quasi-co-located, or the DMRS of the first PDSCH is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

[0176] In this example, the network device may send the first PDSCH based solely on the first CSI-RS.

[0177] For example, this example can be applied to a random access procedure, where the first PDSCH can carry one of random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

[0178] The following describes an exemplary transmission method when the first PDSCH carries SIB1, with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 illustrates an example where any SSB corresponds to Q = 4 CSI-RS; other values ​​for Q can be implemented with reference to Figure 5.

[0179] As shown in Figure 5, the PDCCH for scheduling SIB1 (represented as SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 5) is transmitted according to N CSI-RS beams, and the PDSCH carrying SIB1 (represented as SIB1 PDSCH in Figure 5) is transmitted according to M SSB beams. That is, the network device can send N SIB1 PDCCHs and M SIB1 PDSCHs. The SIB1 PDSCH shown in Figure 5 is one of the M SIB1 PDSCHs, corresponding to the first SSB, which is one of the M SSBs. Additionally, the SIB1 PDCCH shown in Figure 5 represents Q SIB1 PDCCHs out of the N SIB1 PDCCHs, each transmitted according to one of the Q CSI-RS beams corresponding to the first SSB. It can be understood that the SIB1 PDCCH can also be described as a PDCCH carrying DCI scrambled with the system information-radio network temporary indenter (SI-RNTI). SI-RNTI scrambled DCI can be used to schedule SIB1.

[0180] It can be understood that in the transmission mode shown in Figure 5, for the same SSB, its corresponding Q SIB1 PDCCHs are quasi-co-located with the Q CSI-RS associated with its associated SSB, and the SIB1 PDSCHs are quasi-co-located with their associated SSBs.

[0181] In this example, each of the M SSBs is associated with Q = 4 SIB1 PDCCHs and 1 SIB1 PDSCH. All Q SIB1 PDCCHs can be used to schedule the same SIB1 PDCCH. For a given SSB, if its corresponding Q SIB1 PDCCHs jointly schedule the same SIB1 PDSCH, it means that the scheduling information carried by these Q SIB1 PDCCHs is identical. Therefore, these Q SIB1 PDCCHs can be considered as being transmitted repeatedly.

[0182] For the terminal device, it can receive one or more of the aforementioned N SIB1 PDCCHs and one or more of the aforementioned M SIB1 PDSCHs, depending on the implementation. For example, the terminal device receives one SIB1 PDCCH from the N SIB1 PDCCHs and one SIB1 PDSCH from the M SIB1 PDSCHs, where the SIB1 PDCCH is the first PDCCH and the SIB1 PDSCH is the first PDSCH. When receiving the SIB1 PDCCH, the terminal device can receive it using the associated CSI-RS (such as the first CSI-RS), and / or, when receiving the SIB1 PDSCH, the terminal device can receive it using the associated SSB (such as the first SSB), thereby reducing the receiving complexity of the terminal device.

[0183] In this example, the SIB1 PDSCH is not transmitted using the CSI-RS beam, primarily because SIB1 messages are transmitted repeatedly every 20ms. Terminal devices can improve SSB demodulation performance and reduce SIB1 resource overhead by receiving these repeated SIB1 messages multiple times. The trade-off is that the time it takes for the terminal to receive SIB1 messages may increase.

[0184] Optionally, other SIBs or paging messages besides SIB1 can be transmitted according to the scheme shown in Figure 5. That is, for other SIBs or paging messages besides SIB1, the PDCCH can be transmitted based on N CSI-RSs, and the PDSCH can be transmitted based on M SSBs. For example, the SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 5 can be replaced with the PDCCH of other SIBs, and the SIB1 PDSCH can be replaced with the PDSCH of other SIBs; or, the SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 5 can be replaced with the PDCCH of a paging message, and the SIB1 PDSCH can be replaced with the PDSCH of a paging message.

[0185] The following section, with reference to Figure 6, describes another exemplary transmission method when the first PDSCH carries SIB1. Figure 6 illustrates an example where any SSB corresponds to Q = 4 CSI-RS; cases where Q takes other values ​​can be implemented with reference to Figure 6.

[0186] Specifically, the PDCCH for SIB1 (represented as SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 6) is transmitted according to N CSI-RS beams, and the PDSCH carrying SIB1 (represented as SIB1 PDSCH in Figure 6) is transmitted according to N CSI-RS beams. That is, the network device can send N SIB1 PDCCHs and N SIB1 PDSCHs. The SIB1 PDSCHs shown in Figure 6 are Q out of the M SIB1 PDCCHs, each corresponding to one of the Q CSI-RS beams. The Q CSI-RS beams correspond to the first SSB, which is one of the M SSBs. Additionally, the SIB1 PDCCHs shown in Figure 6 are Q out of the N SIB1 PDCCHs, each transmitted according to one of the Q CSI-RS beams corresponding to the first SSB.

[0187] The difference between the transmission method shown in Figure 6 and that shown in Figure 5 is that in Figure 6, both SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH are transmitted based on N CSI-RS. In Figure 5, however, SIB1 PDCCH is transmitted based on N CSI-RS, and SIB1 PDSCH is transmitted based on M SSBs.

[0188] In the transmission method shown in Figure 6, for any CSI-RS among the N CSI-RS, a pair of SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH can be associated. The SIB1 PDCCH in any pair schedules the SIB1 PDSCH in that pair. Any pair of SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH can be quasi-co-addressed with the associated CSI-RS.

[0189] Alternatively, for any of the M SSBs, it can be associated with Q pairs of SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH. The SIB1 PDCCH in any pair schedules the SIB1 PDSCH in that pair. In the Q pairs of SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH associated with any SSB, the SIB1 PDCCH and SIB1 PDSCH are quasi-co-located with the M CSI-RS associated with the associated SSB.

[0190] For the terminal device, it can receive one or more of the aforementioned N SIB1 PDCCHs and one or more of the aforementioned N SIB1 PDSCHs, depending on the implementation. Furthermore, when receiving SIB1 PDCCHs / PDSCHs, the terminal device can use the associated CSI-RS reception method. Specifically, when receiving SIB1 PDCCHs, the terminal device can use the associated CSI-RS reception method (such as the first CSI-RS), and / or, when receiving SIB1 PDSCHs, the terminal device can use the associated CSI-RS reception method (such as the first CSI-RS) to reduce the reception complexity of the terminal device.

[0191] The advantage of the transmission method shown in Figure 6 is that both SIB1PDCCH and SIB1PDSCH use CSI-RS beams for transmission, improving the coverage performance of SIB1. Furthermore, compared to the transmission method shown in Figure 5, the time for the terminal device to receive SIB1 signals may be shorter.

[0192] Optionally, other SIBs or paging messages besides SIB1 can be transmitted according to the scheme shown in Figure 6. That is, for other SIBs or paging messages besides SIB1, the PDCCH can be transmitted based on N CSI-RS, and the PDSCH can be transmitted based on N CSI-RS. For example, the SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 6 can be replaced with the PDCCH of other SIBs, and the SIB1 PDSCH can be replaced with the PDSCH of other SIBs; or, the SIB1 PDCCH in Figure 6 can be replaced with the PDCCH of a paging message, and the SIB1 PDSCH can be replaced with the PDSCH of a paging message.

[0193] Considering that the repetition periods of SIBs other than SIB1 are generally quite long, such as 80ms, 160ms, 320ms, 640ms, or 1280ms, the example shown in Figure 5 may result in a longer time interval for the terminal device to receive other SIBs. Therefore, for other SIBs, the implementation shown in Figure 6 is preferable to the method shown in Figure 5.

[0194] Furthermore, for paging messages, considering that paging messages are not periodically retransmitted, in order to improve the coverage performance of the PDSCH of paging messages, the implementation shown in Figure 6 can be preferred over the method shown in Figure 5. If paging messages also support periodically retransmitted transmission, the PDCCH and PDSCH of paging messages can also be transmitted with reference to the transmission method shown in Figure 5.

[0195] The following describes an exemplary transmission method for the first PDSCH carrying random access messages, with reference to Figure 7. The random access messages include random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4. For random access messages, both the PDCCH and PDSCH can be associated with CSI-RS.

[0196] As shown in Figure 7, the PDCCH of a random access message can be used to schedule the PDSCH, and the PDSCH can be used to carry the random access message. Both the PDCCH and PDSCH are associated with one of the N CSI-RS (such as the first CSI-RS, shown in black in Figure 7), and this CSI-RS is associated with the PRACH resource. This PRACH can be a resource used by the terminal device to send a preamble.

[0197] For a terminal device, after receiving one or more CSI-RSs from a network device, it can select a CSI-RS (such as a first CSI-RS) and then use the PRACH resources associated with the selected CSI-RS to send a preamble. This application does not restrict the terminal device's method of selecting the CSI-RS for sending the preamble. Subsequently, when receiving a random access message, the terminal device can assume that the PDCCH and PDSCH of the random access message are quasi-co-located with the selected CSI-RS; that is, it assumes that the PDCCH and PDSCH of the random access message are quasi-co-located with the CSI-RS associated with the PRACH resources used by the terminal device to send the preamble.

[0198] For network devices, when sending random access messages, the PDCCH and PDSCH of the random access message can be sent in the same way as the CSI-RS associated with the PRACH resource used by the terminal device to send the preamble. For example, the network device can send only the PDCCH and PDSCH corresponding to the first CSI-RS, instead of sending the PDCCH and PDSCH corresponding to all N CSI-RS, which can reduce transmission overhead.

[0199] The random access message mentioned above can be any one or more of random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4. Within the same four-step random access procedure, random access message 2 and random access message 4 can be associated with the same CSI-RS.

[0200] In this application, N CSI-RS can be multiplexed and transmitted using one or more of TDM, FDM or CDM methods.

[0201] In one possible embodiment, CSI-RS associated with different SSBs are multiplexed using TDM, and FDM and / or CDM are used between Q CSI-RS associated with any one of the M SSBs, or between Q ports of a CSI associated with one SSB.

[0202] For example, taking Q=4 as an example, several possible time-frequency structures of Q CSI-RS associated with the same SSB are shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, each cell represents a resource block (RB), the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency.

[0203] For example, as shown in Figure 8a, port 0 and port 1 are multiplexed using CDM, port 2 and port 3 are multiplexed using CDM, and port 0 and port 1, as well as port 2 and port 3, are multiplexed using FDM.

[0204] As shown in Figure 8b, ports 0 and 1 are multiplexed using CDM, ports 2 and 3 are multiplexed using CDM, and ports 0 and 1, as well as ports 2 and 3, are multiplexed using TDM.

[0205] As shown in Figure 8 (number c), ports 0 to 3 use CDM multiplexing for transmission.

[0206] As shown in Figure 8, port 0 to port 3 are multiplexed using FDM.

[0207] In addition, different orthogonal cover code (OCC) lengths can be used between N CSI-RS.

[0208] It is understandable that when Q=8, the possible time-frequency structures of the Q CSI-RS associated with the same SSB are shown in Figure 9.

[0209] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 17, 2025] For example, as shown in Figure 9, port 0 and port 1 are multiplexed using CDM, port 2 and port 3 are multiplexed using CDM, port 4 and port 5 are multiplexed using CDM, and port 6 and port 7 are multiplexed using CDM. Furthermore, port 0 and port 1, port 2 and port 3, port 4 and port 5, and port 6 and port 7 are multiplexed using FDM.

[0210] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 17, 2025] As shown in Figure 9, port 0 and port 1 are multiplexed using CDM transmission, port 2 and port 3 are multiplexed using CDM transmission, port 4 and port 5 are multiplexed using CDM transmission, and port 6 and port 7 are multiplexed using CDM transmission. Furthermore, port 0 and port 1, as well as port 4 and port 5, are multiplexed using TDM transmission, and port 2 and port 3, as well as port 6 and port 7, are multiplexed using TDM transmission.

[0211] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 17, 2025] As shown in Figure 9, port 0 to port 3 are multiplexed using CDM, and port 4 to port 7 are multiplexed using CDM. Port 0 to port 3 and port 4 to port 7 are multiplexed using FDM.

[0212] One possible implementation is that the multiplexing method among the Q CSI-RS associated with any one of the M SSBs, or among the Q ports of one CSI associated with one SSB, can be predefined or indicated by the base station. For example, the base station can indicate the multiplexing method of CSI-RS through the SSB. Specifically, the multiplexing method can be indicated in the spare bits in the MIB. Alternatively, it can be indicated in the 8 timing bits added to the PBCH payload. and / or Bits are used to indicate the multiplexing method. Among them, This represents the set of bit information carried in the PBCH. and These represent two bits from the aforementioned information set. For example, This represents the first bit in the above set of bits. bits, Represents the i-th bit in the above bit set. Bits. For example, two bits with a value of "00" represent TDM multiplexing mode; two bits with a value of "01" represent FDM multiplexing mode; and two bits with a value of "10" represent CDM multiplexing mode.

[0213] Optionally, the multiplexing mode of CSI-RS can also be determined or indicated by the time-frequency resources of CSI-RS, meaning that the time-frequency resources of different CSI-RS can represent the multiplexing mode. In this case, the multiplexing mode of CSI-RS can be indicated by the indication information of the time-frequency resources of CSI-RS, so there is no need for separate information or bits to indicate the multiplexing mode.

[0214] In various embodiments of this application, the bandwidth of the CSI-RS may be greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS.

[0215] For example, the bandwidth of the CSI-RS and the bandwidth of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS are the same. As shown in Figure 10, number a, the bandwidth of the CSI-RS and the bandwidth of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS both occupy 20 physical resource blocks (PRBs) or 2 RBs.

[0216] For example, the bandwidth of the CSI-RS can occupy part or all of the initial downlink bandwidth part (BWP). The initial downlink BWP can be defined by the frequency domain resources of CORESET0 configured in the MIB, and its definition method is not limited to the scope of this application. In this case, the bandwidth of the CSI-RS can be greater than the bandwidth of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS. For example, as shown in Figure 10 (b), the bandwidth of the CSI-RS can occupy the entire bandwidth of the initial downlink BWP. When the bandwidth of the CSI-RS is greater than the bandwidth of the SSB associated with the CSI-RS, the terminal device can perform CSI measurements and reporting based on the CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state. The implementation method of this CSI reporting is as follows:

[0217] Method 1: CSI reporting via the random access procedure. For example, for the random access procedure, the terminal device can report the CSI measurement results via the physical uplink share channel (PUSCH) used to carry random access message 3 and random access message A, or via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) of random access message 4 or the PUCCH of random access message B. Specifically, the PUCCH of random access message 4 can be used for HARQ-ACK feedback of random access message 4, and the PUCCH of random access message B can be used for HARQ-ACK feedback of random access message B.

[0218] This implementation method can improve the performance of the random access process and subsequent channel or signal transmission.

[0219] Method 2 involves CSI reporting via small data transmission (SDT). For example, if the terminal device supports SDT, it can report CSI measurement results via PUCCH or PUSCH. SDT can be either RA-based or non-RA-based, without specific limitations. This implementation method improves the performance of SDT transmission.

[0220] In one possible implementation, in various embodiments of this application, processes such as cell selection / reselection and idle-state RRM measurement are still performed based on the SSB. The CSI-RS in this application is only used for transmission of the SIB and other common channels / signals. The CSI-RS in this application can also be replaced with other reference signals; for example, a reference signal with the CSI-RS function in this application can have other names.

[0221] In one possible implementation, in various embodiments of this application, the SSB associated with CSI-RS can refer to a cell-defined SSB (CD-SSB). That is, a non-cell-defined SSB (NCD-SSB) may not be associated with CSI-RS. Specifically, a CD-SSB can be considered an SSB associated with SIB1, while an NCD-SSB can be considered an SSB not associated with SIB1. Because a CD-SSB is associated with SIB1, it can be used by the terminal device to obtain SIB1 and can be used in the initial access process of the terminal device, while an NCD-SSB can only be used for measurement and cannot be used in the initial access process of the terminal device.

[0222] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device provided in this application may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the various functions of the first communication device and / or the second communication device. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0223] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams illustrating possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first and / or second communication devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. The first and / or second communication devices can respectively serve as terminals or network devices. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be a terminal or network device as shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or network device.

[0224] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit (or interface unit) 1120. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0225] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to transmit M SSBs and N CSI-RSs. The processing unit 1110 can be used to generate M SSBs and N CSI-RSs. The transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to transmit the first PDCCH and the first PDSCH.

[0226] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to receive the first SSB and the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state. The transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to receive the first PDCCH according to the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, and to receive the first PDSCH according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state.

[0227] A more detailed description of the actions involved in the processing unit 1110 and the transceiver unit 1120 can be found in the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3.

[0228] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes one or more processors 1210 and interface circuits 1220. The processors 1210 and interface circuits 1220 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a memory 1230 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1210, or storing input data required by the processor 1210 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1210 executes instructions.

[0229] When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the method shown in FIG3, the processor 1210 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1110, and the interface circuit 1220 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1120.

[0230] When the aforementioned communication device is a module or chip applied to a terminal device, the module or chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The module or chip receives information through other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), which may be received by other modules via an air interface and then transmitted to the module or chip; or, the module or chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) for other modules to transmit the information via an air interface.

[0231] When the aforementioned communication device is a module or chip applied to network equipment (such as a base station), the communication device implements the functions of the network equipment in the above method embodiments. The module or chip can be used to receive information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas), which is received by the other modules through an air interface; or, the module or chip can send information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas), for the other modules to transmit the information through an air interface. The module or chip here can be a baseband chip, a CU, DU, or other modules, or a device under an O-RAN architecture, such as an open CU, open DU, etc.

[0232] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0233] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or O-RAN. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or O-RAN.

[0234] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which may also be referred to as computer programs, computer program code, etc. The instructions are executed on a computer, causing the computer to perform the methods shown in FIG3 and various embodiments of this application described above.

[0235] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the methods shown in FIG3 and various embodiments of this application to be implemented.

[0236] This application also provides a chip or chip system, including circuitry (such as analog circuitry and / or logic circuitry; or understood as the chip system including one or more processors, which may include circuitry, etc.), or understood as the chip including a processor. The circuitry or processor is coupled to a memory for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, thereby implementing the methods shown in FIG3 and the various embodiments of this application. The chip or chip system may also include input / output interfaces. For example, taking the chip's implementation of the functions of an access network device as an example, the chip can receive information from other modules (such as radio frequency or antenna) of the access network device through the input / output interface, and this information may be sent by a terminal to the access network device. Alternatively, the chip can send information to other modules (such as radio frequency or antenna) in the access network device through the input / output interface, and this information may be sent by the access network device to a terminal, etc.

[0237] This application also provides a communication system, including a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device and the second communication device can be used to implement the functions of the terminal and network device in this application, respectively.

[0238] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0239] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0240] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0241] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: In the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or RRC inactive state, a first synchronization signal broadcast block (SSB) and a first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) are received. The first SSB is one of M SSBs, and the first CSI-RS is one of N CSI-RSs. The M SSBs and the N CSI-RSs have a corresponding relationship. M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M. In the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the first physical downlink control channel is received according to the first CSI-RS; or... In the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, a first physical downlink shared channel is received according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is used to schedule the first physical downlink shared channel.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the first physical downlink control channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS includes: The first physical downlink control channel is received according to the first CSI-RS. The first physical downlink control channel is one of N physical downlink control channels, and the N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: The N physical downlink control channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS channels; or... The demodulation reference signals (DMRS) of the N physical downlink control channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Receiving the first physical downlink shared channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS includes: The first physical downlink shared channel is received according to the first SSB. The first physical downlink shared channel is one of M physical downlink shared channels, and the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs, including: The M physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the M SSBs; or... The DMRS of the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the M SSBs.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Receiving the first physical downlink shared channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS includes: The first physical downlink shared channel is received according to the first CSI-RS. The first physical downlink shared channel is one of N physical downlink shared channels, and the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: The N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signals (DMRS) of the N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2-7, characterized in that, Each of the N physical downlink shared channels carries a System Information Block (SIB); or... Each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a SIB; or, Each of the N physical downlink shared channels carries a paging message; or... Each of the M physical downlink shared channels carries a paging message.

9. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the first physical downlink control channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS includes: The first physical downlink control channel is received according to the first CSI-RS, and there is a correspondence between the first physical downlink control channel and the first CSI-RS.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The first physical downlink control channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, including: The first physical downlink control channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink control channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1, 9-10, characterized in that, Receiving the first physical downlink shared channel according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS includes: The first physical downlink shared channel is received according to the first CSI-RS, and there is a correspondence between the first physical downlink shared channel and the first CSI-RS.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, including: The first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1, 9-12, characterized in that, The first physical downlink shared channel carries random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1, 9-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first physical random access channel (PRACH) resource is used to send the random access preamble, and the first PRACH resource corresponds to the first CSI-RS.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The M SSBs correspond to the N CSI-RSs, including: Any one of the M SSBs is quasi-co-located with Q of the N CSI-RSs, where Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1-15, characterized in that, Any one of the M SSBs is used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs. The configuration information includes at least one of the following: time domain resource information, frequency domain resource information, code domain resource information, and power control information.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send M SSBs and N CSI-RSs, wherein the M SSBs and N CSI-RSs have a corresponding relationship, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M; Transmit a first physical downlink control channel, which corresponds to a first CSI-RS, wherein the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RS; or... A first physical downlink shared channel is transmitted, which corresponds to the first CSI-RS or the first SSB. The first SSB is one of the M SSBs. The first physical downlink control channel is used to schedule the first physical downlink shared channel. The first physical downlink shared channel carries one of SIB, paging message, random access message 2, random access message B, or random access message 4.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The transmission of the first physical downlink control channel includes: N physical downlink control channels are transmitted, where the first physical downlink control channel is one of the N physical downlink control channels, and the N physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

19. The method as described in claim 18, characterized in that, The N first physical downlink control channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: The N physical downlink control channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS channels; or... The DMRS of the N physical downlink control channels is quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The transmission of the first physical downlink shared channel includes: M physical downlink shared channels are transmitted, where the first physical downlink shared channel is one of the M physical downlink shared channels, and the M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs.

21. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The M physical downlink shared channels correspond to the M SSBs, including: The M physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the M SSBs; or... The DMRS of the M physical downlink shared channels is quasi-co-located with the M SSBs.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17-21, characterized in that, The transmission of the first physical downlink shared channel includes: N physical downlink shared channels are transmitted, where the first physical downlink shared channel is one of the N physical downlink shared channels, and the N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS.

23. The method as described in claim 22, characterized in that, The N physical downlink shared channels correspond to the N CSI-RS, including: The N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signals (DMRS) of the N physical downlink shared channels are quasi-co-located with the N CSI-RS.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18-23, characterized in that, Each of the N physical downlink shared channels carries a SIB; or... Each of the M physical downlink shared channels is a SIB; or, Each of the N physical downlink shared channels carries a paging message; or... Each of the M physical downlink shared channels carries a paging message.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17-24, characterized in that, The first physical downlink control channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, including: The first physical downlink control channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink control channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

26. The method according to any one of claims 17-25, characterized in that, The first physical downlink shared channel corresponds to the first CSI-RS, including: The first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS; or... The demodulation reference signal DMRS of the first physical downlink shared channel is quasi-co-located with the first CSI-RS.

27. The method according to any one of claims 17, 25-26, characterized in that, The method further includes: The preamble is received using the first PRACH resource, which corresponds to the first CSI-RS, and the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RS.

28. The method according to any one of claims 17-27, characterized in that, The M SSBs correspond to the N CSI-RSs, including: Any one of the M SSBs is quasi-co-located with Q of the N CSI-RSs, where Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

29. The method according to any one of claims 17-28, characterized in that, Any one of the M SSBs is used to indicate the configuration information of one or more CSI-RSs among the N CSI-RSs. The configuration information includes at least one of the following: time domain resource information, frequency domain resource information, code domain resource information, and power control information.

30. A communication method, characterized in that, The second communication device sends M SSBs and N CSI-RSs, wherein the M SSBs and the N CSI-RSs are in correspondence, and M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and N is greater than or equal to M. The first communication device receives a first SSB and a first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, wherein the first SSB is one of the M SSBs and the first CSI-RS is one of the N CSI-RSs; The second communication device transmits a first physical downlink control channel, and the first communication device receives the first physical downlink control channel according to the first CSI-RS in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state; or... The second communication device transmits a first physical downlink shared channel, and the first communication device receives the first physical downlink shared channel in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state according to the first SSB or the first CSI-RS; The first physical downlink control channel is used to schedule the first physical downlink shared channel.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes one or more processors, said one or more processors being configured to execute computer programs or instructions to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 17-29.

32. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, The method includes a circuit for executing a computer program or instructions to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 17-29.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, or the method as described in any one of claims 17-29.

34. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-16, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 17-29.

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