Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The communication method comprises: receiving downlink control information (DCI). The DCI comprises first duration information, the first duration information indicates a first time period, and the first time period is comprised within a second time period. RRM measurement is skipped during the first time period, and an RRM measurement is performed during at least a portion of the second time period other than the first time period. According to the present application, a time period during which RRM measurement is skipped is indicated by means of DCI, so that a time period that can be used for an RRM measurement by a terminal can be flexibly adjusted, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 7, 2024, with application number “202410175879.7” and entitled “Communication Method and Apparatus.” This application also claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on April 3, 2024, with application number “202410408911.1” and entitled “Communication Method and Apparatus,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] In recent years, with the continuous development of fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) communication systems, data transmission latency has continued to decrease, and transmission capacity has increased. 5G communication systems are gradually becoming more and more applicable to multimedia services with strong real-time requirements and high data capacity requirements. Examples include video transmission, cloud gaming (CG), and extended reality (XR). XR includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

[0004] During the communication process of executing the above-mentioned data services, the device may also perform radio resource management (RRM) measurements. However, RRM measurements can affect the real-time performance of data services and increase latency. Therefore, how to reduce the impact of RRM measurements on data service communications is an issue that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which uses downlink control information (DCI) to indicate skipping of the RRM measurement period, thereby flexibly adjusting the period that a terminal can use for RRM measurement and improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal side. For example, a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for a communication function (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, the method includes: receiving DCI. The DCI includes first duration information, the first duration information indicates a first time period, and the first time period is included in a second time period. RRM measurement is skipped in the first time period, and RRM measurement is performed on at least a portion of the time period in the second time period except the first time period.

[0008] The present application skips the RRM measurement period through DCI indication, which can flexibly adjust the period that the terminal can use for RRM measurement and improve the reliability of data service communication.

[0009] In one possible design, the method further includes receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein the RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration being one of the K candidate durations, and K being a positive integer.

[0010] The present application can jointly indicate the duration of skipping RRM measurement through RRC message and DCI, thereby reducing resource consumption during DCI indication.

[0011] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates the first duration.

[0012] The present application can directly indicate the duration of skipping RRM measurement through DCI, and can flexibly indicate the period of time used by the terminal for RRM measurement, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0013] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration of the first time period.

[0014] The present application can directly indicate the duration of skipping the RRM measurement in the second time period, thereby ensuring that the entire first time period is skipped in the second time period. This can avoid conflicts between RRM measurement and data communication to a greater extent and improve the reliability of data service communication.

[0015] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the DCI.

[0016] In this application, the first duration can start from the first time unit after the terminal receives the last symbol of the PDCCH. In this case, the terminal does not need to separately confirm the starting time of the first duration, which can enable the terminal to skip RRM measurements more quickly, improve the reliability of data service communications, and reduce processing delays.

[0017] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M ​​second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

[0018] The present application may also indicate M RRM measurement periods to skip RRM measurements, thereby reducing resource overhead of configuration signaling and improving communication efficiency.

[0019] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: a synchronization signal block (SSB); and a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0020] The present application provides multiple possible forms of RRM measurement, which are applicable to different measurement scenarios and can flexibly adjust the measurement period of the terminal, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the network side. For example, an access network device on the network side, a module in the access network device (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. Taking the application of this method to the access network device as an example, the method includes: sending DCI. The DCI includes first duration information, the first duration information indicates a first time period, the first time period is included in the second time period, the first time period is used to skip RRM measurement, and the time period in the second time period other than the first time period is used for RRM measurement.

[0022] The present application skips the RRM measurement period through DCI indication, and can flexibly adjust the period that the terminal can use for RRM measurement to ensure service reliability.

[0023] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending an RRC message. The RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration is one of the K candidate durations, and K is a positive integer.

[0024] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates the first duration.

[0025] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration of the first time period.

[0026] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the DCI.

[0027] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M ​​second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

[0028] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0029] On the third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the terminal side. For example, a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for a communication function (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, the method includes: receiving DCI. The DCI indicates a third time period. When the third time period overlaps with the second time period in the time domain, RRM measurement is skipped in the second time period. The second time period is a time period preconfigured for RRM measurement. In some examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include: part of the third time period overlaps with part of the second time period; or, the third time period includes the second time period; or, the second time period includes the third time period.

[0030] In the present application, when the indicated third time period overlaps with the second time period pre-configured for RRM measurement, the terminal skips the RRM measurement in the second time period, so that the terminal no longer needs to determine which time periods in the second time period can perform RRM measurement, thereby improving the processing efficiency of RRM measurement.

[0031] In one possible design, the third time period is determined by at least one of the following: the DCI indicates the first duration; the third time period is determined based on the first duration and a preconfigured first moment, where the first moment is a start moment of the third time period or an end moment of the third time period. The DCI indicates the first duration and the first moment. The DCI indicates the start moment of the third time period and the end moment of the third time period.

[0032] This application provides a variety of ways to indicate the third time period, so that the third time period can be indicated in a suitable manner in different scenarios.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes receiving an RRC message, wherein the RRC message indicates P candidate time periods, and the third time period is one of the P candidate time periods, where P is a positive integer.

[0034] The present application can jointly indicate the third time period through RRC message and DCI, thereby reducing resource consumption caused by DCI indication.

[0035] In one possible design, the duration between the moment the DCI is received and the start time of the second time period is greater than or equal to the third time period. In another possible design, the duration between the moment the DCI is received and the start time of the second time period is greater than the third time period. In some examples, the third time period is predefined; or the third time period is configured by the network device. In some examples, the third time period may be related to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI, for example, the third time period is equal to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI.

[0036] The duration between the moment when the DCI is received and the start moment of the second time period in this application is greater than or equal to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI, which can avoid the situation where the moment when the DCI is processed is in the second time period, and avoid the inability to completely skip the RRM measurement in the second time period.

[0037] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the network side. For example, an access network device on the network side, a module in the access network device (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. Taking the application of this method to the access network device as an example, the method includes: sending DCI. The DCI indicates a third time period. In the case where the third time period overlaps with the second time period in the time domain, the second time period is used to skip RRM measurements. The second time period is a time period preconfigured for RRM measurements. In some examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include: part of the third time period overlaps with part of the second time period; or, the third time period contains the second time period; or, the second time period contains the third time period.

[0039] The present application may send a DCI indicating the third time period so that the terminal skips the RRM measurement in the second time period if the third time period overlaps with the second time period pre-configured for RRM measurement. This eliminates the need for the terminal to determine which time periods in the second time period can be used for RRM measurement, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the RRM measurement.

[0040] In one possible design, the third time period is determined by at least one of the following methods: the DCI indicates a first duration, and the third time period is determined based on the first duration and a preconfigured first moment, where the first moment is a start moment of the third time period or an end moment of the third time period. The DCI indicates the first duration and the first moment. The DCI indicates the start moment of the third time period and the end moment of the third time period.

[0041] In one possible design, the method further includes sending an RRC message. The RRC message indicates P candidate durations or P candidate time periods, where the first duration is one of the P candidate durations, or the third time period is one of the P candidate time periods. P is a positive integer.

[0042] In one possible design, the duration between the time the DCI is transmitted and the start time of the second time period is greater than or equal to the third time period. In another possible design, the duration between the time the DCI is received and the start time of the second time period is greater than the third time period. In some examples, the third time period is predefined; or, the network device configures the third time period. In some examples, the third time period may be related to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI, for example, the third time period is equal to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI.

[0043] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of implementing the first or third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first or third aspect above. The module or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0045] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of implementing the second or fourth aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second or fourth aspect above. The module or unit or means can be implemented through software, or through hardware, or through a combination of software and hardware.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first or third aspect above. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design or implementation of the first or third aspect above. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication function within the communication device and / or the communication function of the communication device with other devices or components.

[0047] In one possible design, the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0049] The communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip including a modem module.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the second or fourth aspects above. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design or implementation of the second or fourth aspects above. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions of the communication device with other devices or components.

[0051] In one possible design, the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0053] The above-mentioned communication device can be an access network device, or a module in the access network device (such as a circuit, chip or chip system, etc.), or a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal that executes any method of the first or third aspect, and a network device that executes any method of the second or fourth aspect.

[0055] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute any communication method designed in any of the above aspects.

[0056] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the communication method as designed in any of the above aspects.

[0057] The beneficial effects corresponding to the methods in any of the above-mentioned second to eleventh aspects can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of each method in the first aspect, and this application will not repeat them here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG1 is an exemplary diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a measurement gap configuration;

[0061] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an SSB configuration;

[0062] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a time domain conflict between a data transmission period and a measurement period provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figures 7-14 are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between the first time period and the second time period provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0065] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figures 16-21 are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between the third time period and the second time period provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0067] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0070] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0071] The terms "first" and "second" in the description and drawings of the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, or to distinguish different treatments of the same object. Words such as "first" and "second" can distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. For example, the first device and the second device are merely used to distinguish different devices and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences.

[0072] "At least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more.

[0073] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0074] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0075] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0076] Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, mentioned in the description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0077] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0078] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the embodiment of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0079] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be performed under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0080] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. In certain scenarios, they may also be combined with other features as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of the present application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in the various embodiments, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in the various embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of the embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0082] FIG1 is an example diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 1 , communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, a core network (CN) 200, and the Internet 300. RAN 100 may include at least one RAN node and at least one terminal. RAN nodes, such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , may be collectively referred to as RAN 110. Terminals, such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 , may be collectively referred to as terminal 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 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 may be separate physical devices, or they may be a single physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0084] The RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0085] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminals. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal 120j accessing RAN 100 via network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functionality, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0086] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG1 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG1 ), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, an access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be provided with a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0087] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0088] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0089] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the above-mentioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver functions, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home appliances, transport vehicles with wireless communication functions, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal is generally provided with a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions.

[0090] It is understandable that the RAN node may also be expressed in different ways, such as network equipment, base station, etc.

[0091] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminal devices.

[0092] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0093] In a wireless communication system, communication devices can use air interface resources for wireless communication. Air interface resources may include at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code resources, and space resources.

[0094] In this application, wireless communication may include: wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices, and wireless communication between terminals. In the embodiments of this application, the term "wireless communication" may also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", or "transmission".

[0095] The embodiments of the present application can be used for possible communication links such as uplink (UL), downlink (DL), access link, backhaul link, sidelink (SL), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here. From the perspective of business scenarios, the embodiments of the present application are applicable to a variety of scenarios, such as extended reality (XR) business, artificial intelligence (AI) business, large-capacity scenarios, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here. Among them, SL can also be called side link, side line, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0096] In the embodiments of the present application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or as one logic module within a device sending information to another logic module. For example, "a network device sending information" can be understood as the network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or as logic module 1 within the network device sending information to logic module 2 within the network device.

[0097] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logic module within a device receiving information from another logic module. For example, "a network device receiving information" can be understood as the network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logic module 1 in the network device receiving information from logic module 2 in the network device.

[0098] In this application, "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or the related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the destination end of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)", or the related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the source end of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. The information may be processed as necessary between the source end and the destination end of the information transmission, such as format changes, etc., but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0099] With the rapid increase in communication transmission rates, real-time video transmission has gradually become one of the core services in current networks. The continuous advancement and improvement of extended reality technology has also led to the rapid development of related industries. Today, VR technology, as a form of XR, has entered various fields closely related to people's production and daily life. Compared with traditional video services, VR offers advantages such as multi-perspective and strong interactivity, providing users with a brand new visual experience. VR integrates various technologies such as computer graphics and multimedia to simulate the functions of human senses such as vision, hearing, and touch, making people feel as if they are actually there and immersed in a computer-generated virtual world. VR technology enables real-time communication through language and gestures, enhancing the sense of immersion. Therefore, VR technology can not only allow people to experience the real world realistically, but also transcend the constraints of time and space, allowing users to experience the wonderful experience of entering a virtual world.

[0100] AR technology uses computer technology to overlay virtual information onto the real world, displaying it through devices like mobile phones, tablets, and glasses for users to perceive. This allows for a fusion of the real and the virtual, enriching the real world. This means it can imbue physical objects with more information, enhancing the sense of three-dimensionality, and strengthening visual effects and interactive experiences.

[0101] Cloud VR and cloud AR are the introduction of cloud computing and cloud rendering concepts and technologies into VR business applications and AR business applications. With the help of a high-speed and stable network, the reality output and sound output of the cloud are encoded and compressed and sent to the terminal. This enables VR business applications and AR business content to be uploaded to the cloud, and rendering to the cloud. It can also meet the lightweight and mobility requirements of VR devices, AR devices, etc. Referring to FIG2 , the terminal 210 can be a cloud VR device, a cloud AR device, etc. The terminal 210 can be connected to the cloud 230 through the network device 220, so that the terminal 210 can obtain VR services and / or AR services from the cloud 230. Among them, the terminal 210 is similar to the terminal 120 in FIG1 , and the network device 220 is similar to the RAN 110 in FIG1 . For details, please refer to the description in FIG1 , and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0102] Cloud XR services have strict network latency requirements. Assuming VR and AR devices are head-mounted terminals, the head-to-photons (MTP) latency must be less than 20 milliseconds (ms) to provide a partially immersive experience. With asynchronous rendering technology, end-to-end interaction latency can be reduced to 70ms. Excluding server-side encoding and rendering latency and terminal-side decoding processing latency, the remaining network transmission latency is approximately 20ms. Uplink and downlink communications can each be allocated a 10ms latency.

[0103] In cellular networks, mobility management is a wireless communication process. To maintain communication quality, a terminal can perform measurements based on network-side measurement configurations during mobility, triggering mobility management processes such as cell handover or cell reselection.

[0104] When a cell handover is triggered during mobility management, the terminal can measure the signals sent by neighboring cells. These measurements can be divided into intra-frequency measurements and inter-frequency measurements. Intra-frequency measurements occur when the terminal's current cell and the target cell to be measured are on the same carrier frequency. Inter-frequency measurements occur when the terminal's current cell and the target cell are not on the same carrier frequency. The carrier frequency can also be referred to as the center frequency. For intra-frequency measurements, the terminal can perform measurements using a reference signal inserted during data transmission, without affecting data transmission and reception. If the terminal needs to perform inter-frequency measurements, a simple implementation method is to install two RF receivers in the terminal. Different RF receivers can be used to measure different frequencies, such as one for measuring the frequency of the terminal's cell and the other for measuring the frequency of the target cell. However, this solution increases costs and can cause interference between different frequencies. Therefore, related technologies have proposed a measurement gap (MG) approach, which reserves a certain amount of time, such as the MG time. During this MG time, the terminal does not send or receive any data. Instead, it tunes the receiver to the target cell's frequency and performs inter-frequency measurements. After the MG time expires, the receiver is turned back to the terminal's cell. Therefore, the duration during which a terminal suspends communication with its serving cell and measures inter-frequency neighboring cells or other radio access technology (RAT) neighbors is called a MG.

[0105] FIG3 shows a configuration of an MG. The starting position of the MG can satisfy Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3. SFN mod T = FLOOR (gapOffset / 10) ... Formula 1 subframe = gapOffset mod 10 ... Formula 2 with T = MGRP / 10 ... Formula 3

[0106] The measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) identifies the specified gap period. MGRP values ​​can include 20, 40, 80, 160, etc., and the unit can be ms. For example, when the MGRP value is 40, it means that it is repeated every 4 frames within 40 milliseconds. It can be understood that the system frame number (SFN) is used to identify different frames. In some examples, a frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe is 1 ms. The gap offset (gapOffset) is used to indicate the offset of the gap pattern. In some examples, the gap offset can have approximately 160 offset values. Of course, not all offset values ​​are applicable to all periods. The gap offset can point to the starting subframe within the period and has a value range from 0 to MGRP-1. For example, when the MGRP is 20 ms, the gap offset has a value range from 0 to 19. FLOOR() indicates rounding down. mod indicates modulo.

[0107] Combining Formulas 1, 2, and 3 above, and referring to Figure 3, we take a gap offset of 24, an MGRP of 40 ms, and a measurement gap length (MGL) of 4 ms as an example. Figure 3 only shows the MG configuration between SFN 22 and SFN 26. The shaded subframes represent the MG area. The gap offset can be configured using parameters in higher-layer signaling.

[0108] MGL can represent the duration of the MG gap, in milliseconds. Its value can include, for example, 1.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5, 6, 10, 20, etc. For example, in a positioning measurement scenario, MGL can use a value of 10ms, 20ms, etc. Of course, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific value of MGL, nor the correspondence between each value and the measurement scenario.

[0109] In some examples, a terminal can inform a network device of the MG pattern supported by the terminal by reporting terminal capabilities, such as reporting supported gap patterns (supportedGapPattern). Table 1 provides some possible gap patterns. It should be noted that Table 1 is merely an example for ease of understanding and is not intended to be limiting in this application.

[0110] Table 1

[0111] Among them, the interval modes corresponding to interval mode identifiers 0 and 1 may be supported by the terminal, and the interval modes corresponding to other interval mode identifiers may be optional interval modes. It is understood that Table 1 above only shows some possible situations, and in some examples, more or fewer possible interval modes may be included, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] During the MG duration, the terminal will neither send nor receive any other signals or data, except for some important signals. Important signals include those related to the access process, such as system information and cell identity (ID). Therefore, compared to sending and receiving data, MG has a higher priority.

[0113] In some examples, a terminal may be configured with multiple MGs, such as for intra-frequency measurement and inter-frequency measurement, or multiple different MGs may be set for intra-frequency measurement, and the same is true for inter-frequency measurement. MGs can be adjusted more flexibly in response to changes in cells. Network equipment can configure corresponding priorities for different MGs. For example, the high-level parameter gapPriority-r17 can be used to configure corresponding priorities for different MGs. In this case, different MG configurations may cause resource overlap in the time domain, such as when the durations of two MGs overlap in the time domain. In this case, the terminal may use an MG with a higher priority to perform corresponding measurements. In the various embodiments of the present application, resource overlap in the time domain may also be referred to as time domain, or as conflict in the time domain.

[0114] In other related technologies, the cell switching of the terminal is implemented based on the measurement of the synchronization signal block (SSB). It can be understood that SSB can also be called a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The size of the SSB can be 4 consecutive symbols in the time domain and 20 resource blocks (RB) in the frequency domain. The network device corresponding to the cell can send the SSB in a periodic scanning manner, and send all the SSBs in the cell through one round of scanning. The SSB scanning period of the cell can be configured to 20ms, and one round of scanning is completed within half a frame, that is, 5ms. Of course, the scanning period and the duration of the scan can also be any other possible values, which are not limited in the embodiment of the present application. At the same time, the specific time domain position of the SSB, such as the number of SSBs and the position of the SSB symbol, is related to the SSB frequency and the sub-carrier spacing (SCS). In order to obtain more accurate SSB measurement results as much as possible, it is necessary to measure all SSBs in the cell as much as possible.

[0115] Reference Figure 4 shows some possible SSB configurations. Different SSB operating modes, SSB frequencies, and SCSs may correspond to different SSB quantities and time domain positions. Among them, SCS values ​​may include 15kHz, 30kHz, 120kHz, etc. SSB operating modes may include mode (case) A, mode B, mode C, etc. The SSB frequency may be denoted as f, and the value of f may include f≥3 gigahertz (GHz), 3GHz<f≤6GHz, f≥6GHz, etc. It will be understood that the above is only an exemplary description and is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] As can be seen from FIG4 , SSB is not sent at all timings in a scanning cycle. If the terminal searches and measures SSB at all timings, it will cause a lot of power waste.

[0117] Therefore, in related solutions, to reduce unnecessary measurement power consumption by terminals, a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) is introduced, effectively indicating the time window for terminals to measure SSB. SMTC can be considered a time window configured by the network device for terminals to measure SSB. The terminal performs SSB within the SMTC window and does not need to perform SSB measurement outside the SMTC window.

[0118] In some examples, SMTC can indicate timing configuration for a cell based on SSB measurements, issued by a network device to a terminal. SMTC can include SMTC period, SMTC duration, and SMTC offset. SMTC can be frequency-specific. For example, it can include SMTC 1 and SMTC 2 configurations. SMTC 2 is optional.

[0119] For example, the configuration information element corresponding to the SMTC 1 configuration may be recorded as SSB-measurement timing configuration (MTC). The SSB-MTC may include two sub-information elements, namely, periodicityAndOffset, and duration.

[0120] For example, the period and offset can represent the SMTC period (i.e., the repetition period of the measurement action), and the SMTC offset (i.e., the starting subframe of the measurement action within the period). For another example, the duration represents the SMTC duration (i.e., the duration of the measurement action after it starts).

[0121] For example, the SMTC period can include 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms. The SMTC offset value can be set at a granularity of 1ms, ranging from 0 to the SMTC period minus 1ms. The SMTC duration can have a granularity of 1ms, and can have lengths of 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, and 5ms. For another example, if the SMTC period is 5ms, the SMTC offset value can include 0ms, 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, and 4ms. The SMTC duration value can include 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, and 5ms.

[0122] For the terminal, during the duration of SMTC, there are generally scheduling restrictions on the symbol with SSB transmission and one symbol before and after it.

[0123] During the execution of XR services, however, because the XR service data arrival period does not fully match the MG period and SMTC period, XR service data transmission and reception may conflict with these periods. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the MG or SMTC period does not match the XR service data arrival period, some periods will inevitably conflict in the time domain, representing the shaded area in Figure 5. Clearly, the terminal cannot transmit or receive data in this conflicting portion, and measurement is prioritized, indicating scheduling restrictions.

[0124] In some examples, the data arrival period of XR services is generally non-integer. For example, the frame arrival period of XR videos at 30 frames per second (FPS), 60 FPS, 90 FPS, etc. can be 1 / 30s, 1 / 60s, 1 / 90s, etc. respectively.

[0125] Of course, for measurement scenarios where MG is not configured, such as co-frequency measurements without MG configuration in FR2 high-frequency scenarios, scheduling restrictions may also exist. For example, scheduling restrictions are caused by multiple antenna panels being used for switching. Another example is scheduling restrictions caused by different TDD time slot ratios in the (time division duplexing or time division duplex, TDD) bandwidth. For those services that have high latency requirements and certain mobility or positioning measurement requirements, such as XR services, the scheduling restrictions caused by MG or SMTC measurements have a greater impact on service performance. It can be seen that how to reduce the adverse effects of scheduling restrictions on the reliability of data service communications is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0126] Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which indicates skipping the RRM measurement period through downlink control information (DCI), thereby flexibly adjusting the period that the terminal can use for RRM measurement and improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0127] The communication method and communication device are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is understandable that the present application uses a network device and a terminal as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction diagram, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction diagram. For example, the method executed by the network device in the present application can also be implemented by a module in the network device (such as a circuit, chip or chip system, etc.), or a logical node, logic module or software that can realize all or part of the network device function; the method executed by the terminal in the present application can also be implemented by a communication module in the terminal or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for the communication function (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip containing a modem core, or a SIP chip).

[0128] It can be understood that the network devices in the following embodiments may also be referred to as access network devices or base stations.

[0129] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication process can be applied to, but not limited to, the communication scenarios shown in FIG1 and FIG2. The method can be applied to long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, fifth generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR) systems, communication systems that continue to evolve (such as 6G systems), vehicle-to-X (V2X), where V2X can include vehicle to network (V2N), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), etc., long term evolution-vehicle communication technology (LTE-V), Internet of Vehicles, machine type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), long term evolution-machine communication technology (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), device to device (D2P), etc. In wireless communication scenarios such as device, D2D, etc., the present application embodiment is not limited here. The method may include the following steps:

[0130] S101: A network device sends a DCI to a terminal.

[0131] In some embodiments, a terminal may receive DCI sent by a network device. The DCI may include first duration information. The first duration information may indicate a first time period, which may be included in a second time period. In various embodiments of the present application, the DCI including the first duration information may be referred to as the first DCI.

[0132] In some examples, the second time period may be a time period configured for the terminal so that the terminal can perform RRM measurements. The second time period may also be referred to as an RRM measurement period. In other examples, the first time period may be a time period during which RRM measurements are skipped, and it may be considered that the terminal does not perform RRM measurements during the first time period.

[0133] For example, the second period may be the cycle of the MG, or the cycle of the SMTC. Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, the second period indicates the cycle of the MG, indicating the MG executed according to the cycle, such as the black area in FIG5 .

[0134] S102: The terminal skips RRM measurement in a first time period, and performs RRM measurement in at least a portion of a second time period except the first time period.

[0135] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine to skip RRM measurement in the first time period according to the first time period indicated by the DCI in S101, that is, the terminal does not perform RRM measurement in the first time period. The terminal may determine to perform RRM measurement in at least a portion of the second time period other than the first time period.

[0136] In some examples, the terminal skips the first period in the second period, that is, the terminal does not perform RRM measurement in the first period. The terminal may perform RRM measurement on all or part of the remaining periods in the second period.

[0137] In each embodiment of the present application, performing or executing RRM measurement can be understood as the terminal performing RRM measurement, or it can be understood as the communication module of the terminal or the circuit or chip responsible for the communication function in the terminal (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip containing a modem core, or a SIP chip) performing operations related to RRM measurement.

[0138] In this application, skipping RRM measurements can be understood as the terminal not performing RRM measurements, or it can be understood as the terminal's communication module or the circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the terminal (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip containing a modem core, or a SIP chip) not performing operations related to RRM measurements. In this case, the terminal or the unit, module, or chip within the terminal can perform any other possible operations, such as data transmission or channel measurement.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, the period for skipping RRM measurement is indicated by DCI, which can flexibly adjust the period that the terminal can use for RRM measurement, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0140] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the network device can directly indicate the first duration via DCI. That is, the first duration information directly indicates the first duration, and the first time period can be indirectly indicated via the first duration. The first duration can be considered to be the duration during which the network device is configured not to perform RRM measurements. The first duration can be denoted as T.

[0141] For example, the DCI can indicate different first durations using one or more bits. Assume that the DCI uses 2 bits to indicate the first duration, such as "00" indicating that the first duration is 1 ms, "01" indicating that the first duration is 2 ms, "10" indicating that the first duration is 4 ms, and "11" indicating that the first duration is 6 ms. Of course, the above is only one possible implementation method, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of bits used by the DCI or the relationship between each bit value and the first duration.

[0142] The embodiment of the present application can directly indicate the duration of skipping RRM measurement through DCI, and can flexibly indicate the time period used by the terminal for RRM measurement, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0143] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device may collaboratively indicate the first duration through a radio resource control (RRC) message and a DCI.

[0144] For example, the network device may send an RRC message to the terminal. The terminal receives the RRC message sent by the network device. The RRC message may indicate K candidate durations. The candidate durations may be pre-configured, and the terminal may select different durations for skipping RRM measurements. The unit of the candidate duration may be ms, slots, or subframes, etc. For example, for the MG solution, the unit of the candidate duration may be a subframe; for the SMTC solution, the unit of the candidate duration may be ms. Of course, the above is only one possible implementation method, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here. It can be understood that the RRC message indicating K candidate durations may be referred to as the first RRC message.

[0145] For example, multiple candidate durations can be configured for different SCSs. For example, the candidate durations configured for a 30 kHz SCS may include {1, 2, 3, ..., 40, 60} time slots, and the candidate durations configured for a 120 kHz SCS may include {4, 8, 12, ..., 640, 960, 1280, 1600} time slots, etc.

[0146] In this case, the DCI received by the terminal may indicate a first duration, and the first duration may be one of the K candidate durations.

[0147] In some examples, the RRC message may indicate the K candidate durations by using an RRC SkippingDurationList information element. The DCI may add one or more information elements to indicate one of the K candidate durations as the first duration.

[0148] In other examples, the protocol may predefine more candidate durations, such as G candidate durations. The K candidate durations indicated by the RRC message may be K of the G candidate durations. In other words, the RRC message may configure a portion of the multiple candidate durations predefined by the protocol for the terminal. The DCI then indicates one of the candidate durations as the first duration.

[0149] In the embodiment of the present application, the duration of skipping RRM measurement can be jointly indicated by RRC message and DCI, which can reduce resource consumption during DCI indication.

[0150] The DCI mentioned in each embodiment of the present application may be DCI of any format, such as DCI of format 1_0, DCI of format 1_1, DCI of format 0_1, or DCI of format 0_0. For another example, it may be non-scheduled DCI.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first duration information may include the start time or end time of the first time period and the first duration. That is, the first time period may be obtained by the start time or end time of the first time period and the first duration in the first duration information.

[0152] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first duration is the same as the duration of the first period. That is, the first duration is the duration of the first period. In this case, reference can be made to Figures 7, 8, and 9. The shaded areas in Figures 7, 8, and 9 represent the first period.

[0153] For example, referring to Figure 7 , the first duration is the same as the duration of the first period, and the start time of the first period may be the start time of the first RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol. In other words, the start time of the first period may be the start time of the first second period after the last symbol of the received DCI.

[0154] It is understood that the first symbol in each embodiment of the present application may be the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the DCI, or the first symbol may be the last symbol of the PDCCH received by the terminal.

[0155] For another example, referring to Figure 8 , the first duration is the same as the duration of the first time period. Assuming that the terminal processes the DCI after receiving it, the start time of the first time period may be the end time of the DCI processing. For example, the moment when the terminal completes the DCI processing falls within the second time period, and the duration from that moment to the end of the second time period is greater than or equal to the first duration. In this case, the first time period can be determined with reference to Figure 8 .

[0156] For another example, referring to Figure 9, the first duration is the same as the duration of the first time period. Assuming that the terminal processes the DCI after receiving it, the starting moment of the first time period may be the starting moment of the second RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol. In other words, the starting moment of the first time period may be the starting moment of the second second time period after the last symbol of the DCI is received. For example, the moment when the terminal completes the DCI processing is within the second time period, assuming that the duration from this moment to the end of the second time period is less than the first duration. As shown in Figure 9 for the first second time period, the first duration is not completely included in the first second time period. In this case, for the first RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol, RRM measurement can still be performed according to the original configuration. For the second RRM measurement cycle, you can choose to skip the first time period, as shown in the shaded area in Figure 9.

[0157] It can be understood that when the terminal processes the DCI after receiving the DCI, assuming that the moment when the DCI processing is completed is before the first RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol, the first time period can be determined with reference to the method shown in Figure 7. Assuming that the moment when the DCI processing is completed is after the first RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol, the first time period can be determined with reference to the method shown in Figure 9.

[0158] The embodiment of the present application can directly indicate the duration of skipping RRM measurements in the second time period, thereby ensuring that the entire first time period is skipped in the second time period. This can avoid conflicts between RRM measurements and data communications to a greater extent, and improve the reliability of data service communications.

[0159] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first duration is different from the duration of the first time period. In this case, the duration of the first time period is usually less than the first duration. In this case, reference can be made to FIG10 . The shaded area in FIG10 represents the first time period.

[0160] For example, referring to Figure 10, the start time of the first duration may be the start time of the first time unit after the first symbol. As can be seen from Figure 10, the first duration is different from the duration of the first period, and the end time of the first duration is the end time of the first period.

[0161] For another example, referring to Figure 11 , assuming that the terminal processes DCI after receiving it, the start time of the first duration may be the end time of DCI processing completion. For example, the moment the terminal completes DCI processing falls within the second time period, and the duration from this moment to the end of the second time period is less than the first duration. The period from this moment to the end of the second time period may be considered the first time period. The terminal skips RRM measurements during the first time period of this second time period.

[0162] Of course, for the first durations other than the first time period in Figure 11, if there is an overlap with the next second time period, the processing method can refer to Figure 7. For example, if a second time period other than the first second time period in Figure 11 partially overlaps with the first duration, the portion of the second time period that overlaps with the first duration can be considered as the first time period included in the second time period. It can be understood that if the first duration overlaps with one or more complete second time periods, the terminal device skips RRM measurements for the one or more complete second time periods.

[0163] In some examples, referring to FIG12 , assuming that the terminal processes DCI after receiving it, and the end time of the DCI processing is at a certain time in the second time period, the terminal may skip RRM measurement for the remaining duration of the second time period after the end time of the DCI processing. That is, RRM measurement is not performed for the remaining duration of the second time period after the end time of the DCI processing completion.

[0164] It can be understood that, when the end time of the DCI processing completion is at a certain time in the second time period, if the remaining duration of the second time period is greater than or equal to the first duration, the terminal can skip the RRM measurement with reference to the method described in Figure 8 or Figure 12. If the remaining duration of the second time period is less than or equal to the first duration, the terminal can skip the RRM measurement with reference to the method described in Figure 11.

[0165] Of course, if the remaining duration of the second time period is equal to the first duration, the terminal can skip the RRM measurement by referring to the method described in Figure 8 or Figure 12, or by referring to the method described in Figure 11. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0166] In some examples, the time unit can be, for example, a symbol, a time slot, a subframe, etc. For example, in the SMTC solution, the time unit can be a symbol or a time slot; for another example, in the MG solution, the time unit can be a subframe. Of course, the above is only one possible implementation method, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0167] In this embodiment of the present application, the first duration may start from the first time unit after the terminal receives the last symbol of the PDCCH. In this case, the terminal does not need to separately confirm the starting time of the first duration, which can enable the terminal to skip RRM measurements more quickly, improve the reliability of data service data, and reduce processing delay.

[0168] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first duration information may further indicate M first time periods, wherein the M first time periods are respectively included in M ​​second time periods, and M is a positive integer.

[0169] In some examples, the network device may indicate M first time periods through RRC messages and DCI. For example, the RRC message may indicate K candidate durations, and then the DCI may indicate one of the K candidate durations as the first duration corresponding to the M first time periods. In this case, the M first time periods correspond to the same first duration. Alternatively, the DCI may indicate U durations among the K candidate durations. The U durations may correspond to M first time periods respectively. If U is the same as M, it means that for any first time period in the M first time periods, there is a corresponding first duration. If U is less than M, it means that there are at least two first time periods corresponding to the same first duration. Wherein, U is a positive integer, and U is less than or equal to K. M is less than or equal to U.

[0170] In some examples, the value of M can be configured via an RRC message or indicated by a DCI. Of course, the RRC message used to indicate the value of M may be the same as or different from the RRC message indicating the first time period, and the DCI used to indicate the value of M may be the same as or different from the DCI indicating the first time period, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0171] In other examples, the network device may indicate M first time periods via DCI. For example, a first duration may be directly indicated via DCI as the first duration corresponding to the M first time periods. Alternatively, U first durations may be directly indicated via DCI as the first duration corresponding to the M first time periods. The specific correspondence between the U first durations and the M first time periods can be referred to the description of the above embodiment, and will not be repeated herein in this embodiment of the present application.

[0172] In some possible examples, refer to Figure 13. In the M RRM measurement periods after the terminal receives the last PDCCH symbol, for any RRM measurement period, the start time of the first time period can be the same as the start time of the second time period. Any RRM measurement period in the M RRM measurement periods can be considered the second time period mentioned above. That is, for any second time period, the terminal first passes through the first time period and does not perform RRM measurements during the first time period. RRM measurements are performed in the portion of the second time period excluding the first time period, i.e., the white area within the second time period in Figure 13.

[0173] For other possible examples, refer to FIG14 . The difference from FIG13 is that the end time of the first period and the end time of the second period are the same time. For other details, refer to the description of the corresponding embodiment of FIG13 , and the present embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0174] It is understandable that RRM measurements do not necessarily need to be performed on all of the white areas in Figures 13 and 14. In other words, the terminal may perform RRM operations for part of the time period corresponding to the white area. Of course, RRM measurements may also be performed throughout the time period corresponding to the white area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0175] The embodiment of the present application may also indicate M RRM measurement periods to skip RRM measurements, thereby reducing resource overhead of configuration signaling and improving communication efficiency.

[0176] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the RRM measurement performed by the terminal may be SSB measurement and / or channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) measurement.

[0177] In some embodiments, the terminal performing RRM measurement may be the terminal performing SSB measurement.

[0178] In some embodiments, the terminal performing RRM measurement may be the terminal performing CSI-RS measurement.

[0179] In some embodiments, the RRM measurement performed by the terminal may be the SSB measurement and the CSI-RS measurement performed by the terminal.

[0180] The embodiments of the present application provide multiple possible forms of RRM measurement, which are suitable for flexibly adjusting the measurement period of the terminal in different measurement scenarios, thereby improving the reliability of data service communication.

[0181] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can determine to send DCI to indicate the first time period based on the processing status of the data service and the channel status. For example, taking the data service as an XR service as an example, the network device can send DCI when it determines that the number of transmissions of the current XR video frame is relatively large, and / or the RRM measurement will greatly affect the transmission of the XR service. For another example, the network device determines that the terminal is at the edge of the cell and the terminal needs to perform RRM measurement. In this case, the network device may not send DCI. This ensures that the terminal can perform RRM measurement normally.

[0182] Alternatively, the network device can configure an RRC message, and then the network device can determine to send DCI to indicate the first time period based on the processing status of the data service and the channel status. For example, taking the data service as an XR service, the network device can configure the RRC message to indicate multiple candidate durations. When the network device determines that the number of current XR video frames transmitted is relatively large, and / or the RRM measurement will greatly affect the transmission of the XR service, the network device can send DCI to indicate the first time period. For another example, the network device determines that the terminal is at the edge of the cell and the terminal needs to perform RRM measurement. In this case, the network device may not send DCI. This ensures that the terminal can perform RRM measurement normally.

[0183] For example, taking the data service as an XR service, the network device can determine the appropriate time to send DCI based on the video frame arrival time, delay budget, and channel status of the XR service. Alternatively, the network device can configure the RRC message to indicate multiple candidate durations. The network device can then determine the appropriate time to send DCI based on the video frame arrival time, delay budget, and channel status of the XR service to indicate the first time period.

[0184] The latency budget can be obtained by the access network device through the core network device, and the latency budget can be configured by the core network device. The latency budget can be related to the XR service, for example, different XR services can correspond to different latency budgets.

[0185] In some examples, the channel state may be measured by the terminal and reported to the access network device. Alternatively, the channel state may be measured by the access network device itself. This embodiment of the present application is not limited here.

[0186] It can be understood that the access network device mentioned above can be a base station.

[0187] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, in the above embodiments, the DCI sent by the network device may directly indicate the second duration, or the network device may collaboratively indicate the second duration through an RRC message and DCI. The second duration may represent the duration for performing RRM measurements. Of course, the second duration may be the same as or different from the duration of the second time period.

[0188] For example, if the second duration is the same as the second time period, it means that the entire duration of the second time period is configured to be used for RRM measurement. For another example, if the second duration is less than the duration of the second time period, in this case, the second duration can be considered to be the remaining duration of the second time period after excluding the duration during which RRM measurement is not performed.

[0189] In some examples, the terminal may perform RRM measurements within the second duration in the second time period. For example, the terminal may continuously perform RRM measurements within the second duration in the second time period. For another example, the terminal may perform RRM measurements for a portion of the second duration in the second time period, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0190] The second duration may correspond to the white area portion within the second time period in the above-mentioned Figures 7 to 14 .

[0191] Of course, the indication method and configuration method of the second duration are similar to those of the first duration. Specific reference may be made to the above embodiments related to the first duration, and the embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0192] It can be understood that the DCI in the above-mentioned Figures 6 to 14 can be the first DCI, and the RRC message in the embodiments corresponding to Figures 6 to 14 can be the first RRC message.

[0193] Figure 15 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication process can be applied to, but not limited to, the communication scenarios shown in Figures 1 and 2. The method can be applied to LTE systems, LTE FDD, LTE TDD, 5G systems or NR systems, subsequent evolving communication systems (such as 6G systems), V2X, where V2X may include V2N, V2V, V2I, V2P, etc., LTE-V, Internet of Vehicles, MTC, IoT, LTE-M, M2M, D2D and other wireless communication scenarios, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The method may include the following steps:

[0194] S201: A network device sends a DCI to a terminal.

[0195] Accordingly, the terminal may receive the DCI sent by the network device, wherein the DCI may indicate the third time period. It is understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the DCI indicating the third time period may be referred to as the second DCI.

[0196] In some examples, the third period can be considered as a period during which the terminal is instructed not to perform RRM measurements. The duration of the third period can be referred to as a first duration, denoted as T. For a detailed description of the first duration, reference can be made to the corresponding descriptions in Figures 6 to 14 above, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0197] S202: When the third time period overlaps with the second time period in the time domain, the terminal skips RRM measurement in the second time period.

[0198] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine, based on the third time period indicated by the second DCI in S201, the relationship between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain. For example, the terminal may determine whether the third time period overlaps with the second time period. If the third time period overlaps with the second time period in the time domain, the terminal may determine to skip RRM measurement in the second time period, i.e., the terminal does not perform RRM measurement in the second time period.

[0199] The second period can be considered as a period pre-configured for the terminal to perform RRM measurements. The second period can also be referred to as an RRM measurement period. Of course, for a detailed description of the second period, reference can be made to the corresponding descriptions in Figures 6 to 14 above, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0200] It is understood that in this example, if the period during which the network device configures the terminal not to perform RRM measurements overlaps with the period during which the terminal is pre-configured to perform RRM measurements, the terminal may directly skip the entire second period during which the measurement overlaps and not perform RRM measurements.

[0201] For “not performing RRM measurement” and “skipping RRM measurement” described in S202 , reference may be made to the corresponding descriptions in FIG. 6 to FIG. 14 , and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0202] In some examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include that part of the third time period overlaps part of the second time period. Of course, the other part of the third time period does not overlap with the other part of the second time period.

[0203] In other examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include the third time period including the second time period. For example, the entire second time period is within the third time period. In this case, the duration of the third time period may be greater than the duration of the second time period.

[0204] In some other examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include the second time period including the third time period. For example, the entire third time period is within the second time period. In this case, the duration of the second time period may be greater than the duration of the third time period.

[0205] In other examples, the overlap between the third time period and the second time period in the time domain may include the second time period being the same as the third time period, that is, the duration of the second time period may be equal to the duration of the third time period.

[0206] In the present application, when the indicated third time period overlaps with the second time period pre-configured for RRM measurement, the terminal skips the RRM measurement in the second time period, so that the terminal no longer needs to determine which time periods in the second time period can perform RRM measurement, thereby improving the processing efficiency of RRM measurement.

[0207] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the third time period is determined by at least one of the following methods: the DCI indicates the first duration; the third time period is determined based on the first duration and a preconfigured first time instant; the DCI indicates the first duration and the first time instant; and the DCI indicates the start time of the third time period and the end time of the third time period.

[0208] In some examples, the DCI may directly indicate the first duration. The terminal may determine the third time period based on a preconfigured first moment and the first duration. The first moment may be the start moment of the third time period, or the first moment may be the end moment of the third time period.

[0209] For example, the terminal may determine that the third time period for which RRM measurement needs to be skipped based on the start time of the third time period or the end time of the third time period specified by the network device configuration or protocol, and the first duration indicated by the DCI.

[0210] In other examples, the DCI may indicate the first duration and the first time. For example, the DCI may directly indicate the first duration and the start time of the third period, or the DCI may directly indicate the first duration and the end time of the third period. The terminal may determine the third period based on the first duration and the start time of the third period, or the terminal may determine the third period based on the first duration and the end time of the third period.

[0211] In some other examples, the DCI may indicate the start time of the third period and the end time of the third period. In this case, it is not necessary to indicate the first duration, and the terminal determines the third period based on the start time of the third period and the end time of the third period.

[0212] This application provides a variety of ways to indicate the third time period, so that the third time period can be indicated in a suitable manner in different scenarios.

[0213] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device may directly indicate the first duration, or the first duration and the first time, or the start time of the third time period and the end time of the third time period through DCI. The network device may also collaboratively indicate the third time period through an RRC message and DCI.

[0214] In some embodiments, for example, a network device may send an RRC message to a terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the RRC message sent by the network device. The RRC message may indicate P candidate time periods. The candidate time periods may be preconfigured, and the terminal skips RRM measurement time periods. The DCI indicates one of the P candidate time periods as the third time period. P is a positive integer. In various embodiments of the present application, the RRC message indicating the P candidate time periods may be referred to as a second RRC message.

[0215] It can be understood that each candidate time period may be used as the third time period, so the method for determining the candidate time period may also refer to the above method for determining the third time period.

[0216] For example, the protocol predefines the start time of the third time period or the end time of the third time period, and the second RRC message indicates P candidate durations. The DCI indicates one of the P candidate durations as the first duration. The terminal can determine the third time period based on the first duration and the predefined start time of the third time period or the end time of the third time period. Alternatively, the start time of the third time period or the end time of the third time period can also be configured in the second RRC message. It can be understood that the configured start time of the third time period or the end time of the third time period can be applicable to P candidate durations. In other words, no matter which candidate duration is used, the third time period can be determined in combination with the start time of the same third time period or the end time of the third time period.

[0217] For another example, the second RRC message may indicate P candidate time periods. Each candidate time period is determined by a candidate duration and a second moment. The second moment can be considered as the start moment of the candidate time period or the end moment of the candidate time period. That is, in this example, each candidate time period corresponds to a candidate duration and the start moment of the candidate time period or the end moment of the candidate time period. It can be considered that the configuration of each candidate time period is relatively independent.

[0218] For another example, the second RRC message may indicate P candidate time periods. Each candidate time period is determined by the start time and the end time of the candidate time period. That is, in this example, each candidate time period corresponds to a start time and an end time. It can be considered that the configuration of each candidate time period is relatively independent.

[0219] Of course, the meaning of the candidate duration is similar to that in the aforementioned embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the aforementioned embodiment, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0220] In other examples, the protocol may predefine more candidate time periods, such as Q candidate durations. The P candidate time periods indicated by the RRC message may be P of the Q candidate time periods. In other words, the RRC message may configure a portion of the multiple candidate time periods predefine by the protocol for the terminal. The DCI then indicates one of these time periods as the third time period. Q is a positive integer greater than or equal to P.

[0221] The present application can jointly indicate the third time period through RRC message and DCI, thereby reducing resource consumption caused by DCI indication.

[0222] Next, the possible relationship between the third period and the second period will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 16 to FIG. 20 .

[0223] In some examples, as shown in FIG16 , assuming that the DCI received by the terminal indicates a third time period, the second time period includes the third time period, that is, the third time period is located in the second time period, and the duration of the second time period may be greater than the duration of the third time period. For example, the start time of the third time period is the start time of the first RRM measurement cycle after the first symbol, and the end time of the third time period is located within the second time period. Then, the terminal can skip RRM measurement during the duration corresponding to the second time period, that is, no RRM measurement is performed during the duration corresponding to the second time period. The shaded area in FIG16 represents the duration for skipping RRM measurement.

[0224] Here, skipping the RRM measurement during the entire duration of the second time period may also be considered as not performing the RRM measurement during the entire duration of the second time period.

[0225] It is understood that Figure 16 only illustrates one case where the second period includes the third period. For other possible cases, such as when the second period is longer than the third period, the end time of the third period is the same as the end time of the second period; or when the second period is longer than the third period, the start time and end time of the third period are both within the second period. Similarly, referring to the method shown in Figure 16, RRM measurements can be skipped within the second period.

[0226] In other examples, as shown in Figure 17, it is assumed that the DCI received by the terminal indicates a third time period, the third time period includes the second time period, that is, the second time period is located in the third time period, and the duration of the third time period can be greater than the duration of the second time period. For example, the starting time of the third time period is the first time unit after the first symbol, and the end time of the third time period is after the end time of the second time period. Then, the terminal can skip the RRM measurement within the duration corresponding to the second time period, that is, no RRM measurement is performed within the duration corresponding to the second time period. The shaded area in Figure 17 represents the duration of skipping the RRM measurement. Among them, the meaning of the first symbol and the first time unit can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiments in Figures 6 to 14, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0227] It is understood that Figure 17 only illustrates one case where the third period includes the second period. For other possible cases, such as when the third period is longer than the second period, the start time of the third period is the same as the start time of the second period, and the end time of the third period is after the end time of the second period; or when the third period is longer than the second period, the start time of the third period is before the start time of the second period, and the end time of the third period is the same as the end time of the second period, RRM measurements can also be skipped in the second period in the manner shown in Figure 17.

[0228] It is worth noting that the starting position of the third time period in Figure 17 is the first time unit after the first symbol, which is only one possible implementation method for the starting position of the third time period to be before the starting moment of the second time period. It can also be any other possible moment, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0229] Of course, in some examples, for the case where the third time period completely overlaps with the second time period, that is, the start time of the third time period is the same as the start time of the second time period, and the end time of the third time period is the same as the end time of the second time period, you can either refer to the method shown in Figure 16 to skip RRM measurement within the second time period, or refer to the method shown in Figure 16 to skip RRM measurement within the second time period. The embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0230] In some other examples, referring to Figure 18 , the third time period partially overlaps with the second time period. For example, if the start time of the third time period is the first time unit after the first symbol, and the end time of the third time period is within the second time period, the terminal may skip RRM measurements during the duration corresponding to the second time period, i.e., no RRM measurements are performed during the duration corresponding to the second time period. The shaded area in Figure 18 represents the duration for which RRM measurements are skipped.

[0231] It can be understood that Figure 18 only shows a situation where the third time period partially overlaps with the second time period. For other possible situations, such as when the start time of the third time period is within the second time period and the end time of the third time period is after the end time of the second time period, the method shown in Figure 18 can also be used to skip RRM measurements in the second time period.

[0232] In some embodiments, for the situations described in Figures 16 to 18, the time when the network device is configured to send DCI can be considered. Considering that the delay between the network device sending DCI and the terminal receiving DCI is short, it can be assumed that the time when the network device sends DCI is the same as the time when the terminal receives DCI. Then the network device can be configured to send DCI at a third moment. The duration between the third moment and the start time of the second time period can be greater than or equal to the third duration. The moment when the network device sends DCI can be called the third moment, and the moment when the terminal receives DCI can be called the fourth moment. In this case, the third moment and the fourth moment can be the same moment. In other examples, the duration between the third moment and the start time of the second time period can be greater than the third duration.

[0233] Of course, in other examples, if the delay between the network device sending the DCI and the terminal receiving the DCI is taken into account, the duration between the third moment and the start time of the second period can be greater than or equal to the sum of the third duration and the delay. The duration between the third moment and the fourth moment is the delay between the network device sending the DCI and the terminal receiving the DCI. In other examples, the duration between the third moment and the start time of the second period can be greater than the sum of the third duration and the delay.

[0234] Of course, regardless of whether the delay between the network device sending the DCI and the terminal receiving the DCI is considered, for the fourth moment, the duration between the fourth moment and the start moment of the second time period can be greater than or equal to the third duration.

[0235] In some examples, the third duration may be predefined. In other examples, the third duration may be configured by the network device. In this case, the terminal may receive information sent by the network device for configuring the third duration to determine the third duration.

[0236] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 19 , the terminal receives DCI at a fourth moment. The duration between the fourth moment and the start moment of the second time period is equal to the third duration. After the terminal receives the DCI and the third duration has passed, according to the third time period indicated by the DCI, if the third time period overlaps with the second time period, RRM measurements are skipped within the second time period. Of course, Figure 19 only illustrates one relationship between the third time period and the second time period. This method is also applicable to the relationship between any third time period and the second time period in Figures 16 to 18 , and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0237] It is understood that after receiving the DCI and the third time period has passed, the terminal may consider that the terminal has completed parsing the DCI. The terminal may also complete other operations that need to be completed, which can be determined based on actual conditions and are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0238] In other embodiments, the third duration may be related to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI. For example, the third duration may be the duration of the terminal processing the DCI.

[0239] In some examples, referring to FIG20 , the terminal receives DCI at a fourth moment. The duration between the fourth moment and the start moment of the second time period is equal to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI. After the terminal processes the DCI, RRM measurements can be skipped within the second time period according to the third time period indicated by the DCI, if the third time period overlaps with the second time period. Of course, FIG20 only illustrates one relationship between the third time period and the second time period. This method is also applicable to the relationship between any third time period and the second time period in FIG16 to FIG18 , and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0240] The duration between the moment when the DCI is received and the start moment of the second time period in this application is greater than or equal to the duration of the terminal processing the DCI, which can avoid the situation where the moment when the DCI is processed is in the second time period, and avoid the inability to completely skip the RRM measurement in the second time period.

[0241] In some embodiments, when the DCI indicates M third time periods, if the M third time periods overlap with the M second time periods, the terminal may skip RRM measurements within the M second time periods, i.e., the terminal does not perform RRM measurements within the M second time periods. For example, as shown in FIG21 , assuming that the DCI indicates M third time periods, each of the M third time periods overlaps with a second time period. In this case, the terminal may determine to skip RRM measurements within the M second time periods.

[0242] Of course, in some examples, if only m of the indicated M third time periods overlap with one second time period respectively, the terminal may determine to skip RRM measurement in the m second time periods, where m is less than or equal to M.

[0243] It is clear that Figure 21 only shows one relationship between the third time period and the second time period. The same applies to other possible relationships between the third time period and the second time period, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0244] It should be understood that in each of the embodiments corresponding to Figures 15 to 21 above, the DCI involved may be the second DCI, and the RRC message may be the second RRC message.

[0245] It should be noted that the above-mentioned multiple embodiments can be combined and the combined solutions can be implemented. Optionally, some operations in the process of each method embodiment are optionally combined, and / or the order of some operations is optionally changed. In addition, the execution order between the steps of each process is only exemplary and does not constitute a limitation on the execution order between the steps. There can also be other execution orders between the steps. It is not intended to indicate that the execution order is the only order in which these operations can be performed. Ordinary technicians in this field will think of many ways to reorder the operations of this article. In addition, it should be pointed out that the process details involved in a certain embodiment of this article are also applicable to other embodiments in a similar manner, or different embodiments can be used in combination.

[0246] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules that perform the corresponding functions. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0247] Figures 22 and 23 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of any possible terminal or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal or network device, or a module applied to a terminal or network device. For example, a chip.

[0248] Figure 22 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of a communication device involved in embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 22, communication device 2200 may include modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned method embodiments. In one possible design, communication device 2200 includes: a processing unit 2210 and a communication unit 2220. Optionally, communication device 2200 may also include a storage unit 2230 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0249] The communication device 2200 may be the terminal-side device in the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for the communication function.

[0250] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 2220 is configured to receive DCI. The processing unit 2210 is configured to control the communication device 2200 to skip RRM measurement in the first time period and perform RRM measurement in at least a portion of the second time period except the first time period.

[0251] In one possible design, the communication unit 2220 is further configured to: receive an RRC message, wherein the RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration is one of the K candidate durations, and K is a positive integer.

[0252] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates the first duration.

[0253] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration of the first time period.

[0254] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the PDCCH carrying the DCI.

[0255] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M ​​second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

[0256] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0257] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the functions of the processing unit 2210 may be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the communication unit 2220 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0258] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal, such as a modem chip or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the processing unit 2210 can be implemented by a circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the aforementioned chip. The functions of the communication unit 2220 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0259] The communication device 2200 may be a network-side device in the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, a network device or a communication module in the network device, or a circuit or chip in the network device responsible for communication functions.

[0260] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 2220 is configured to send DCI.

[0261] In one possible design, the communication unit 2220 is further configured to: send an RRC message. The RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration is one of the K candidate durations, and K is a positive integer.

[0262] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates the first duration.

[0263] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration of the first time period.

[0264] In one possible design, the first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the DCI.

[0265] In one possible design, the first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M ​​second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

[0266] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0267] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a network device or a communication module within a network device, the functions of the processing unit 2210 may be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the communication unit 2220 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0268] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the processing unit 2210 can be implemented by a circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the aforementioned chip. The functions of the communication unit 2220 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0269] The communication device 2200 may be the terminal-side device in the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for the communication function.

[0270] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 2220 is configured to receive DCI. The processing unit 2210 is configured to control the communication device 2200 to skip RRM measurement in the second time period when the third time period overlaps with the second time period in the time domain.

[0271] In one possible design, the third time period is determined by at least one of the following methods: the DCI indicates a first duration; the processing unit 2210 is configured to determine the third time period based on the first duration and a preconfigured first moment, where the first moment is a start moment of the third time period or an end moment of the third time period. The DCI indicates the first duration and the first moment. The DCI indicates the start moment of the third time period and the end moment of the third time period.

[0272] In one possible design, the communication unit 2220 is further configured to: receive an RRC message, wherein the RRC message indicates P candidate time periods, and the third time period is one of the P candidate time periods, where P is a positive integer.

[0273] In one possible design, the duration between the moment of receiving the DCI and the start moment of the second time period is greater than or equal to the third time period. In another possible design, the duration between the moment of receiving the DCI and the start moment of the second time period is greater than the third time period.

[0274] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0275] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the functions of the processing unit 2210 may be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the communication unit 2220 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0276] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal, such as a modem chip or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the processing unit 2210 can be implemented by a circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the aforementioned chip. The functions of the communication unit 2220 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0277] The communication device 2200 may be a network-side device in the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, a network device or a communication module in the network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the network device.

[0278] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 2220 is configured to send DCI.

[0279] In one possible design, the third time period is determined by at least one of the following methods: the DCI indicates a first duration, and the third time period is determined based on the first duration and a preconfigured first moment, where the first moment is a start moment of the third time period or an end moment of the third time period. The DCI indicates the first duration and the first moment. The DCI indicates the start moment of the third time period and the end moment of the third time period.

[0280] In one possible design, communication unit 2220 is further configured to: send an RRC message. The RRC message indicates P candidate durations or P candidate time periods, where the first duration is one of the P candidate durations, or the third time period is one of the P candidate time periods. P is a positive integer.

[0281] In one possible design, the duration between the moment of sending the DCI and the start moment of the second time period is greater than or equal to the third time period. In another possible design, the duration between the moment of receiving the DCI and the start moment of the second time period is greater than the third time period.

[0282] In one possible design, the RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: SSB; CSI-RS.

[0283] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a network device or a communication module within a network device, the functions of the processing unit 2210 may be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functions of the communication unit 2220 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0284] In one possible design, when the communication device 2200 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the processing unit 2210 can be implemented by a circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the aforementioned chip. The functions of the communication unit 2220 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0285] It is understandable that the division of units in the above-mentioned device is merely a division of logical functions, and one function may correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions may be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or part of the units may be integrated into one physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. In addition, the above-mentioned functional units may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel may use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0286] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as: one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or, one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0287] In an example, the storage unit 2230 may include a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory and / or a register.

[0288] FIG23 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a communication device 2300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. This device 2300 may correspond to the terminal shown in FIG1 and FIG2 and is configured to implement the terminal operations described in the above embodiments. As shown in FIG23 , the terminal includes one or more antennas 2310, a radio frequency processing system 2320, and a processor system 2330.

[0289] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 2320 receives RF signals through the antenna 2310 and sends the processed signals to the processor system 2330 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 2330 processes the terminal side information and sends it to the RF processing system 2320. The RF processing system 2320 processes the signal and sends it through the antenna 2310.

[0290] In one example, the RF processing system 2320, serving as the terminal's external communication interface, may include a radio frequency front end (RFFE) 2321 and a radio frequency transceiver 2322. The RFFE 2321 is primarily used to perform one or more of the following processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain, on the RF signal received by the antenna or the RF signal to be transmitted through the antenna. The RFFE 2321 may include one or more components such as an RF switch, a duplexer, a filter, a power amplifier, an antenna tuner, and a low-noise amplifier. The RFFE 2321 may be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete components, or it may be integrated and packaged in one or more chips. The RF transceiver 2322 is used to process the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 2330. It also processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 2330 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 2321. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 2322 and the processor system 2330 can be either digital or analog. The RF transceiver 2322 can be implemented by one or more chips, typically referred to as radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs).

[0291] In one example, the processor system 2330 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the processor system 2330 may also include a first memory 2336. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 2331. Baseband processor 2331 may also be referred to as a modem processor. The first memory 2336 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, the processor system 2330 may also include one or more application processors 2332 for processing the terminal operating system and application layer. Optionally, the processor system 2330 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 2333, a multimedia subsystem 2334, or a first interface circuit 2335. The voice subsystem 2333 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 2334 is used to handle multimedia-related operations such as video encoding and decoding and image processing, and the first interface circuit 2335 is used to communicate with other terminal components, such as the display 2340, input device 2350, and the second memory 2360. The above components in the processor system 2330 can communicate with each other through a bus or a communication interface circuit.

[0292] In one example, the processor system 2330 can be packaged as a processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 2330 can be a system consisting of multiple chips, for example, the baseband processor 2331 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged as a chip with part or all of the circuits of the radio frequency processing system.

[0293] In one example, the first memory 2336 may be an on-chip memory, that is, located on the processor system 2330 chip. In one example, the second memory 2360 may be an off-chip memory, that is, located outside the processor system 2330 chip.

[0294] In one example, the baseband processor 2331 may include one or more processor cores 23311 and a second interface circuit 23314. The one or more processor cores 23311 are configured to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 2331 may also include a third memory 23312, which is configured to store at least a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 23311 implement the relevant operations in the above-described method embodiments by executing the computer program instructions stored in the third memory 23312, such as the relevant operations in the method shown in Figures 6 or 15. In the embodiment of the present application, the third memory 23312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This may refer to the third memory 23312 being used to store all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by the processor core 23311; or it may refer to the third memory 23312 being used to store part of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, which includes the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by the processor core 23311. The third memory 23312 may store different parts of the computer program instructions and / or data for execution by the processor core 23311 multiple times to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiment. The second interface circuit 23314 is used as a communication interface to realize communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with the RF processing system 2320, communicating with other subsystems and related components of the processor system 2330 through the bus, such as transmitting data control signals between the application processor 2332, and transmitting data or computer program instructions between the first memory 2336 or the second memory 2360. Optionally, in order to reduce the load of the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 23313 can also be set to implement at least part of the baseband signal processing work, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0295] In one example, the communication device 2300 provided in an embodiment of the present application may be a terminal, a communication module including a processor system 2330 and a radio frequency processing system 2320 , a processor system 2330 , or a baseband processor 2331 .

[0296] The above-mentioned processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit or processor core can be collectively referred to as a processor, which may include one or more combinations of a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or a neural processing unit (NPU).

[0297] The first memory, second memory, and third memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive RAM (ReRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored in a non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the second memory 2360 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions can be partially or completely loaded into a memory with a faster transmission speed to the processor, such as at least a part of the above-mentioned first memory 2336 and / or third memory 23312 (such as one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for execution by the processor to implement the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0298] In one example, the RF transceiver 2322 and the RF front end 2321 may also be packaged in one chip. In one example, the RF transceiver 2322, the RF front end 2321 and the baseband processor 2331 may also be packaged in one chip.

[0299] The communication device shown in FIG. 22 or 23 is merely an example, and in actual applications the communication device may have more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 22 or 23 , may combine two or more components, or may have a different component configuration.

[0300] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the network device, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel.

[0301] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0302] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the function specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0303] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a manufactured product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0304] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0305] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving downlink control information DCI, where the DCI includes first duration information, where the first duration information indicates a first time period, and where the first time period is included in a second time period; RRM measurement is skipped in the first time period, and the RRM measurement is performed in at least a portion of the second time period except the first time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: A radio resource control (RRC) message is received, where the RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration is one of the K candidate durations, and K is a positive integer.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first duration information indicates a first duration.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first duration is the duration of the first time period.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the DCI.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB; Channel State Information Reference Signal CSI-RS.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a communication unit, configured to receive downlink control information DCI, where the DCI includes first duration information, where the first duration information indicates a first time period, and where the first time period is included in a second time period; The processing unit is configured to control the apparatus to skip RRM measurement in the first time period and perform the RRM measurement in at least a portion of the second time period except the first time period.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The communication unit is further configured to: A radio resource control (RRC) message is received, where the RRC message indicates K candidate durations, the first duration information indicates a first duration, the first duration is one of the K candidate durations, and K is a positive integer.

10. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The first duration information indicates a first duration.

11. The device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first duration is the duration of the first time period.

12. The device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first duration is the duration from the first time unit after the first symbol to the end of the first time period, wherein the first symbol is the last symbol of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH carrying the DCI.

13. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that The first duration information indicates M first time periods, and the M first time periods are respectively included in M second time periods, where M is a positive integer.

14. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that The RRM measurement includes measurement of at least one of the following: Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB; Channel State Information Reference Signal CSI-RS.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: include: At least one processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions or programs, and when the instructions or programs are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is performed.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to be performed.

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