Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, which can be applied in a carrier aggregation scenario to achieve the aims of reducing the power consumption of a network device and improving the performance of a system. The method comprises: a network device periodically sending an SSB signal to a terminal device on at least one candidate cell; the terminal device generating a first measurement result on the basis of the SSB signal, and sending the first measurement result to the network device, so that the network device stops periodically sending the SSB signal upon receiving the first measurement result, determines, on the basis of the first measurement result and for the terminal device, at least one secondary cell among the at least one candidate cell, and then indicates same to the terminal device by means of identification information of at least one cell in first configuration information; and upon receiving the first configuration information, the terminal device configuring as a secondary cell the at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 7, 2024, with application number 202410174085.9 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] In carrier aggregation (CA) technology, the primary cell (PCell) is responsible for radio resource control (RRC) communications with user equipment (UE). A secondary cell (SCell) is added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. Once a secondary cell is configured, it is deactivated by default. When the secondary cell activates, the user equipment activates the secondary cell based on the synchronization signal (SS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) signal on the activated secondary cell.

[0004] Currently, network devices always broadcast and send SSB signals, resulting in high power consumption of the network devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the power consumption of network equipment and improve system performance.

[0006] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit). This application is not limited to this. For the sake of convenience of description, the following is an illustration of execution by a network device. The method includes: periodically sending a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB signal on at least one candidate cell; receiving a first measurement result from a terminal device, wherein the first measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal; stopping the periodic sending of the SSB signal; sending first configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, and the at least one cell is determined in the at least one candidate cell according to the first measurement result.

[0007] Based on the above solution, the network device stops the periodic transmission of SSB signals on the candidate cell, thereby achieving the effect of saving power consumption and reducing resource waste.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the terminal device, the first indication information indicating that the SSB signal is periodically sent on the at least one secondary cell; periodically sending the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell based on the first indication information; and sending second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0009] Based on the above solution, the first indication information of the terminal device is used to trigger the network device to resend the SSB signal on the secondary cell, thereby activating the secondary cell.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second indication information to the terminal device, the method also includes: receiving a second measurement result from the terminal device, and the second measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, by reporting the second measurement result before the activation instruction (and the second indication information), the terminal device can quickly complete the activation of the secondary cell after receiving the second indication information, thereby reducing the delay of the secondary cell activation process and avoiding the resource congestion that may be caused by the second measurement reporting.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: periodically sending the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell; sending third indication information to the terminal device, the third indication information instructing the terminal device to periodically receive the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell; and sending fourth indication information to the terminal device, the fourth indication information instructing to activate the at least one secondary cell.

[0013] Based on the above solution, the third indication information of the network device is used to trigger the network device to resend the SSB signal on the secondary cell, thereby activating the secondary cell.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the fourth indication information to the terminal device, the method also includes: receiving a third measurement result from the terminal device, and the third measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, by reporting the third measurement result before the activation instruction (and the fourth indication information), the terminal device can quickly complete the activation of the secondary cell after receiving the fourth indication information, thereby reducing the delay of the secondary cell activation process and avoiding the resource congestion that may be caused by reporting the third measurement.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell to the terminal device.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell and the first configuration information are carried in the same message.

[0018] Based on the above solution, the configuration information of the secondary cell and the first configuration information are carried in the same message, which can save the transmission delay of the configuration information of the secondary cell and improve system performance.

[0019] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit, etc.), and the present application does not limit this. For the sake of convenience of description, the following is an example of execution by a terminal device. The method includes: periodically receiving a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB signal on at least one candidate cell; sending a first measurement result to a network device, wherein the first measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal; stopping the periodic reception of the SSB signal; receiving first configuration information from the network device, wherein the first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, and the at least one cell is determined in the at least one candidate cell according to the first measurement result.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the network device, the first indication information instructing the network device to periodically send the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell; periodically receiving the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell based on the first indication information; and receiving second indication information from the network device, the second indication information instructing to activate the at least one secondary cell.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the second indication information from the network device, the method also includes: sending a second measurement result to the network device, where the second measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from the network device, the third indication information indicating that the SSB signal is received on the at least one secondary cell; periodically receiving the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell based on the third indication information; and receiving fourth indication information from the network device, the fourth indication information indicating activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0023] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the fourth indication information from the network device, the method also includes: sending a third measurement result to the network device, wherein the third measurement result is generated based on the measurement of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell from the network device.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell and the first configuration information are carried in the same message.

[0026] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device. The communication device is configured to implement the first aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device includes a processor configured to invoke and execute a computer program, causing the communication device to implement the first aspect and any one of its embodiments. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory configured to store the computer program.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device. The communication device is configured to implement the second aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device includes a processor configured to invoke and execute a computer program, causing the communication device to implement the second aspect and any one of its embodiments. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory configured to store the computer program.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is used to perform the method provided in the first aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules (e.g., processing units, transceiver units) for performing the method provided in the first aspect and any one of its embodiments.

[0029] In one implementation, the device may be a network device. The transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0030] In another implementation, the communication device may be a chip, chip system, or circuit in a device. In this case, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0031] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is used to perform the method provided in the second aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules (e.g., processing units, transceiver units) for performing the method provided in the second aspect and any one of its embodiments.

[0032] In one implementation, the device may be a terminal device. The transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0033] In another implementation, the communication device may be a chip, chip system, or circuit in a device. In this case, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0034] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a processor for executing the method provided by at least one of the first and second aspects above.

[0035] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, and can also be understood as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0036] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute at least one of the first and second aspects, and the method provided by any implementation of each aspect.

[0037] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising the first communication device of the third aspect and the second communication device of the fourth aspect.

[0038] In the tenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions through the communication interface and executes at least one of the first and second aspects mentioned above, as well as the method provided by any implementation method of each aspect.

[0039] Optionally, as an implementation, the chip also includes a memory, the memory stores a computer program or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute at least one of the above-mentioned first and second aspects, as well as the method provided by any implementation of each aspect.

[0040] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed on a communication device, causes the communication device to perform at least one of the first and second aspects, and any implementation method of each aspect.

[0041] The technical effects of the above second to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects of the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of carrier aggregation.

[0044] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a first communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a second communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a third communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a fourth communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a fifth communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a sixth communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1200 provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Before introducing the solution of this application, the following points are explained.

[0055] First, in this application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, and implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0056] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent together as a whole, or it can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0057] Second, in this application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices, or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, trace or interface.

[0058] Third, in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in the different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0059] Fourth, in this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for convenience of description only, to distinguish between objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not intended to describe the order or precedence of features. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions beyond the embodiments of this application.

[0060] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to low-frequency scenarios, high-frequency scenarios, terahertz, optical communications, licensed frequency bands, and can also be used in unlicensed frequency bands, etc.

[0062] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial communication network (NTN) systems such as intersatellite communication and satellite communication. As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and a terminal device. The satellite base station provides communication services for the terminal device. The satellite base station can also communicate with the base station. A satellite can be used as a base station or as a terminal device. Among them, a satellite can refer to a drone, a hot air balloon, a low-orbit satellite, a medium-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, etc. A satellite can also refer to a non-ground base station or non-ground equipment, etc.

[0063] A device in a communication system can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals may include information, signaling, or data. The term "device" can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, network element, communication device, communication module, node, communication node, and the like. This disclosure uses devices as examples for description. For example, a communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. A network device can send downlink signals to a terminal device, and / or a terminal device can send uplink signals to a network device.

[0064] The terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer (P2P), M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device may be a user equipment (UE) of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard, a terminal, a fixed device, a mobile station device or a mobile device, a subscriber unit, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a smart book, a vehicle, a satellite, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, an aircraft (such as a drone, a helicopter, a multi-copter, a quadcopter, or an airplane), a ship, a remote control device, a smart home device, an industrial device, or a device built into the above-mentioned device (such as a communication module, a modem or a chip in the above-mentioned device), or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For the sake of convenience of description, the terminal device will be described below by taking the terminal or UE as an example.

[0065] It should be understood that in some scenarios, a UE can also be used to act as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or P2P.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0067] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. Base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or replace the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point, master station, auxiliary station, multi-standard wireless (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network equipment.

[0068] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0069] In some deployments, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a device including a CU, or a DU, or a device including a CU and a DU, or a device including a control plane CU node (central unit control plane (CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit user plane (CU-UP)) and a DU node. For example, the network device may include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU. The CU here implements the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also implement the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU implements the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also implement the functions of part or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0070] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-CP, CU-UP, or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be separate or included in the same network element, such as the BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as an RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0071] 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, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called an open (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device, or a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the network device is a network device as an example for description, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0073] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which network devices and terminal devices are located. In addition, terminal devices and network devices can be hardware devices, or they can be software functions running on dedicated hardware, software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific forms of terminal devices and network devices.

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a wireless access network 100. The wireless access network 100 can be a next-generation (e.g., 6G or higher) wireless access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 12) can be connected to each other or to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the wireless access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces.

[0075] It is understandable that FIG1 is only a schematic diagram, and the wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG1 .

[0076] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0077] In this document, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) are merely examples of uplink control channels and uplink data channels, respectively. In different systems and scenarios, data channels and control channels may have different names, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0078] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the technical solution of this application, some related technologies involved in the technical solution of this application are introduced.

[0079] 1. Cell: It is a set of resources managed by a base station, including frequency domain resources and spatial domain resources. The frequency domain resources of a cell include uplink frequency domain resources and / or downlink frequency domain resources; the spatial domain resources of a cell can be the spatial domain resources corresponding to a beam or a group of beams, which can also be understood as a cell corresponding to a specific physical coverage area. When different cells are managed by different base stations, for example, cell #1 and cell #2 are managed by different base stations, it can be said that cell #1 and cell #2 do not share the same site. When different cells are managed by the same base station, for example, cell #1 and cell #2 are managed by the same base station, it can be said that cell #1 and cell #2 share the same site.

[0080] It should be noted that there is a one-to-one correspondence between cells and carriers, and the terms "cell" and "carrier" can be used interchangeably. In other words, the frequency band of a cell can be understood as the frequency band of the cell's corresponding carrier, and can also be referred to as the cell's operating frequency band or the cell's frequency band.

[0081] 2. Carrier Attachment (CA): This technology aggregates two or more component carriers (CCs) to support a larger transmission bandwidth. NR's CA technology is used to increase the transmission bandwidth for a single user. Specifically, CA can integrate multi-frequency resources. For example, CA can aggregate spectrum resources in the same or different frequency bands and provide them to terminals, thereby improving overall network resource utilization and user experience.

[0082] For easier understanding, the Carrier Acceleration (CA) technology is briefly described with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the primary component carrier (PCC) corresponding to cell #1, the secondary component carrier (SCC) corresponding to cell #2 (i.e., SCC#1 in Figure 2), and the SCC corresponding to cell #3 (i.e., SCC#2 in Figure 2) are aggregated to provide service to the terminal. Cell #1 is called the primary cell (PCell), and cells #2 and #3 are secondary cells (SCells). The PCell is the cell where the terminal establishes an initial connection or reestablishes an RRC connection. The PCell is responsible for RRC communication with the terminal. The PCell corresponds to the PCC. The carriers of the PCell can be divided into downlink (DL) carriers (PCC) and uplink (UL) carriers (PCC). The SCell is added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. There is no RRC communication between the SCell and the UE. Similarly, the carriers of the SCell can be divided into DL SCCs and UL SCCs.

[0083] NR defines two states for the secondary cell in R15, namely the activation state and the deactivation state. When the secondary cell is in the activation state and the secondary cell is configured with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the UE can monitor the PDCCH of the secondary cell and transmit signals with the network device based on the configuration information and uplink and downlink scheduling information sent by the network device. When the secondary cell is in the deactivated state, the UE does not need to perform any uplink and downlink signal monitoring and transmission in the secondary cell. The UE can switch between the activation state and the deactivation state of the secondary cell through the activation / deactivation signaling sent by the network device, or the network device can also configure a deactivation timer for the terminal device. When the timer expires, the UE considers that the state of the secondary cell changes from the activation state to the deactivation state.

[0084] Currently, if the network equipment and terminal equipment are in some scenarios with low data transmission requirements (for example, the data transmission between the network equipment and the terminal equipment is usually less in certain specific time periods), when the secondary cell completes the addition configuration, the secondary cell in the deactivated state will not be activated. At this time, if the network device continues to broadcast and send SSB signals on the secondary cell, it will not only cause high power consumption of the network device, but also cause waste of resources.

[0085] In view of this, the present application proposes a communication method that can reduce the power consumption of network devices and save resources when the network devices and terminal devices do not need to transmit service data on the secondary cell.

[0086] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment provided by the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1 above without limitation.

[0087] In the following embodiments, terminal devices and network devices are used as examples for illustrative description, wherein the terminal device can be replaced by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip or circuit), and the network device can be replaced by a component of the network device (such as a chip or circuit).

[0088] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a first communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 shows a schematic flow of information interaction between a network device and a terminal device. The method 300 shown in Figure 3 may include the following steps.

[0089] S301: The network device periodically sends an SSB signal on at least one candidate cell.

[0090] Specifically, after the network device establishes an RRC connection with the terminal device through the primary cell, if the network device configures the terminal device to add a secondary cell, a CA frequency point set and at least one frequency point contained therein will be established through manual configuration. The cell corresponding to these at least one frequency point (wherein the frequency point can be, for example, the center frequency of a section of frequency resources) is at least one candidate cell. Subsequently, the network device periodically broadcasts and sends an SSB signal on at least one candidate cell. Accordingly, the terminal device periodically receives the SSB signal on the at least one candidate cell. Exemplarily, if the candidate cells configured by the network device include candidate cell #1, candidate cell #2, and candidate cell #3, the network device periodically sends the SSB signal on candidate cell #1, candidate cell #2, and candidate cell #3 at the same time, and accordingly, the terminal device periodically receives the SSB signal on candidate cell #1, candidate cell #2, and candidate cell #3.

[0091] S302, the terminal device sends a first measurement result to the network device, where the first measurement result is generated based on the SSB signal measurement.

[0092] Specifically, when the terminal device measures the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell according to the configuration information of the SSB signal (for example, obtained by the preset method described below or by network device configuration, etc.), the terminal device generates a measurement result for each candidate cell and reports the measurement result of each candidate cell (i.e., the first measurement result) to the network device. Exemplarily, if the candidate cells configured by the network device include candidate cell #1, candidate cell #2, and candidate cell #3, the terminal device generates the measurement result of candidate cell #1, the measurement result of candidate cell #2, and the measurement result of candidate cell #3 based on the SSB signal measurements on candidate cell #1, candidate cell #2, and candidate cell #3.

[0093] It should be noted that the first measurement result may be a layer 3 (L3) or layer 1 (L1) measurement result, and may be reference signal receiving power (RSRP) information, which is not limited in this application. The measurement process of L3 / L1 can refer to the description in the relevant protocol and will not be repeated here. In addition, the terminal device may send the first measurement result to the network device periodically to report to the network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0094] S303: The network device stops periodically sending the SSB signal.

[0095] Specifically, after the network device receives the first measurement result from the terminal device, the network device no longer continues to send the SSB signal on at least one candidate cell.

[0096] S304, the terminal device stops periodically receiving the SSB signal.

[0097] Specifically, after the terminal device reports the first measurement result to the network device, the terminal device can stop receiving SSB signals on at least one candidate cell at the same time.

[0098] S305. The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. The first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell. The first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell. The at least one cell is determined from at least one candidate cell based on the first measurement result.

[0099] Specifically, after the network device receives the first measurement result from the terminal device, the network device can select at least one cell from the at least one candidate cell as a secondary cell configured and added by the terminal device based on the measurement result corresponding to each candidate cell, and carry at least one identification information corresponding to the determined secondary cell in the first configuration information, and instruct the terminal device through the first configuration information to add the cell corresponding to the at least one identification information as a secondary cell. Accordingly, after receiving the first configuration information, the terminal device determines (for example, by looking up a table, etc.) the cell corresponding to each identification information based on the at least one identification information in the first configuration information, and adds the cell corresponding to each identification information as a secondary cell.

[0100] It should be noted that this application does not limit the identification information corresponding to the secondary cell. Optionally, the identification information is a cell ID or a cell index. In addition, this application does not limit the message carried by the first configuration information. Optionally, the first configuration information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0101] Exemplarily, if the network device receives the measurement result RSRP#1 of candidate cell #1, the measurement result RSRP#2 of candidate cell #2, and the measurement result RSRP#3 of candidate cell #3, the network device may use at least one candidate cell corresponding to the RSRP exceeding the system preset threshold value as a secondary cell configured for the terminal device. For example, when the RSRP#1 and RSRP#3 corresponding to candidate cell #1 and candidate cell #3, respectively, are greater than or equal to the threshold value, the network device may send the ID#1 and ID#3 (or index#1 and index#3) corresponding to candidate cell #1 and candidate cell #3 to the terminal device via an RRC reconfiguration message. After receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device obtains the ID#1 and ID#3 corresponding to candidate cell #1 and candidate cell #3, and configures candidate cell #1 and candidate cell #3 as its own secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2, respectively.

[0102] It should be noted that the order of S303 and S305 is not limited in this application. In other words, the network device may execute S303 first and then S305; or execute S305 first and then S303; or execute S303 and S305 simultaneously.

[0103] Optionally, after the terminal device adds the secondary cell according to the first configuration information, the terminal device reports configuration completion information to the network. At this time, the method 300 further includes the following S306.

[0104] S306, the terminal device sends secondary cell configuration completion information to the network device.

[0105] Optionally, the secondary cell configuration completion information is carried in an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message, or the secondary cell configuration completion information is carried in other messages, which is not limited in this application.

[0106] It should be noted that after the terminal device monitors the SSB signal on at least one candidate cell, the terminal device needs to measure the SSB signal according to the second configuration information to obtain a first measurement result. In some embodiments, the second configuration information may include the transmission period of the SSB signal, SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) information and frequency information of at least one candidate cell. Among them, the SMTC information may include the SMTC period and SMTC duration, the SMTC period is the measurement period of the SSB signal, and the SMTC duration is the measurement duration of the SSB signal. It should be noted that in order to ensure accurate and complete measurement of all SSB signals sent on each candidate cell, the SMTC period is at least equal to the transmission period of the SSB signal, that is, the SMTC period can be the same as the transmission period of the SSB signal, or can be greater than the transmission period of the SSB signal. Since each candidate cell also has unique corresponding identification information, in other embodiments, the second configuration information includes the transmission period of the SSB signal, SMTC information and identification information corresponding to at least one candidate cell. Alternatively, in some further embodiments, the second configuration information includes the transmission period of the SSB signal, SMTC information, frequency information of at least one candidate cell, and identification information corresponding to at least one candidate cell.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may, by default, use the second configuration information preset in the terminal device to measure the SSB on at least one candidate cell. In this case, after the terminal device detects the SSB signal on at least one candidate cell, the terminal device measures the SSB signal according to the preset second configuration information.

[0108] In another achievable manner, the terminal device may receive the second configuration information from the network device. In this case, the method 300 further includes S307.

[0109] S307, the network device sends second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the SSB signal periodically sent on at least one candidate cell.

[0110] Specifically, the present application does not limit the message carried by the second configuration information. Optionally, the second configuration information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message. At this time, the terminal device can measure the SSB signal periodically sent on at least one candidate cell through the second configuration information obtained in the RRC reconfiguration message, thereby obtaining a first measurement result.

[0111] It should be noted that when method 300 also includes S307, this application does not limit the order of S301 and S307, that is, the network device can first send the SSB signal and then send the second configuration information, or send the second configuration information and then send the SSB signal, or send the second configuration information and the SSB signal at the same time.

[0112] Based on the above solution, the network device stops sending SSB after the secondary cell is added, which is beneficial to reducing the energy consumption of the network device and saving network resources.

[0113] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a second communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG4 shows a schematic flow of information interaction between a network device and a terminal device. It can be understood that FIG3 above is a configuration flow of a secondary cell. Compared with the method 300 shown in FIG3 , the method 400 shown in FIG4 not only includes the configuration process of the secondary cell, but also includes the activation process of the secondary cell. Specifically, the method 400 shown in FIG4 may include the following multiple steps, wherein S401-S407 may refer to the description of S301-S307 in FIG3 above, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0114] It is understood that after completing the secondary cell addition configuration steps, the secondary cell defaults to a deactivated state. At this point, the network device will not send SSB signals on the at least one configured secondary cell, nor will it perform data transmission with the terminal device on the secondary cell. Accordingly, the terminal device will not monitor SSB signals on the deactivated secondary cell. When it is necessary to activate the at least one configured secondary cell, the network device and the terminal device perform the following steps.

[0115] It should be noted that in Figure 4, the activation process of triggering at least one secondary cell is initiated by the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device has an uplink business data transmission requirement, the terminal device can trigger the activation process of at least one secondary cell. When at least one secondary cell is activated, the terminal device can realize the uplink data transmission requirement.

[0116] S408, the terminal device sends first indication information to the network device, and the first indication information instructs the network device to periodically send an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0117] Specifically, when the terminal device triggers the activation process of at least one secondary cell, the terminal device sends first indication information to the network device, and correspondingly, the network device receives the first indication information.

[0118] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the first indication information, which may be a signal, and the signal may be a signal carried in a physical uplink channel, such as an uplink wake-up signal (WUS); or a signal not carried in a physical uplink channel, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS); in addition, the first indication information may also be information carried on an uplink physical channel, such as an indication field of uplink control information (UCI) carried on a PUCCH or PUSCH. In this case, the UCI sent by the terminal device to the network device includes an indication field carrying the first indication information, and the number of bits contained in the indication field may be one or more bits. For example, if the number of bits occupied by the indication field is 2, 00 indicates that the indication field does not carry the first indication information, or the first indication information does not instruct the network device to send an SSB signal, and 11 indicates that the first indication information carried by the indication field instructs the network device to send an SSB signal.

[0119] S409: The network device periodically sends an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell based on the first indication information.

[0120] Specifically, after the network device receives the first indication information, the network device learns that the terminal device has a need to activate the secondary cell. At this time, the network device restarts the periodic transmission of the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0121] S410, the network device sends second indication information to the terminal device, where the second indication information instructs the terminal device to periodically receive SSB signals on at least one secondary cell.

[0122] Specifically, after the network device receives the first indication information, the network device sends the second indication information to the terminal device, where the second indication information includes identification information corresponding to at least one secondary cell to which the network device sends the SSB signal. Optionally, the second indication information is carried in a medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling or in downlink control information (DCI), etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0123] S411, the network device sends third indication information to the terminal device, where the third indication information indicates activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0124] The present application does not limit the message carrying the third indication information. Optionally, the third indication information is carried in MAC CE signaling. The third indication information includes identification information corresponding to at least one secondary cell to which the network device sends the SSB signal.

[0125] It should be noted that the solution of the present application does not limit the order of S409 and S410. The network device may first send an SSB signal to the terminal device and then send a second indication information indicating at least one secondary cell; or, the network device may first send the second indication information and then start periodic sending of the SSB signal, or, the network device may periodically send an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell while sending the second indication information.

[0126] It can be understood that the identification information of at least one secondary cell included in the second indication information and the third indication information is consistent, that is, both are one or more secondary cells to which the network device sends SSB signals, that is, one or more secondary cells that need to be activated.

[0127] S412, the terminal device sends a second measurement result to the network device, where the second measurement result is generated based on the third indication information by measuring the periodic transmission of the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0128] In one feasible manner, when the network device first sends an SSB signal to the terminal device and then sends the third indication information, optionally, the terminal device can perform periodic measurement of the SSB signal on the corresponding secondary cell in advance according to the second indication information. Specifically, after the terminal device monitors the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell, the terminal device performs periodic measurement of the SSB signal. At this time, the terminal device obtains a second measurement result, which is a measurement result obtained when measuring the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell. The second measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, for example, it is mainly the RSRP information of each secondary cell. After the terminal device receives the third indication information, the terminal device performs time and frequency synchronization with the network device, and at the same time measures the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) of each secondary cell to obtain the channel state information (CSI) of each secondary cell, that is, the third measurement result, so that the network device can refer to the third measurement result for corresponding data scheduling. Generally speaking, CSI mainly includes three items: channel quality indicator (CQI) information, rank indicator (RI) information and precoding indicator (PMI) information, which are not limited in this application. Optionally, in some scenarios, for example, when uplink resources are relatively abundant, the terminal device can report the second measurement result in advance, that is, before the terminal device receives the third indication information, the terminal device periodically reports the obtained second measurement result to the network device, and after receiving the third indication information to measure the CSI-RS, the terminal device reports the third measurement result to the network device, thereby completing the secondary cell activation process. At this time, S412 is executed before S411, and S413 is executed after S411. Alternatively, in other scenarios, for example, when uplink resources are relatively tight, even if the terminal device measures the SSB signal in advance, it does not report the second measurement result. Instead, after receiving the third indication information, it first reports the second measurement result, then performs synchronization and CSI-RS measurement, and finally reports CSI to activate the secondary cell. At this time, S412 and S413 are executed after S411.

[0129] In another feasible manner, when the network device first sends the third indication information and then starts to periodically send the SSB signal, the terminal device performs periodic measurement of the SSB signal based on the secondary cell identification information carried in the second indication information and / or the third indication information, after detecting the SSB signal on the secondary cell corresponding to the identification information, and after obtaining the RSRP information, periodically reports the RSRP information to the network device, and simultaneously performs time and frequency synchronization with the network device and CSI-RS measurement in sequence, and finally reports the CSI to activate the secondary cell. At this time, S412 and S413 in method 400 are executed after S411.

[0130] It should be noted that the configuration information used by the terminal device when measuring the SSB signal sent on the secondary cell may continue to use the configuration information for the SSB signal on the candidate cell, such as the configuration information preset in the terminal device or the second configuration information received from the network device through S407. In other words, in this scenario, the terminal device can obtain the configuration information only once to achieve the measurement of the SSB signals on the candidate cell and the secondary cell.

[0131] Alternatively, the terminal device may receive third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is measurement configuration information of an SSB signal sent on at least one secondary cell.

[0132] Optionally, the third configuration information is carried in the same message as the first configuration information, for example, in an RRC reconfiguration message. In this case, the terminal device can simultaneously obtain the first configuration information and the third configuration information in S405, and after monitoring the transmission of the SSB on the secondary cell, use the third configuration information obtained in advance to measure the SSB signal, thereby obtaining a second measurement result.

[0133] Optionally, the third configuration information is carried in other messages, for example, in other RRC reconfiguration messages. In this case, the method 400 further includes S414.

[0134] S414, the network device sends third configuration information to the terminal device, where the third configuration information is configuration information of the SSB signal periodically sent on at least one secondary cell.

[0135] Specifically, the network device sends the third configuration information separately to the terminal device. After the terminal device detects that the SSB is sent on the secondary cell, it uses the third configuration information to measure the SSB signal, thereby obtaining the second measurement result. It is understandable that the order of S414 and S409 is not limited in this application.

[0136] Based on the above solution, the network equipment can restart the transmission of SSB through the terminal equipment instructions when the secondary cell needs to be activated, thereby realizing the on-demand transmission of the system's SSB signal, while ensuring the reduction of network equipment energy consumption and improving the flexibility of the system.

[0137] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a third communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 shows a schematic process of information interaction between a network device and a terminal device. It should be noted that, compared with the solution shown in Figure 4, in the method 500 shown in Figure 5, the activation process of triggering at least one secondary cell is initiated by the network device. For example, when the network device determines that at least one secondary cell of the terminal device needs to be activated based on the size of the business volume, the network device can trigger the activation process of at least one secondary cell. When the activation of at least one secondary cell is completed, the data transmission requirement is realized. Specifically, the method 500 shown in Figure 5 may include the following multiple steps, wherein S501-S507 are the process of configuring the secondary cell, and the descriptions of S301-S307 in Figure 3 above may be referred to respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0138] S508: The network device periodically sends an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0139] Specifically, when the network device needs to activate a secondary cell, the network device restarts periodically sending an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0140] S509, the network device sends fourth indication information to the terminal device, where the fourth indication information instructs the terminal device to periodically receive SSB signals on at least one secondary cell.

[0141] Specifically, the fourth indication information includes identification information corresponding to at least one secondary cell and / or a frequency corresponding to at least one secondary cell. After the terminal device receives the fourth indication information, the terminal device determines at least one secondary cell based on the identification information and / or the frequency corresponding to the at least one secondary cell in the fourth indication information, and begins periodically receiving SSB signals on the determined at least one secondary cell.

[0142] It should be noted that this application does not limit the message that carries the fourth indication information. For example, the fourth indication information can be carried in a MAC CE or a DCI. It is understood that when the fourth indication information is carried in a MAC CE or a DCI, the MAC CE or DCI sent by the network device to the terminal device includes an indication field that carries the third indication information, and the number of bits contained in the indication field can be one or more bits.

[0143] It can be understood that the order of S508 and S509 is not limited in this application, that is, the network device can first send the SSB signal and then send the fourth indication information to the terminal device, or the network device can send the SSB signal after sending the fourth indication information, or both can be sent at the same time.

[0144] At step S510, the network device sends fifth indication information to the terminal device, where the fifth indication information indicates activation of at least one secondary cell. The fifth indication information includes identification information corresponding to the at least one secondary cell to which the network device transmits the SSB signal. It is understood that the fifth indication information has the same function as the third indication information in step S411 in FIG. 4 . Therefore, this step may refer to step S411 in FIG. 4 , and will not be further described here.

[0145] It should be noted that, in this solution, there is no limitation on the order of S508 and S509. The network device may first send an SSB signal to the terminal device, and then send a fourth indication information indicating at least one secondary cell; or, the network device may first send the fourth indication information, and then start periodically sending the SSB signal; or, the network device may send an SSB signal on the indicated secondary cell while indicating the secondary cell.

[0146] It can be understood that the identification information of the at least one secondary cell included in the fourth indication information and the fifth indication information is consistent.

[0147] S511, the terminal device sends a second measurement result to the network device, where the second measurement result is generated based on the fourth indication information and the measurement of the periodic transmission of the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell.

[0148] When the network device first sends an SSB signal to the terminal device and then sends the fifth indication information, the terminal device can optionally perform periodic measurements on the SSB signal in advance. Specifically, after the terminal device monitors the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell according to the fourth indication information, the terminal device performs periodic measurements on the SSB signal. At this time, the terminal device obtains a second measurement result, which is a measurement result obtained when measuring the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell. The second measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, for example, it is mainly the RSRP information of each secondary cell. After the terminal device receives the fifth indication information, the terminal device performs time and frequency synchronization with the network device, and at the same time measures the CSI-RS of each secondary cell to obtain the CSI of each secondary cell, that is, the third measurement result, so that the network device can refer to the third measurement result for corresponding data scheduling. Among them, CSI may include CQI information, RI information, PMI information, etc. Optionally, in some scenarios, for example, when uplink resources are relatively abundant, the terminal device may report the second measurement result in advance, that is, before the terminal device receives the fifth indication information, the terminal device periodically reports the obtained second measurement result to the network device, and after receiving the fifth indication information and measuring the CSI-RS, reports the third measurement result to the network device, thereby completing the secondary cell activation process. In this case, S511 in method 500 is executed before S510, and S512 is executed after S510. Alternatively, in other scenarios, for example, when uplink resources are relatively scarce, even if the terminal device measures the SSB signal in advance, it does not report the second measurement result. Instead, after receiving the fifth indication information, it first reports the second measurement result, then performs synchronization and CSI-RS measurement, and finally reports the CSI to activate the secondary cell. In this case, both S511 and S512 in method 500 are executed after S510.

[0149] When the network device first sends the fifth indication information and then starts to periodically send the SSB signal, the terminal device detects the SSB signal on the indicated secondary cell based on the secondary cell identification information carried in the fourth indication information and / or the fifth indication information, and first performs periodic measurement of the SSB signal and periodically reports RSRP information. At the same time, it performs time and frequency synchronization with the network device and CSI-RS measurement in sequence, and finally reports CSI to activate the secondary cell. At this time, S511 and S512 in method 500 are both executed after S510.

[0150] Similarly, the configuration information used by the terminal device when measuring the SSB signal sent on the secondary cell may be to continue to use the configuration information for the SSB signal on the candidate cell; or to receive the second configuration information from the network device in S507; or to receive the third configuration information from the network device. It is understood that when the third configuration information is carried in other messages, method 500 also includes S513. Specifically, this part can refer to the relevant description in Figure 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0151] Based on the above solution, the network equipment can actively start the transmission of SSB when the secondary cell needs to be activated, realizing the on-demand transmission of the system's SSB signal, while ensuring the reduction of network equipment energy consumption and improving the flexibility of the system.

[0152] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a fourth communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 illustrates a schematic flow of information exchange between a network device and a terminal device. It should be noted that method 600 illustrated in Figure 6 is another process after activation of a secondary cell. Specifically, method 600 illustrated in Figure 6 can be used in conjunction with method 400 illustrated in Figure 4 and method 500 illustrated in Figure 5 . Method 600 includes the following steps.

[0153] S601: The network device stops periodically sending an SSB signal on at least one activated secondary cell.

[0154] Specifically, when the network device receives the third measurement result reported by the terminal device, it indicates that the secondary cell has completed the activation process. At this point, the secondary cell is in an activated state, and the network device and the terminal device can transmit data on the secondary cell. For the secondary cell after activation, the network device stops periodically sending SSB signals on at least one activated secondary cell.

[0155] S602: The terminal device stops periodically receiving SSB signals on at least one activated secondary cell.

[0156] Specifically, after the terminal device reports the third measurement result, the terminal device stops periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one activated secondary cell.

[0157] S603, the terminal device sends sixth indication information to the network device, and the sixth indication information instructs the network device to periodically send an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure.

[0158] Specifically, during data transmission, the terminal device may cause the original beam to become invalid due to factors such as movement, rotation, and environmental changes, resulting in a beam failure. At this time, the terminal device sends a sixth indication message to the network device. The sixth indication message includes identification information of at least one secondary cell with a beam failure, instructing the network device to re-periodically send an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with a beam failure for beam recovery. Accordingly, the network device receives the sixth indication message.

[0159] In this solution, the sixth indication information may be a signal, such as a WUS, SRS, etc., or the sixth indication information may be carried in the indication field of the UCI. This application does not limit this. When the sixth indication information is carried in the indication field of the UCI, the UCI sent by the terminal device to the network device includes an indication field carrying the sixth indication information, and the number of bits contained in the indication field may be one or more bits.

[0160] S604: The network device periodically sends an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure based on the sixth indication information.

[0161] Specifically, after receiving the sixth indication information, the network device determines at least one secondary cell with a beam failure according to the identification information in the sixth indication information, and resends the SSB signal on the determined at least one secondary cell with a beam failure.

[0162] S605: The terminal device periodically receives an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure based on the sixth indication information.

[0163] Specifically, after sending the sixth indication information, the terminal device starts to monitor the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure.

[0164] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a fifth communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 illustrates a schematic process for information exchange between a network device and a terminal device. It should be noted that method 700 shown in Figure 7 is another process after activation of a secondary cell. Specifically, method 700 shown in Figure 7 can be used in conjunction with method 400 shown in Figure 4 and method 500 shown in Figure 5. Method 700 includes the following steps.

[0165] S701: The network device sends seventh indication information to the terminal device, where the seventh indication information indicates that at least one secondary cell is switched from an activated state to a dormant state.

[0166] Specifically, when the data transmission between the network device and the terminal device is completed, or when there is no data transmission between the network device and the terminal device, the network device sends the seventh indication information to the terminal device. The seventh indication information can be carried in DCI, etc., which is not limited in this solution.

[0167] S702: The terminal device switches at least one secondary cell from an activated state to a dormant state based on the seventh indication information.

[0168] Specifically, the seventh indication information includes identification information of at least one secondary cell switched to a dormant state. Optionally, the seventh indication information is carried in an indication field of the DCI, and the indication field carrying the seventh indication information may include one or more bits, and the values ​​of the one or more bits correspond to the identification information of the dormant secondary cell.

[0169] S703: The network device stops periodically sending the SSB signal on at least one dormant secondary cell.

[0170] Specifically, when the secondary cell is in the dormant state, no data is transmitted between the network device and the terminal device. Therefore, when the network device sends the seventh indication information to switch the secondary cell from the activated state to the dormant state, the network device stops sending SSB signals on the dormant secondary cell.

[0171] S704: The terminal device stops periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one dormant secondary cell.

[0172] Specifically, after the terminal device receives the seventh indication information, the terminal device determines the dormant secondary cell according to the seventh indication information, and stops periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one determined dormant secondary cell.

[0173] S705. The terminal device sends eighth indication information to the network device, where the eighth indication information instructs the network device to periodically send an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure.

[0174] Specifically, during data transmission, the terminal device may cause the original beam to become invalid due to factors such as movement, rotation, and environmental changes, resulting in a beam failure. At this time, the terminal device sends an eighth indication message to the network device, and the eighth indication message includes identification information of at least one secondary cell with a beam failure, instructing the network device to re-periodically send an SSB signal for beam recovery on at least one secondary cell with a beam failure corresponding to the identification information of the secondary cell. Accordingly, the network device receives the eighth indication message.

[0175] In this solution, the eighth indication information may be a signal, such as WUS, SRS, etc., or the eighth indication information may also be carried in the indication field of the UCI. This application does not limit this. When the eighth indication information is carried in the indication field of the UCI, the UCI sent by the terminal device to the network device includes an indication field carrying the eighth indication information, and the number of bits contained in the indication field may be one or more bits.

[0176] S706: The network device periodically sends an SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure based on the eighth indication information.

[0177] Specifically, after receiving the eighth indication information, the network device determines at least one secondary cell with a beam failure according to the identification information in the eighth indication information, and resends the SSB signal on the determined at least one secondary cell with a beam failure.

[0178] S707: The terminal device periodically receives the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure based on the eighth indication information.

[0179] Specifically, after sending the eighth indication information, the terminal device starts to monitor the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell with beam failure.

[0180] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a sixth communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 illustrates a schematic flow of information exchange between a network device and a terminal device. It should be noted that method 800 shown in Figure 8 is another process after activation of a secondary cell. Specifically, method 800 shown in Figure 8 can be used in conjunction with method 400 shown in Figure 4, method 500 shown in Figure 5, method 600 shown in Figure 6, or method 700 shown in Figure 7. Method 800 includes the following steps.

[0181] When the data transmission between the network device and the terminal device is completed, or when there is no data transmission between the network device and the terminal device, the secondary cell can be deactivated. In this solution, the deactivation process of the secondary cell can be triggered by the network device, or the deactivation process of the secondary cell can be triggered by the terminal device, which is not limited in this application.

[0182] When the deactivation process of the secondary cell is triggered by a network device, the method 800 includes S801 - S803 .

[0183] S801. The network device sends ninth indication information to the terminal device, where the ninth indication information indicates deactivation of at least one secondary cell.

[0184] Specifically, when the network device determines, based on current service transmission, that there is no service transmission with the terminal device on at least one secondary cell, the network device sends ninth indication information to the terminal device, where the ninth indication information includes identification information of the secondary cell corresponding to the at least one deactivated secondary cell, and instructs the terminal device to deactivate the at least one secondary cell. Optionally, the ninth indication information is carried in MAC CE signaling.

[0185] S802: The network device stops periodically sending an SSB signal on at least one deactivated secondary cell.

[0186] It should be noted that this application does not limit the order of S801 and S802. After the network device sends the ninth indication information to the terminal device, the network device may stop periodically sending SSB signals on at least one deactivated secondary cell; or, the network device may first stop periodically sending SSB signals on at least one deactivated secondary cell, and then send the ninth indication information to the terminal device; or, the network device may stop periodically sending SSB signals on at least one deactivated secondary cell while sending the ninth indication information to the terminal device.

[0187] S803: The terminal device stops periodically receiving SSB signals on at least one deactivated secondary cell.

[0188] Specifically, after receiving the ninth indication information, the terminal device stops monitoring the SSB signal on the deactivated secondary cell according to the eighth indication information.

[0189] When the deactivation process of the secondary cell is triggered by the terminal device, the method 800 includes S804-S808.

[0190] S804: The terminal device starts a timer.

[0191] Specifically, when the terminal device reports the third measurement result to the network device, or after the terminal device completes a certain data transmission, the terminal starts a timer.

[0192] S805: The terminal device deactivates at least one secondary cell.

[0193] Specifically, when the timer set by the terminal device does not receive data transmitted from the network device on the secondary cell within a predefined time, the terminal device deactivates at least one secondary cell.

[0194] S806: The terminal device stops periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one deactivated secondary cell.

[0195] S807, the terminal device sends a tenth indication message to the network device, where the tenth indication message instructs the network device to stop periodically sending SSB signals on at least one deactivated secondary cell, and the tenth indication message includes identification information of the secondary cell corresponding to the at least one deactivated secondary cell.

[0196] It should be noted that this application does not limit the order of S806 and S808. The terminal device may stop periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell and then send the tenth indication information to the network device; or, the terminal device may first send the tenth indication information to the network device and then stop receiving the SSB signal; or, it may also stop receiving the SSB signal while sending the tenth indication information to the network device.

[0197] S808: The network device stops periodically sending the SSB signal on at least one deactivated secondary cell based on the tenth indication information.

[0198] Specifically, after receiving the tenth indication information, the network device determines the deactivated secondary cells according to the identification information in the tenth indication information, and stops monitoring the SSB signals on these secondary cells.

[0199] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above processes 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 embodiments of the present application.

[0200] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0201] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly used as examples for illustrative description (such as network devices, terminal devices, etc.), and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0202] It is understandable that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as network devices, terminal devices) can also be implemented by components of the devices (such as chips or circuits) without limitation.

[0203] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 3 to 8. Below, the device and chip system provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail in conjunction with Figures 9 to 12. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0204] The communication methods shown in Figures 3 to 8 are mainly described from the perspective of interaction between terminal devices and network devices. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, the terminal devices and network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules that perform the corresponding functions.

[0205] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network devices and terminal devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, 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 manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0206] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, it is the base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, and it can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the base station. Specifically, the communication device 900 includes a receiving module 901, which can be used to implement the corresponding receiving function. The receiving module 901 can also be called a receiving unit. The communication device 900 also includes a processing module 902, which can be used to implement the corresponding processing function. The communication device 900 also includes a sending module 903, which can be used to implement the corresponding sending function, and the sending module 903 can also be called a sending unit. The receiving module 901 and the sending module 903 can also be called communication interfaces or communication units.

[0207] Optionally, the communication device 900 also includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 902 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device 900 implements the actions of the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0208] The communication device 900 can be used to execute the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800. In this case, the communication device 900 can be a component of the network device, the receiving module 901 is used to execute the reception-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments, the processing module 902 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800, and the sending module 903 is used to execute the sending-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800.

[0209] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 can be used to perform the operations of the network devices in Figures 3 to 8 above. For example:

[0210] A sending module 903 is configured to periodically send an SSB signal on at least one candidate cell and send first configuration information to a terminal device. The first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, where the at least one cell is determined from the at least one candidate cell based on the first measurement result.

[0211] The receiving module 901 is used to receive a first measurement result from a terminal device, where the first measurement result is generated based on an SSB signal measurement.

[0212] The processing module 902 is configured to stop periodically sending the SSB signal.

[0213] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0214] In addition, the receiving module 901, the processing module 902 and the sending module 903 in the communication device 900 can also implement other operations or functions of the network device in the above method, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] Optionally, the communication device 900 may be a device including a network device, or a component configured in the network device, such as a chip of the network device. In this case, the receiving module 901 and the sending module 903 may be interface circuits, pins, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit, wherein the receiving module 901 may include an input circuit, the sending module 903 may include an output circuit, and the processing module 902 may include a processing circuit.

[0216] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, it is one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, and it can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal. Specifically, the communication device 1000 includes a receiving module 1001, which can be used to implement the corresponding receiving function. The receiving module 1001 can also be called a receiving unit. The communication device 1000 also includes a processing module 1002, which can be used to implement the corresponding processing function. The communication device 1000 also includes a sending module 1003, which can be used to implement the corresponding sending function, and the sending module 1003 can also be called a sending unit. The receiving module 1001 and the sending module 1003 can also be called communication interfaces or communication units.

[0217] Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 1002 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device 1000 implements the actions of the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0218] The communication device 1000 can be used to execute the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800. In this case, the communication device 1000 can be a component of the terminal device, the receiving module 1001 is used to execute the reception-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, the processing module 1002 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800, and the sending module 1003 is used to execute the sending-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments 300 to method embodiments 800.

[0219] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 can be used to perform the operations of the network devices in Figures 3 to 8 above. For example:

[0220] A receiving module 1001 is configured to periodically receive an SSB signal on at least one candidate cell and receive first configuration information. The first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, where the at least one cell is determined from the at least one candidate cell based on the first measurement result.

[0221] The sending module 1003 is used to send a first measurement result to the network device, where the first measurement result is generated based on the SSB signal measurement.

[0222] The processing module 1002 is configured to stop periodically receiving the SSB signal.

[0223] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0224] In addition, the receiving module 1001, the processing module 1002 and the sending module 1003 in the communication device 1000 can also implement other operations or functions of the terminal device in the above method, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may be a device including a terminal device, or a component configured in the terminal device, such as a chip of the terminal device. In this case, the receiving module 1001 and the sending module 1003 may be interface circuits, pins, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit, wherein the receiving module 1001 may include an input circuit, the sending module 1003 may include an output circuit, and the processing module 1002 may include a processing circuit.

[0226] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1101 and a memory 1102. The memory 1102 is coupled to the processor 1101, and the processor 1101 is used to execute the computer program or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1102, so that one of the methods 300 to 800 in the above method embodiments is executed. The memory 1102 is used to store computer programs or instructions or and / or data. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 1101 can operate in conjunction with the memory 1102.

[0227] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may include one or more processors 1101 and one or more memories 1102.

[0228] Optionally, the memory 1102 may be integrated with the processor 1101 or provided separately.

[0229] The communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1103 for exchanging information via a transmission medium. Optionally, the transceiver 1103 may be an interface, a bus, a circuit, or a device capable of performing transceiver functions.

[0230] Optionally, the device in the transceiver 1103 for implementing the receiving function may be regarded as a receiving module, and the device in the transceiver 1103 for implementing the sending function may be regarded as a sending module, that is, the transceiver 1103 includes a receiver and a transmitter.

[0231] The specific connection medium between the processor 1101, memory 1102, and transceiver 1103 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 11, the processor 1101, memory 1102, and transceiver 1103 are connected via a bus 1104. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 11. The connection between other components is only for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

[0232] It should be understood that for ease of representation, FIG11 only uses one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0233] Optionally, as shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1103 and / or a communication interface, where the transceiver 1103 and / or the communication interface are used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 1101 is used to control the transceiver 1103 and / or the communication interface to receive and / or send data.

[0234] A transceiver may also be sometimes called a transceiver, a transceiver module, or a transceiver circuit. A receiver may also be sometimes called a receiver, a receiving module, or a receiving circuit. A transmitter may also be sometimes called a transmitter, a transmitter, a transmitting module, or a transmitting circuit.

[0235] For example, in one embodiment, the processor 1101 is configured to perform other operations or functions of a chip of a network device. The transceiver 1103 is used to implement information exchange between the communication apparatus 1100 and a terminal device.

[0236] In another embodiment, the processor 1101 is configured to perform other operations or functions of a chip of the terminal device. The transceiver 1103 is used to implement information exchange between the communication device 1100 and the network device.

[0237] 12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 1200 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1210 and an input / output interface 1220 .

[0238] Logic circuit 1210 may be a processing circuit within chip system 1200. Logic circuit 1210 may be coupled to a storage unit and invoke instructions within the storage unit, enabling chip system 1200 to implement the methods and functions of various embodiments of the present application. Input / output interface 1220 may be an input / output circuit within chip system 1200, outputting information processed by chip system 1200 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into chip system 1200 for processing.

[0239] Alternatively, the logic circuit 1210 may be implemented by one or more processors, including the one or more processors or a processing portion in the one or more processors.

[0240] Optionally, the input / output interface 1220 may include a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, an input / output circuit, or a communication interface.

[0241] As a solution, the chip system 1200 is used to implement the operations performed by the network device or terminal device in the above various method embodiments.

[0242] Specifically, the logic circuit 1210 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 1220 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0243] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0244] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods executed by the network device or the terminal device in each embodiment of the above method.

[0245] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0246] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device and / or network device in the above embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and network device in Figure 1.

[0247] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0249] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0250] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Periodically sending a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) signal on at least one candidate cell; receiving a first measurement result from a terminal device, where the first measurement result is generated based on measuring the SSB signal; Stop periodically sending the SSB signal; Send first configuration information to the terminal device, where the first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, and the at least one cell is determined among the at least one candidate cell based on the first measurement result.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving first indication information from the terminal device, where the first indication information indicates that the SSB signal is periodically sent on at least one secondary cell; Periodically sending the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell based on the first indication information; Sending second indication information to the terminal device, where the second indication information indicates activation of the at least one secondary cell.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: Before sending the second indication information to the terminal device, the method further includes: A second measurement result is received from the terminal device, where the second measurement result is generated based on the SSB signal measurement on the at least one secondary cell.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: Periodically sending the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell; Sending third indication information to the terminal device, where the third indication information instructs the terminal device to periodically receive the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell; Send fourth indication information to the terminal device, where the fourth indication information indicates activation of the at least one secondary cell.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein: Before sending the fourth indication information to the terminal device, the method further includes: Receive a third measurement result from the terminal device, where the third measurement result is generated based on measuring the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell to the terminal device.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein: The configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell and the first configuration information are carried in the same message.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Periodically receiving a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) signal on at least one candidate cell; Sending a first measurement result to a network device, where the first measurement result is generated based on measuring the SSB signal; Stop periodically receiving the SSB signal; Receive first configuration information from the network device, where the first configuration information includes identification information of at least one cell, and the first configuration information indicates that at least one cell corresponding to the identification information of the at least one cell is configured as a secondary cell, where the at least one cell is determined from the at least one candidate cell based on the first measurement result.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the network device, where the first indication information instructs the network device to periodically send the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell; periodically receiving the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell based on the first indication information; Second indication information is received from the network device, where the second indication information indicates activation of the at least one secondary cell.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein: Before receiving the second indication information from the network device, the method further includes: Sending a second measurement result to the network device, where the second measurement result is generated based on measuring the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell.

11. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving third indication information from the network device, where the third indication information indicates receiving the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell; periodically receiving the SSB signal on at least one secondary cell based on the third indication information; Fourth indication information is received from the network device, where the fourth indication information indicates activation of the at least one secondary cell.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein: Before receiving the fourth indication information from the network device, the method further includes: A third measurement result is sent to the network device, where the third measurement result is generated based on the SSB signal measurement on the at least one secondary cell.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell from the network device.

14. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein: The configuration information of the SSB signal on the at least one secondary cell and the first configuration information are carried in the same message.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; or the method comprises a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions; or, the processor is used to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14 through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented; or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program, which, when executed, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; or implements the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

19. A chip, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; or the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

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