Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applied to a communication system supporting environmental Internet of Things technology. The method comprises: receiving, in a first time-domain resource, first information from a second apparatus, wherein the first information is used for paging a first apparatus, and / or the first information is used for synchronization, the first time-domain resource is one of a plurality of time-domain resources, with a period of a first duration, the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for paging; if the first information is used for paging the first apparatus, accessing the second apparatus; and if the first information is used for synchronization, performing synchronization on the basis of the first information. By means of the method, first information used for implementing paging and / or synchronization is transmitted by means of periodic time-domain resources, such that a first apparatus can periodically determine whether the first apparatus is paged and can also periodically perform synchronization. In this way, the complexity of receiving downlink information from a second apparatus by a first apparatus can be reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410240648.X, filed on March 1, 2024, and entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus"; and this application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410405303.5, filed on April 3, 2024, and entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] The internet of things (IoT) technology is introduced in a wireless communication system, a terminal device can implement the function of a tag in the IoT, a base station can implement the function of a reader in the IoT, and the tag can communicate with the base station. The tag is a passive or semi-passive device, and typical application scenarios include logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, and environmental monitoring. The number of tags that communicate with the base station each time is very large. How to improve the communication efficiency between the base station and the tag is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus to improve communication efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the execution subject of the method is a first device or a module or chip in the first device, and here the first device is taken as an example for description. The first device can be a terminal device or a tag. The method includes: receiving first information from a second device in a first time domain resource; the first information is used for paging the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a first time length, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources that are not periodic, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources for paging; if the first information is used for paging the first device, access the second device; and if the first information is used for synchronization, synchronize according to the first information.

[0007] By the method, the multiple time domain resources with the first time length can be time domain resources for synchronization or time domain resources for paging, so that the network side can transmit the first information for implementing paging and / or synchronization through the same periodic time domain resources, so that the first device can receive the first information for paging and / or synchronization in the same time domain resources, which can reduce the complexity of the first device receiving downlink information from the second device, implement determination of the receiving positions of the two signals through one mechanism, and also reduce resource waste and improve communication efficiency.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the first information includes first sub-information and / or second sub-information; the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0009] By the method, the functions of paging and synchronization are implemented through the two sub-informations respectively, so that the first sub-information and / or the second sub-information can be carried according to actual needs, and implementation is relatively flexible.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields in the first information, or the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different messages.

[0011] By the method, if the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields, the first device side only needs to receive one message, reducing the receiving complexity of the first device side, reducing the logic processing complexity, and reducing the implementation cost. If the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different messages, the network side can send the first sub-information or the second sub-information according to actual needs, and implementation is relatively flexible.

[0012] In a possible implementation, when the first information includes the first sub-information, the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the first information is used for paging the first device; when the first information does not include the first sub-information, the first information is used for synchronization.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: if not paged by the first information, sleeping for a second time length; and the second time length is less than or equal to the first time length.

[0014] By the above method, if not paged by the first information, sleeping for a second time length can reduce power consumption and improve working time. Moreover, because the first time domain resources are periodic resources, the first device side can implement periodic reception of downlink messages instead of directly receiving downlink messages, and can sleep between two downlink messages, which can reduce power consumption and improve working time.

[0015] [Corrected according to Rule 91 03.03.2025] Furthermore, the present implementation is also compatible with devices that do not support sleep or energy saving, i.e. such devices can also continuously monitor. Such devices are simpler to implement and do not have energy saving mechanisms.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first information is used for synchronization, and the method further includes: receiving second information at a second time domain resource, the second information being used for paging the first device; and the second time domain resource is spaced apart from the first time domain resource by a third time length.

[0017] By this method, the second information is sent after the periodic first information, so that the interval time between the synchronization information sending is short, the terminal can more accurately determine the paging occasion, and the reliability of determining the paging occasion is increased.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used for indicating the third time length, or the third time length is predefined.

[0019] By this method, when the first information indicates the third time length, the first device side can accurately determine the time domain resource for receiving the second information, and the third time length can be flexibly configured, the first device can more accurately determine the paging occasion, and the communication efficiency is improved. The third time length is predefined, and the signaling overhead required for indicating the third time length can be reduced.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: continuously receiving third information from the second device at a third time domain resource, the third information being used for paging the first device and / or being used for synchronization; the third time domain resource is one of the plurality of time domain resources, and the third time domain resource is different from the first time domain resource; and continuously receiving the third information until the third information is successfully received.

[0021] By the above method, the third information is not received for a long time, and the third information is continuously received or monitored, so that the third information can be obtained in time, and synchronization or access to the second device is completed according to the third information, and the communication efficiency is improved.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used for indicating a sending period of at least one of the first information, first sub-information and second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0023] Alternatively, the first information is further used for indicating at least one of: a time interval for next sending of the first information; a time interval for next sending of first sub-information; and a time interval for next sending of second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the first sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0025] whether the first sub-information is periodically transmitted; whether the second sub-information is periodically transmitted; whether the first information is periodically transmitted; wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0026] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, an execution subject of the method is a second device or a module or a chip in the second device, and the second device is taken as an example for description, for example, the second device can be an access network device or a terminal device. The method comprises the following steps: determining first information; the first information is used for paging the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; and transmitting the first information on a first time domain resource; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a first time length, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources that are not periodic, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources for paging.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the first information comprises first sub-information and / or second sub-information; the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields in the first information; or the first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different messages.

[0029] In a possible implementation, when the first information comprises first sub-information, the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the first information is used for paging the first device; when the first information does not comprise the first sub-information, the first information is used for synchronization.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first information is used for synchronization, and the method further comprises: transmitting second information on a second time domain resource, the second information being used for paging the first device; and the second time domain resource is spaced apart from the first time domain resource by a third time length.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the third time length, or the third time length is predefined.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate a sending period of at least one of the first information, the first sub-information and the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0033] Alternatively, the first information is further used to indicate at least one of: a time interval of next sending of the first information; a time interval of next sending of the first sub-information; and a time interval of next sending of the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate at least one of:

[0035] whether the first sub-information is periodically sent; whether the second sub-information is periodically sent; and whether the first information is periodically sent, wherein the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

[0036] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, an execution subject of the method is a first device or a module or a chip in the first device, which is described taking the first device as an execution subject as an example. The first device can be a terminal device or a tag. The method comprises: receiving at least one of first sub-information, second sub-information and third sub-information from a second device in a first time domain resource; the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, the second sub-information is used for synchronization, and the third sub-information is used for indicating system information; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for synchronization, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for paging, and the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for transmitting system information; if the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, accessing the second device according to the first sub-information, and / or synchronizing according to the second sub-information, and / or determining system information according to the third sub-information.

[0037] Through the method, the plurality of time domain resources can be time domain resources used for synchronization, time domain resources used for paging or time domain resources used for transmitting system information. Thus, the network side can transmit information used for implementing paging and / or synchronization through a same time domain resource, so that the first device can receive the information used for paging and / or synchronization in the same time domain resource. Thus, the complexity of receiving downlink information from the second device by the first device can be reduced, the receiving positions of the three kinds of information are determined through a same mechanism, resource waste is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

[0038] In an implementation, if the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information are periodically transmitted, which can be understood as that the multiple time domain resources are periodic resources, the first sub-information can further configure or indicate a period of at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information, for example, the first information indicates that a period of the first sub-information is a first time length and a period of the second sub-information is the first time length. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also configure or indicate a period of at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information.

[0039] In an implementation, the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information can also be non-periodically transmitted, which can be understood as that the multiple time domain resources are non-periodic resources, the first sub-information can further configure or indicate at least one of time information of next transmission of the first sub-information, time information of next transmission of the second sub-information and time information of next transmission of the third sub-information. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also configure or indicate the above content, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In an implementation, the first sub-information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the first sub-information is periodically transmitted; whether the second sub-information is periodically transmitted; whether the third sub-information is periodically transmitted. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also configure or indicate the above content, which will not be repeated here.

[0041] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, an execution subject of the method is a second device or a module or a chip in the second device, which is taken as an example for description, for example, the second device can be an access network device or a terminal device. The method comprises: determining at least one of first sub-information, second sub-information and third sub-information; the first sub-information is used for paging a first device, the second sub-information is used for synchronization, and the third sub-information is used for indicating system information; and transmitting at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information on a first time domain resource; wherein the first time domain resource is one of multiple time domain resources, the multiple time domain resources are time domain resources used for synchronization, the multiple time domain resources are time domain resources used for paging, and the multiple time domain resources are time domain resources used for transmitting system information.

[0042] In an implementation, if the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information are periodically transmitted, which can be understood as that the multiple time domain resources are periodic resources, the first sub-information can further configure or indicate a period of at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information, for example, the first information indicates that a period of the first sub-information is a first time length and a period of the second sub-information is the first time length. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also configure or indicate a period of at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information.

[0043] In an implementation, the first sub-information, the second sub-information and the third sub-information can also be transmitted non-periodically. It can be understood that the multiple time domain resources are non-periodic resources. The first sub-information can further indicate at least one of time information of next transmission of the first sub-information, time information of next transmission of the second sub-information, and time information of next transmission of the third sub-information. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also indicate the above content, which will not be described herein.

[0044] In an implementation, the first sub-information further indicates at least one of whether the first sub-information is transmitted periodically, whether the second sub-information is transmitted periodically, and whether the third sub-information is transmitted periodically. Similarly, the second sub-information or the third sub-information can also indicate the above content, which will not be described herein.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which can implement any method provided in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. The communication device can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first device or the second device in the above method. The communication device can further include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data of the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and a terminal device or the like.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples. For details, refer to the description of the method provided in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be described herein.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when read and executed by a computer, implements the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, a circuit is provided, which is configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. The circuit can include a chip circuit. Optionally, the circuit can further be coupled with a memory.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes:

[0053] The processor is configured to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device installed with the chip system implements the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. Optionally, the chip system can further include a memory, and can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect by means of a logic circuit or by executing computer programs or instructions.

[0055] In an eleventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a unit or module configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0056] In a twelfth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and an interface circuit configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signal to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus. The processor is configured to implement the functional modules of the method in any possible implementation of any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect by means of the logic circuit or by executing computer programs or instructions. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a memory configured to store the computer programs or instructions.

[0057] In a thirteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system. The communication system includes: a first device configured to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; and a second device configured to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. Alternatively, the communication system includes: a first device configured to implement the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect; and a second device configured to implement the method in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network device architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a label according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of information transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of information transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of information transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of information transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0116] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of information transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0121] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0141] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0146]

[0151] With reference to the drawings, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The terms "first", "second" and corresponding terms of reference labels in the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, which is only a distinguishing way adopted in the description of the embodiments of the present application for the same attribute objects in the description. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the processes, methods, systems, products or devices containing a series of units do not necessarily have to be limited to those units, but can include other units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The methods and devices provided by the embodiments of the present application are based on the same or similar technical concepts, and since the principles of the devices and methods for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the devices and methods can be mutually referred to, and the repeated parts will not be described.

[0078] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various mobile communication systems, for example, can be internet of things (IoT), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), can be a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication system (such as long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE)), can also be a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system (such as 5G new radio (new radio, NR)), can also be a hybrid architecture of LTE and NR, can also be a 6G or a new communication system appearing in future communication development, etc. The communication system can also include a machine to machine (machine to machine, M2M) network, machine type communication (machine type communication, MTC) or other networks. For example, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a communication system supporting ambient internet of things (ambient IoT, AIoT) or internet of things (IoT, IoT) technology.

[0079] In the following, first, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained and described, so as to facilitate the understanding of the skilled in the art.

[0080] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can be a device in a wireless network, and the network device can also be referred to as a network apparatus or a radio access network device. For example, the network device can be a radio access network (RAN) node that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network, and can also be referred to as an access network device. The network device includes but is not limited to: a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, an access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN), a next generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc.; or can be a module or unit that completes part of the function of the base station, for example, can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module. The network device can be a macro base station, or a micro base station or an indoor station, or a relay node or a donor node, etc. The specific technology and specific device form of the network device adopted in the present application are not limited.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 1, in some implementations, a network device can include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The RAN device including a CU node and a DU node splits the protocol layers of a gNB in the NR system, with some protocol layer functions centralized in the CU and the rest or all protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, with the CU centrally controlling the DU. Further, the CU can be further divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including radio resource control (RRC) and the control plane corresponding packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) (i.e., control plane part of PDCP, PDCP-C). The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption of control plane data, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. The CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the user plane corresponding PDCP (i.e., user plane part of PDCP, PDCP-U). The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption of the data plane, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, etc. The CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through an E1 interface. The CU-CP represents the gNB to connect with the core network through a next generation (NG) interface, and to connect with the DU through a control plane of an F1 interface (i.e., F1-C). The CU-UP connects with the DU through a user plane of the F1 interface (i.e., F1-U). Of course, there is also a possible implementation that the PDCP-C is also in the CU-UP.

[0083] It can be understood that the CU (including CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU can also have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art can understand its meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, and the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP and DU are taken as examples for description in this application. The network device can also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the function of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the function of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and implements the function of the RRC layer. The DU is responsible for processing the physical layer protocol and real-time service, and implements the function of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer and the physical (PHY) layer. In some deployments, the CU can also be divided into a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) node and a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) node. Among them, the CU-CP is responsible for the control plane function, and the CU-UP is responsible for the user plane function.

[0084] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device can be a device including a wireless communication function (providing voice / data connectivity to users). For example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, or a vehicle-mounted device, a vehicle-mounted module, etc. At present, some examples of terminal devices are: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in vehicle networking, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, or a wireless terminal in smart home, a device-to-device (D2D) terminal device, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication terminal device, a smart vehicle, a telematics box (T-box), a machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, etc. For example, the terminal device can be a vehicle-mounted device, a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle, an on board unit (OBU), a roadside unit (RSU), a T-box, a chip or a system on chip (SOC), etc. The above-mentioned chip or SOC can be installed in a vehicle, an OBU, an RSU or a T-box. The wireless terminal in industrial control can be a camera, a robot, etc. The wireless terminal in smart home can be a television, an air conditioner, a sweeper, a sound box, a set-top box, etc.The terminal device can also be a V2X device, for example, a smart car or an intelligent car, a digital car, an unmanned car or a driverless car or a pilotless car or an automobile, a self-driving car or an autonomous car, a pure EV or a Battery EV, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a range extended EV (REEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a new energy vehicle, a road site unit (RSU). The terminal device can also be a device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, an electricity meter, a water meter, etc.

[0085] When the present application is applied in an AIoT or IoT system, the reader and the tag device can both be implemented based on infrastructure in a cellular network. In other words, the reader and the tag can both be devices in a cellular network. For example, the functions of the reader can be implemented by an access network device, such as a base station. The tag can be implemented by a terminal device in a cellular network, such as an extremely low power consumption, extremely low complexity IoT terminal. Non-contact data communication can be performed between the network device and the terminal device, so as to read information from the terminal device and / or write information to be stored into the terminal device. It can be understood that, in the present application, the network device can have the functions of a reader; the terminal device has the functions of a tag, or the terminal device can be a terminal device in an AIoT or IoT system.

[0086] The tag can also be referred to as an electronic tag or an RFID tag or a tag device. Alternatively, the tag can also be referred to as an AIoT terminal device or an AIoT device. In the present application, the tag can also be regarded as a kind of terminal device.

[0087] In one classification manner, the types of tags can be divided into passive tags, semi-passive tags and active tags. Among them, the passive tags and the semi-passive tags can adopt a communication mode based on backscatter, and the active tags adopt a communication mode of actively generating a carrier.

[0088] In another classification manner, the tags can be divided into the following three types of devices:

[0089] Device A: no energy storage, cannot generate signal independently, uses backscatter to transmit signal;

[0090] Device B: has energy storage, but cannot generate signal independently, uses backscatter to transmit signal, and the stored energy can amplify the reflected signal;

[0091] Device C: has energy storage, can generate signal independently, and has active RF elements for transmission.

[0092] The tag uses a low-precision, low-power mid-low frequency ring oscillator or completely without local oscillator to receive the downlink signal. When the tag is working, the energy and carrier of the communication come from the reader supply, and the communication is based on the reflected carrier. In an implementation, the types of tags can be classified based on whether the communication mode is based on reflection, or based on the ability to store energy and the ability not to store energy, or based on the combination of the two. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), two types of tags (AIoT device types) are proposed: one (1), a 1 microwatt power consumption tag, has energy storage, an initial sampling frequency deviation of 10 X power, for example, X = 4 or 5, without uplink or downlink amplifiers, and the uplink transmission is based on the reflection of the externally provided carrier. Two (2), a hundred microwatt power consumption, has energy storage, an initial sampling frequency deviation of 10 X power, for example, X = 4 or 5, with uplink or downlink amplifiers, or both uplink and downlink amplifiers, and the uplink transmission can be actively sent by the tag or based on the external carrier for backscatter transmission.

[0093] In this embodiment, the reader can be a handheld or fixed device for reading or writing tag information, or can be understood as a device for communicating with the tag. The reader can be a terminal device, an access network device, or a device with reading and writing functions. The reader can also be an IAB node or a relay node.

[0094] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the reader can send a carrier signal to the tag, and the tag receives the carrier signal through the antenna. The solid line in the figure represents the carrier signal sent by the reader, and the dashed line represents the reflected signal transmitted by the tag based on the carrier signal. The tag can adjust the information to be transmitted in the reflected signal. In the above manner, the tag uses a low-precision, low-power mid-low frequency ring oscillator or completely without local oscillator for receiving the downlink signal, which can further reduce the power consumption of the tag in the downlink reception.

[0095] A tag is a miniature wireless transceiver device, mainly including a built-in tag device antenna, a coupling element and a chip. The chip of the tag has a storage space capable of supporting the reader to read or write tag data. After the tag receives the radio frequency signal sent by the reader through the antenna, the coupling element can realize the coupling of the radio frequency signal, and then in the coupling channel, the chip of the tag can be powered and the data stored in the chip can be fed back to the reader through the antenna. A communication network composed of a reader and a tag based on a cellular network infrastructure can be referred to as a passive / passive internet of things (IoT) network, or an ambient IoT (A IoT or A-IoT). The tag device can also be regarded as a terminal device, which can be an active tag device, a passive tag device or a semi-active tag device.

[0096] The ambient IoT system can be applied to a passive or semi-passive IoT scenario, for example, in a logistics and warehouse scenario, the tag can be used for goods inventory and tracking, and the status of the goods can also be monitored during the transportation of the goods; for example, in an industrial manufacturing scenario, the tag can be used for environmental and device status monitoring.

[0097] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication system includes an access network device and a tag. The tag can be a separate device, or the tag can be integrated with a terminal device, i.e., the tag is part of the terminal device. In the communication system, the access network device can have the function of a reader in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, and the access network device can communicate with the tag as a reader. The communication interface between the access network device and the tag is a uu interface, i.e., air interface communication.

[0098] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of another communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the communication system includes a terminal device and a tag. The tag can be a separate device, or the tag can be integrated with a terminal device. In the communication system, the terminal device can have the function of a reader in an RFID system, i.e., the terminal device can communicate with the tag as a reader, and the terminal device and the tag can communicate through a sidelink.

[0099] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of another communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication system includes an access network device, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and a tag. The communication system can also include other devices, such as devices including terminal devices, etc. In the communication system, the access network device can have the function of a reader in an RFID system, the IAB node can serve as a relay node between the access network device and the tag, and the tag transmits information to the IAB node, which forwards the information to the access network device via a uu interface. The tag can be connected to the IAB node via the uu interface, and the IAB node can be connected to the base station via the uu interface.

[0100] In the present application, the communication system including the access network device, the terminal device, and the tag can also be a system with a split architecture. In the communication system, the access network device and the terminal device can directly communicate with each other, as shown in FIG. 6. The access network device can also have the function of a reader in an RFID system, and the tag can have an uplink connection with the access network device and a downlink connection with the terminal device. The terminal device can transmit information to the tag, which forwards the information to the access network device. Alternatively, the tag can have a downlink connection with the access network device and an uplink connection with the terminal device, and the access network device can transmit information to the tag, which forwards the information to the terminal device. The energy required by the tag to transmit information can be provided by an energy signal, which can come from the access network device, the terminal device, or other devices. The energy signal can also be referred to as an excitation signal.

[0101] In the system with a split architecture, in one implementation, the terminal device can transmit data to the tag. The terminal device or the access network device provides a carrier signal, the tag generates or transmits an uplink signal based on the carrier signal, and transmits the uplink signal to the access network device. The uplink signal can include data transmitted by the tag to the access network device, which can be data of the tag itself or data received from the terminal device. In another implementation, the access network device can transmit data to the tag. The terminal device or the access network device provides a carrier

[0102] There is also a direct connection architecture, in which the tag and the access network device can directly transmit data. When the tag transmits an uplink signal to the access network device, the carrier signal used to generate the uplink signal is provided by the terminal device.

[0103] The present application is also applicable in the O-RAN architecture. As shown in FIG. 7, the O-RAN system can include an access network device, a terminal device, and a core network device. The O-RAN system can include other components in addition to the components shown in the figure.

[0104] As shown, the access network device (which can be an eNB or gNB or next generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) device through a backhaul link and communicates with the user equipment (UE) through an air interface.

[0105] For example, it can be a baseband unit (BBU) in the access network device that communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link, and a radio unit (RU) in the access network device that communicates with at least one UE through an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a fronthaul link, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located.

[0106] The BBU includes at least one of at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate through at least one midhaul link. In the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), and the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU).

[0107] Figure 8 illustrates a network element functional division and protocol layer structure diagram for an ORAN device. In some examples, the CU (Core Unit) is a logical node carrying the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU may have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as the F1 interface. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide Control Plane (C-Plane) and User Plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, and in some examples, it defines the signaling procedures of F1. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0108] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (Control Unit-Control Plane) and CU-UP (Control Unit-User Plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (Control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (User plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. In the core network, network elements used to implement user plane functions, such as the User Plane Function (UPF) network element in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices. The above configuration of CU and DU is merely an example; the functions of CU and DU can be configured as needed. For example, CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For instance, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency, placing functions that need to meet low latency requirements in the DU and functions that do not need to meet such latency requirements in the CU.

[0109] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, Higher Physical (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces.

[0110] In some examples, the CU may not have a PDCP layer, i.e., it only includes the RRC layer. CU-CP does not have PDCP-C. CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have CU-UP at all. In some examples, the DU may not have an RLC layer, only a MAC and a higher PHY layer. Furthermore, in some examples, it may not have a CU and may only include the DU.

[0111] In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation. In some examples, the RU is a logical node carrying both Lower Physical Layer (Lower PHY) and Radio Frequency (RF) chain processing. In some examples, the RU can be a TRP (Telematics Reference Point) or Remote Radio Head (RRH) from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or other similar entities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes the PHY processing, such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0112] The DU and RU can be co-located or separate. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through a Lower-Layer Split Control User Synchronous-Plane (LLS-CUS) plane interface. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU. The DU and RU can cooperate to implement PHY layer functions. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-frequency (RF) functions. For example, DU is configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and RU is configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level functions and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer may include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0113] In an environmental IoT system, tags and readers can perform one or more of the following operations: inventory, location, sensing, and command. It is understood that command operations can include at least one of read, write, or lock operations.

[0114] Inventory Management: Inventory management, also known as a count operation, involves retrieving tag identification information. For example, a reader can use query and acknowledge (ACK) commands to obtain tag identification information. To facilitate tag inventory, tags include four session identifiers (S0-S3), each corresponding to two inventory states: A and B. The inventory state is indicated by a sessionInventoried flag. When a reader selects a tag, the select command sent to it carries a session identifier, which the tag then stores. When the reader performs inventory management on the tag, the query command sent includes the session identifier, at which point the tag can flip its inventory state from A to B. If the reader sends another query command to perform inventory management, since the tag's inventory state is B, it will not respond to the reader, thus preventing the same tag from being inventoryed multiple times in a single inventory cycle.

[0115] Read service: The read service can read the electronic product code (EPC), tag identifier (TID) in the tag's storage area, the content stored in the tag's reserved area, or the content stored in the user's storage area.

[0116] Write operation: The write operation can perform write operations on the storage area of ​​the tag.

[0117] Kill the tag: The kill tag can make the tag permanently unusable.

[0118] Locking: Locking can lock the information of a tag, preventing read or write operations on that tag. Alternatively, locking can also lock a storage area, preventing or allowing read or write operations on that storage area.

[0119] The above are just examples. Other business processes or operations can be performed between the tag and the reader, which will not be illustrated here.

[0120] Currently, the number of tags communicating with the base station each time is very large, resulting in low communication efficiency between the base station and the tags. For example, before a tag can operate, its capacitor needs to be charged, and the capacitor must have sufficient charge to start working. Due to the limited capacitance of the tags, the operating time of the tags is limited. For example, during the inventory process, if the base station needs to inventory a large number of tags (such as hundreds or even thousands), some tags will run out of power during the inventory process and need to be recharged before they can operate. However, the base station cannot determine when a tag will run out of power during operation, so tags that have run out of power may not be able to be inventoryed by the base station, affecting the overall inventory efficiency. To address this, this application provides a method to improve the communication efficiency between the base station and the tags, which will be described in detail below.

[0121] When the method provided in this application is applied to the network architecture shown in Figures 2 to 8, the method executed on the second device side can also be executed by a module (such as a chip) in the access network device shown in Figures 2 to 8, or by a control subsystem that includes access network device functions. Alternatively, the method executed on the second device side can also be executed by a terminal device shown in Figures 2 to 8, or by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions. The method executed on the first device side can also be executed by a tag or terminal device shown in Figures 2 to 8, or by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes tag or terminal device functions.

[0122] It is understood that this application does not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. It can be applied to modules in the first device or the second device, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following description takes the interaction between the first device and the second device as an example. The second device can be a terminal device, an access network device, or a network device, or the second device can be a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, access network device, or network device; the first device can be a tag or a terminal device, or the first device can be a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the tag or a terminal device.

[0123] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes:

[0124] Step 901: The second device determines the first information.

[0125] The first information is used to achieve at least one of the following functions:

[0126] Used for paging at least one device, such as for paging a first device; paging can also be understood as selecting or triggering at least one first device to access the network (reader, second device). That is, the term paging may not be used, and the specific name is not limited.

[0127] Used for synchronization, such as for time synchronization and / or frequency synchronization;

[0128] Used to indicate system information, which includes, but is not limited to, system information blocks (SIBs), such as master information blocks (MIBs), SIB1, SIB2, etc.

[0129] When the first information is used to page at least one device, the first information may include identification information of the paged device or a mask information of the paged device. Upon receiving the first information, a device can determine whether it has been paged based on the identification information or the mask information. For example, the identification information may include one or more of the following: identification information of the paged device, service identification information, group identification information, public land mobile network (PLMN) identification, operator identification, manufacturer identification information, application (e.g., product, item category) identification information, and user-defined identification information. For a device, if the mask information in the device matches the mask information in the first information, the device is the device paged by the first information; or, if the identification information in the device matches the identification information in the first information, the device is the device paged by the first information. One piece of identification information can correspond to one device or multiple devices, meaning it is shared by multiple devices. The identification information of at least one of the devices, or the first information including the mask information of the paged device, is obtained from the core network, which may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) or an ambient IoT management function (AIOTMF) for providing A-IoT services.

[0130] When the first information is used for synchronization, it may include at least one of the following: a preamble, a correction code, a correction code (used to adjust the frequency), a synchronization field, a midamble, and a stop code. This can be understood as: at least one of the preamble, correction code, correction code, synchronization field, midamble, and stop code is used for synchronization. In practice, it can also be understood that a portion of the above codes, either a sequence or a codeword, can be used by the first device to achieve synchronization.

[0131] The information or sub-information mentioned in this article can be data, messages, or signals, without limitation.

[0132] Step 902: The second device sends the first information in the first time domain resource.

[0133] Accordingly, the first device receives first information from the second device in the first time domain resource.

[0134] The first information can be transmitted through a service logic channel or a control logic channel, such as a paging or common control channel. This application does not limit the name of the logic channel. The first information can also be transmitted through a downlink data transmission channel, such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical reader to device shared channel (PDSCH), i.e., a channel used for data transmission. This application does not limit the name of the data transmission channel.

[0135] The first piece of information can be distinguished using MAC layer indication information. For example, this MAC layer indication information could be the logical channel ID (LCID) in the MAC layer, which can be used to indicate that the channel or the data packet is transmitting the first piece of information (such as paging, selection, downlink trigger messages, etc.). It can also be other indication information. Through this indication information, the first device (e.g., a terminal) can distinguish whether the message is the first piece of information, another message, or a data transmission message upon receiving the indication information. When the first device is waiting to receive a paging message, if it receives another message, it discards it. In other words, different sub-information can also be distinguished using indication information.

[0136] In this application, the second device may carry the first information in a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) or in an RRC message; this application does not limit this.

[0137] In this application, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple time-domain resources with a period of a first duration; or, it is periodic over a period of time; or, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple aperiodic time-domain resources, which can be understood as these multiple time-domain resources not being periodic in the time domain. The multiple time-domain resources are used for synchronization, paging, or transmitting system information. The first duration is predefined or pre-configured; or, the first duration is configured by the second device, for example, the first information can also indicate the first duration. This application uses time-domain resources as an example for description. The time-domain resources in this application can also be replaced with "frequency-domain resources" or "time-frequency resources." That is, when the time-domain resources in this application are replaced with "frequency-domain resources" or "time-frequency resources," the technical solution of this application can also be implemented, and the specific details will not be elaborated further.

[0138] Optionally, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple time-domain resources with a period of a first duration; it can also be understood as a time-domain resource with a period of a first duration within a certain time range. Alternatively, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple aperiodic time-domain resources; it can also be understood as these multiple time-domain resources being aperiodic within a certain time range. This is because when a resource conflict occurs, the second device may not send the first information.

[0139] Optionally, when a resource conflict occurs between the first time-domain resource and the data transmission between the third and second devices, the first device may choose not to send the first information. For example, the duration of the transmission process between the third and second devices may include the location of the first time-domain resource. The third device may be a tag or a terminal device.

[0140] The first device can be a terminal device or a tag; for details about the tag, please refer to the preceding description. The tag can also be called an AIoT device.

[0141] In one implementation, all devices covered by the second device receive or monitor the first information, which can be understood as the first time domain resource being a common monitoring opportunity for all devices.

[0142] In another implementation, some devices covered by the second device receive or monitor the first information. For example, all devices in a cell can be divided into multiple groups, with devices in different groups receiving or monitoring different information. For instance, the information transmitted in each of multiple time-frequency resources corresponds to a frame number. All devices in the cell are divided into two groups: devices in the first group receive or monitor information with odd-numbered frame numbers, and devices in the second group receive or monitor information with even-numbered frame numbers.

[0143] In this application, the first information may be implemented in multiple ways. Several examples are given below.

[0144] In one implementation method, the first information includes at least one of a first sub-information, a second sub-information, and a third sub-information. When the first information includes different content, the corresponding message name is different. Specifically, the first sub-information is used for paging the first device, the second sub-information is used for synchronization, and the third sub-information is used to indicate system information. Optionally, the first sub-information can be used for paging or synchronization; the third sub-information can also be used to indicate system information.

[0145] For example, when the first information only includes the first sub-information, it can also be called the first sub-information, paging message, selection message, inventory message, service command (including service request messages containing read / write commands), or initial trigger message, etc.; or the first sub-information can be called a paging message, selection message, inventory message, service command (including service request messages containing read / write commands), or initial trigger message, etc.; when the first information only includes the second sub-information, the second sub-information can also be empty, that is, there is no data information but only a preamble used for synchronization, etc.; or the first information only contains a sequence or codeword used for synchronization, it can also be called the second sub-information, the first information, a synchronization message, a synchronization signal, or synchronization information, or the second sub-information can be called a synchronization message, a synchronization signal, or synchronization information; when the first information only includes the third sub-information, it can also be called the third sub-information, a system message, or system information, or the third sub-information can be called a system message or system information. This can be understood as the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information being three different messages. In this case, the first information only includes the first sub-information, or it can mean that the first information is the first sub-information; the first information only includes the second sub-information, or it can mean that the first information is the second sub-information; the first information only includes the third sub-information, or it can mean that the first information is the third sub-information.

[0146] This method uses three sub-information items to achieve paging, synchronization, and system information functions respectively, thus allowing for flexible implementation by carrying at least one of the first, second, and third sub-information items according to actual needs.

[0147] Optionally, in one implementation, the first information only includes the first sub-information; that is, when the first information is used to page at least one device, it can also be used for synchronization. Alternatively, it can be understood that when the first information sent by the second device is used to page at least one device, the second sub-information for synchronization may not be sent, and the first information can still be used for synchronization. For example, the first information is a paging message. The message header of the paging message includes at least one of a preamble, correction code, correction code (used for frequency adjustment), synchronization field, and stop code. The message body of the paging message includes information such as the identification information or mask information of the at least one paged device. The time interval between the first information used for synchronization and the first information used for paging is fixed; therefore, the first information used for paging can also be used for synchronization, which saves the transmission of the first information used for synchronization and reduces overhead.

[0148] This method allows paging messages to also have synchronization capabilities, eliminating the need to send a separate synchronization signal, thus reducing resource overhead and increasing system capacity.

[0149] The paging message in this application may also represent triggering access to a first device (e.g., a tag or terminal device), or a service triggering function, etc., used to select and trigger the first device to respond to the network. The paging message in this application may also have similar names such as paging message or downlink trigger message.

[0150] In one implementation, if the first information is sent periodically, it can be understood that multiple time-domain resources are periodic resources. Then the first information can also be configured or indicate the period of the first information, for example, the period of the first information is a first duration.

[0151] In one implementation, if one or more of the first sub-information (or the first information including the first sub-information), the second sub-information (or the first information including the second sub-information), or the third sub-information (or the first information including the third sub-information) are sent periodically, then the first information may also configure or indicate the periodicity of at least one of the first, second, or third sub-information.

[0152] For example, the periods of the various messages indicated by the first message are as follows: the period of the first message is T1, the period of the first sub-message is T1, the period of the second sub-message is 2T1, and the period of the third sub-message is 4T1. This means that each first message includes the first sub-message; one out of every two first messages includes the second sub-message; and one out of every four first messages includes the third sub-message. For instance, if four first messages are sent, the first first message includes the first sub-message, the second first message includes both the first and second sub-messages, the third first message includes the first sub-message, and the fourth first message includes the first, second, and third sub-messages.

[0153] [Corrected from Rule 91, March 3, 2025] In this configuration, after the first information indication cycle, the first device can start monitoring continuously after power-on or after energy storage until the first information is detected, and then monitor the first information according to the cycle of the first information. Similarly, after the first device detects the first information including the first sub-information, it can monitor the first information including the first sub-information according to the cycle of the first sub-information, and so on for other sub-information, which will not be elaborated further.

[0154] Optionally, the first information may also indicate a change period for at least one of the first information, first sub-information, second sub-information, or third sub-information, used to indicate that the configuration information in the first information (such as the configuration period, the next transmission time) remains unchanged for a certain period of time. The specific configuration method is either the default configuration or carrying N periods (the current paging period), an absolute time T, or a time interval relative to the transmission of this message (how long the time remains unchanged since the transmission of this message). That is, it remains unchanged within the configured time. Here, the first sub-information can also be replaced with a paging message, the second sub-information can be replaced with a synchronization signal, and the third sub-information can be replaced with a system message.

[0155] In one implementation, the first information can be sent periodically or aperiodically (the first device does not need to perceive whether it is periodic, but only needs to know the possible time of the next transmission). This can be understood as multiple time-domain resources being resources that are not necessarily periodic. The first information can also be configured with or indicate the time information for the next transmission of the first information. For example, the time information can be a time interval, that is, the time interval between the next transmission of the first information and the current transmission. For instance, if the time of the current transmission of the first information is Ta, and the time interval indicated by the first information is L, then the time of the next transmission of the first information will be Ta+L.

[0156] In one implementation, if one or more of the first sub-information (or first information including the first sub-information), the second sub-information (or first information including the second sub-information), or the third sub-information (or first information including the third sub-information) are sent periodically or non-periodically, then the first information may also be configured or indicate at least one of the following: time information for the next transmission of the first sub-information, for example, time information being a time interval, i.e., the time interval between the next transmission of the first sub-information and the current transmission of the first sub-information; time information for the next transmission of the second sub-information, for example, time information being a time interval, i.e., the time information between the next transmission of the second sub-information and the current transmission of the second sub-information; and time information for the next transmission of the third sub-information, for example, time information being a time interval, i.e., the time interval between the next transmission of the third sub-information and the current transmission of the third sub-information.

[0157] [Corrected from Rule 91, March 3, 2025] In this configuration, after the first information indication time interval, the first device can start monitoring continuously after power-on or after energy storage until the first information is detected. Then, the first information can be monitored according to the time interval for the next transmission of the first information. Similarly, after the first device detects the first information including the first sub-information, it can monitor the first information including the first sub-information according to the time interval for the next transmission of the first sub-information. The same applies to other sub-information, which will not be elaborated further.

[0158] [Corrected from Rule 91, March 3, 2025] Furthermore, in one implementation, in the aforementioned two-week configuration, the first information, in addition to configuring the period or indicating the next transmission time, can also be configured with a monitoring time window. That is, after the first device wakes up, it can monitor at least one time window and attempt to receive the first information within that time window.

[0159] In one implementation, the first information is further used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0160] [Corrected according to Rule 91, 03.03.2025] Whether to periodically send the first information; whether to periodically send the first sub-information; whether to periodically send the second sub-information; whether to periodically send the third sub-information. In this application, the periodic sending of the first information, the first sub-information, the second sub-information, or the third sub-information can be configured explicitly or implicitly. For example, for the first information, if the period or the time of the next transmission of the first information is configured or indicated, it means that the first information may not be sent at any time, but may be periodic or configured. If the period or the time of the next transmission of the first information is not configured or indicated, it means that the first information may be sent at any time, and the first device (e.g., a tag or terminal device) needs to monitor it continuously. The same principle applies to other sub-information, and will not be elaborated further.

[0161] [Correction 03.03.2025 according to Rule 91] It should be noted that if the first information is not configured with the time for sending the next first information or first sub-information or second sub-information or third sub-information, the first device (e.g., tag or terminal device) needs to continuously monitor.

[0162] The first information also indicates whether the first device, when determining access to the second device, sends the relevant messages for random access triggering periodically or at fixed intervals, and optionally configures the sending period. The relevant messages for random access triggering may include access opportunity trigger messages, messages for triggering a specific round of access, etc. In other words, they are trigger messages used to determine access opportunities.

[0163] The period mentioned in this article can also refer to periodic transmission over a short period of time. It can also be non-periodic; the specific transmission interval is determined by the first message received each time.

[0164] In one implementation, if the first information is not sent, or if the first device does not receive information within the transmission interval of the first information, the first device may go into sleep mode or charge.

[0165] Specifically, the first information can be transmitted through a physical downlink shared channel, or a physical reader-to-device shared channel, or a second device-to-first device downlink shared channel, or a data transmission channel. If only synchronization is required, it can be carried through a physical layer synchronization signal or a physical layer signal.

[0166] Optionally, the first information may also include the type information of the paged or selected device. For example, the type information of the paged or selected device indicates a device at the 1 microwatt level, a device at the 100 microwatt level, a device based on reflection communication, or a device that can actively transmit radio frequency signals. The type information of the paged device indicates that the device of that type responds to the first command, or the type information of the paged device indicates that the network supports the device of that type for information transmission. Or an A-IoT device of type one (1) in the standard, or an A-IoT device of type two (2). Type two devices can also be divided into 2-1 or 2-2 according to whether an active transmission carrier is used. That is, in addition to meeting the identification or mask information matching requirements, the device also needs to consider whether the type information is met, and will only access the device when both are met.

[0167] In some scenarios, the second device can periodically report information from the first device, meaning the above process does not require triggering by the service requester. Specifically, the second device can be configured by the core network or application layer to execute service cycles. This service can be disk storage, read, write, or other similar services. The second device can then send periodic paging messages on the configured time-domain resources. These messages can be sent at multiple consecutive time-domain locations or at multiple discrete time-domain locations.

[0168] In one implementation, specifically in Implementation Method 1, the second device transmits one of the first, second, and third sub-information sub-information sub-information in each of a plurality of time-domain resources with a period of a first duration. One or more of the first, second, and third sub-information sub-information sub-information can be transmitted via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0169] For example, when the second device transmits the first sub-information in one of multiple time-domain resources, it does not transmit the second and third sub-information in that time-domain resource. Alternatively, when the second device transmits the second sub-information in one of multiple time-domain resources, it does not transmit the first and third sub-information in that time-domain resource. Other cases follow the same principle and will not be elaborated further.

[0170] For example, taking the first, second, and third sub-messages as three different messages, as shown in Figure 10, time domain resources 1 to 5 are resources with a period of the first duration. The second device sends the second sub-message in time domain resource 1 (which can be understood as the first message), sends the first sub-message in time domain resource 2 (which can be understood as the first message), sends the third sub-message in time domain resource 3 (which can be understood as the first message), and sends the second sub-message in time domain resources 4 and 5. Optionally, in this example, the first sub-message sent in time domain resource 2 can also be used for synchronization. For example, the message header of the first sub-message includes at least one of the following: preamble, correction code, correction code (used to adjust the frequency), intermediate code, synchronization field, and termination code. The message body of the first sub-message includes information such as the identification information or mask information of at least one paged device.

[0171] In this implementation, if the first device receives the first information on the first time-frequency resource and determines that it has not been paged by the first information, then the first device can enter a sleep state for a second duration. After the first device enters a sleep state, it continues to receive or monitor information from the second device. The second duration is less than or equal to the first duration. The first device can use the time of receiving the first information as a time reference point to determine the position of each time-frequency resource in the time domain among multiple time-domain resources with a period of the first duration. Optionally, if the first device is a tag, the first device can receive information after charging or powering on.

[0172] Optionally, the first device uses the start time or end time of the first information resource as the starting position of the second duration. Alternatively, the first device uses the start time or end time of receiving the first information as the starting position of the second duration.

[0173] In this application, the method by which the first device determines whether it has been paged by the first information is not limited. For example, if the first device determines that the first information includes the second sub-information or the third sub-information, or if the first information includes the first sub-information and the device paged by the first sub-information does not include the first device, then it can be determined that it has not been paged by the first information.

[0174] In this application, the first device being in sleep mode can be understood as the first device being in a low-power state, or the first device not performing downlink reception and / or uplink transmission, and not receiving information from the second device.

[0175] In this application, the second duration can be preset or predefined. Alternatively, the second duration can also be configured by the second device, for example, the first information may also indicate the second duration, or the first sub-information, the second sub-information, or the third sub-information may also indicate the second duration.

[0176] For example, referring to Figure 10 above, if the first device receives the second sub-information in time domain resource 1, it can then enter a sleep state for a second duration. The figure uses the end time of time domain resource 1 as the start time of the sleep state, i.e., the starting position of the second duration, as an example for description; other cases will not be elaborated upon. The second sub-information can indicate the second duration. For example, when the first device receives the second sub-information, it can start a timer with a timing duration equal to the second duration. After the first device enters a sleep state for the second duration, it stops sleeping and continues receiving messages. The first device receives the first sub-information in time-frequency resource 2. If the first device is paged by the first sub-information, it connects to the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paged by the first sub-information, it enters a sleep state for the second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0177] Using the above method, the first device receives the first information, determines that it has not been paged by the first information, and then sleeps for a second duration, thereby reducing power consumption and increasing operating time. Furthermore, since the first time domain resource is a periodic resource, the first device can periodically receive downlink messages instead of continuously receiving them, and can sleep between two downlink messages, further reducing power consumption and increasing operating time.

[0178] In another implementation, in implementation one, the first information transmitted by the second device in each of the multiple time-domain resources with a period of a first duration includes one of the second and third sub-information. When the second device needs to page at least one device, after transmitting the first information in the first time-domain resource, it transmits the second information or the first information including the first sub-information in the second time-domain resource. The second information is used to page at least one device. The second time-domain resource is spaced three times apart from the first time-domain resource. Optionally, the third duration is shorter than the first duration, meaning the second time-domain resource is not one of the multiple time-domain resources. Optionally, the third duration between the second and first time-domain resources can refer to the third duration of the time interval between the start time of the second time-domain resource and the start time or end time of the first time-domain resource, or it can refer to the third duration of the time interval between the end time of the second time-domain resource and the start time or end time of the first time-domain resource.

[0179] Optionally, in one implementation, the time domain position of the first information transmission differs depending on the content it contains. However, these different time domain positions are related. For example, the first information may be transmitted using a first cycle when used for synchronization, and a second cycle when used for paging. The second cycle is N times the length of the first cycle, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the time domain position of the first information used for paging may also be offset from the time domain position of the first information used for synchronization. That is, when the first information is used for paging, the cycle may be larger, and the specific periodic time domain position may have a certain offset.

[0180] The third duration can be preset or predefined. Alternatively, the third duration can also be configured by the second device, for example, the second device can indicate the third duration through first information or first sub-information or second sub-information or third sub-information.

[0181] For example, consider three different messages: the first sub-message, the second sub-message, and the third sub-message, as shown in Figure 11. Time domain resources 1 to 5 are resources with a period of one duration. The second device sends the second sub-message in time domain resource 1 (which can be understood as the first message), and then sends the second sub-message in time domain resource 2. After sending the second sub-message in time domain resource 2, if the second device needs to page at least one device, it sends the second message (or the first sub-message) in time domain resource 6. Time domain resource 6 is spaced three times apart from time domain resource 2. The figure uses the third duration as an example to describe the time interval between the end time of time domain resource 2 and the start time of time domain resource 6; other cases will not be elaborated upon. Furthermore, the second device sends the second sub-message in time domain resources 3, 4, and 5.

[0182] In this implementation, if the first information received by the first device on the first time-frequency resource is the second sub-information and / or the third sub-information, then the first device continues to receive messages. The first device receives the second information on the second time-frequency resource following the first time-frequency resource. If the first device is paged by the second information, it accesses the second device; the specific process is described later. The first device can sleep between receiving the first and second information. If the first device is not paged by the second information, it sleeps for a second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated here. The second duration can be less than or equal to the difference between the first and third durations. Optionally, if the first device is a tag, it can receive information after charging or powering on.

[0183] Alternatively, in this implementation, if the first information received by the first device on the first time-frequency resource is the second sub-information and / or the third sub-information, then the first device sleeps for a fourth duration, which is shorter than the third duration. After the first device sleeps for the fourth duration, it stops sleeping and continues to receive messages. The first device receives the second information on the second time-frequency resource following the first time-frequency resource. If the first device is paged by the second information, it connects to the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paged by the second information, it sleeps for a second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated here.

[0184] In one implementation, if the first information received by the first device at the first time-frequency resource includes second sub-information and / or third sub-information, then the first device continues to attempt to receive the message at the next time-frequency resource location. Optionally, a second sleep duration can be allowed between the two time-frequency locations. If the first device fails to receive or successfully receive the first information at the second time-frequency resource following the first time-frequency resource, the first device continues to receive until the first information is received.

[0185] For example, referring to Figure 11 above, if the first device receives the first information as the second sub-information in time domain resource 1, and does not receive a paging message for the first device in time domain resource 1 after time domain resource 1 and at a third time interval (the end time of time domain resource 1 is used as the starting position of the third time interval in the figure; other cases will not be elaborated), then it can go into sleep mode for the second time interval. The second sub-information can indicate at least one of the third and second time intervals. After the first device ends its sleep mode, it receives the second sub-information in time-frequency resource 2. The first device receives the second information in time domain resource 6 after time domain resource 1 and at a third time interval. If the first device is paging the second information, it accesses the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paging the second information, it goes into sleep mode for the second time interval. After the first device goes into sleep mode for the second time interval, it stops sleeping and continues to receive messages, for example, receiving the second sub-information in time-frequency resource 3; other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated here.

[0186] For example, referring to Figure 11 above, if the first information received by the first device in time domain resource 1 is the second sub-information, then it will sleep for a fourth duration (not shown in the figure). After the first device ends its sleep period, if no paging message is received in time domain resource 1 after time domain resource 1 and at a time interval of three durations, it can sleep for a second duration. The second sub-information can indicate at least one of the second, third, and fourth durations. After the first device ends its sleep period, if it receives the second sub-information in time-frequency resource 2, it will sleep for a fourth duration. The first device receives the second information in time domain resource 6 after time domain resource 1 and at a time interval of three durations. If the first device is paging the second information, it will access the second device; the specific process will be described later. If the first device is not paging the second information, it will sleep for a second duration. After the first device sleeps for a second duration, it will stop sleeping and continue receiving messages; this will not be elaborated further here.

[0187] In this application, the method by which the first device determines whether it is paged by the second information is not limited. For example, the second information may include identification information of at least one paged device, or the second information may include mask information of the paged device. Upon receiving the second information, such a device can determine whether it is paged based on the identification information or the mask information. For instance, for a first device, if the mask information in the first device matches the mask information in the second information, the first device is paged by the second information; if the mask information in the first device does not match the mask information in the second information, the first device is not paged by the second information. Alternatively, if the identification information in the first device matches the identification information in the second information, the first device is paged by the second information; if the identification information in the first device does not match the identification information in the second information, the first device is not paged by the second information.

[0188] In the second implementation method, the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information are three different fields in the first information. When the first information includes different content, the message name corresponding to the first information can be the same. This can be understood as the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information being sent through messages with the same name.

[0189] Using this method, the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information are three different fields, and the first device only needs to receive one message, reducing the receiving complexity of the first device.

[0190] Based on the foregoing description, in one implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include first sub-information, i.e., the first information is used to page at least one device. In another implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include second sub-information, i.e., the first information is used for synchronization. In yet another implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include third sub-information, i.e., the first information is used to indicate system information. In yet another implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include both first and second sub-information, i.e., the first information is used for both pageing at least one device and indicating system information. In yet another implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include both second and third sub-information, i.e., the first information is used for both synchronization and indicating system information. In yet another implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device using the first time domain resource may include first, second, and third sub-information, i.e., the first information is used for pageing at least one device, for synchronization, and for indicating system information.

[0191] Optionally, the first sub-information can be used for paging or synchronization; the third sub-information can also be used to indicate system information.

[0192] In the first implementation, the first information sent by the second device in each of the multiple time-domain resources may include at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information.

[0193] For example, as shown in Figure 12, time-domain resources 1 to 5 are resources with a period of a first duration. The first information transmitted by the second device in time-domain resource 1 includes the second sub-information, the first information transmitted in time-domain resource 2 includes the first sub-information, the first information transmitted in time-domain resource 3 includes the third sub-information, and the first information transmitted in time-domain resources 4 and 5 includes the second sub-information.

[0194] In this implementation, if the first device receives the first information on the first time-frequency resource and determines that it has not been paged by the first information, then the first device can go into sleep mode for a second duration. After the first device goes into sleep mode, it continues to receive or monitor information from the second device. The second duration is less than or equal to the first duration. Optionally, if the first device is a tag, it can receive information after charging or powering on.

[0195] In this application, the method by which the first device determines whether it has been paged by the first information is not limited. For example, if the first device determines that the first information includes the second sub-information or the third sub-information, or if the first information includes the first sub-information and the device paged by the first sub-information does not include the first device, then it can be determined that it has not been paged by the first information.

[0196] For example, referring to Figure 12 above, if the first information received by the first device in time domain resource 1 includes the second sub-information, it can then sleep for a second duration. The figure uses the end time of time domain resource 1 as the starting point of the second duration as an example; other cases will not be elaborated upon. The second sub-information indicates the second duration. After the first device sleeps for the second duration, it stops sleeping and continues receiving messages. The first information received by the first device in time-frequency resource 2 includes the first sub-information. If the first device is paged by the first sub-information, it connects to the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paged by the first sub-information, it sleeps for the second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0197] In the second implementation, the first information sent by the second device in each of the multiple time-domain resources may include at least one of a first sub-information, a second sub-information, and a third sub-information, wherein the first, second, and third sub-information are optional fields of the first information. When none of the three sub-information is available, the first information is an empty message or a message with only a message header, which can then be used by the first device for synchronization, i.e., its function is similar to that of the second sub-information.

[0198] When the second device needs to page at least one device, the first information includes first sub-information, for example, the message body of the first information includes the first sub-information. When the second device does not need to page at least one device, the first information does not include the first sub-information, for example, the first information only has a message header, but the content of the message body of the first information is empty (i.e., the message header of the first information may include at least one of a preamble, correction code, correction code (adjustment frequency), synchronization field, and stop code), or the message body of the first information includes second sub-information for synchronization.

[0199] In this implementation, if the first device receives the first information in the first time-frequency resource and determines that it has not been paged by the first information, then the first device may sleep for a second duration. For example, if the first device determines that the first information does not include the first sub-information or that the content in the message body of the first information is empty, then it determines that it has not been paged by the first information.

[0200] In the third implementation, the first information transmitted by the second device in each of the multiple time-domain resources may include at least one of a second sub-information and a third sub-information. When the second device needs to page at least one device, after transmitting the first information in the first time-domain resource, it transmits the second information or the first information including the first sub-information in the second time-domain resource; the second time-domain resource is separated from the first time-domain resource by a third duration, the third duration being shorter than the first duration.

[0201] For example, as shown in Figure 13, time-domain resources 1 to 5 are resources with a period of a first duration. The first information sent by the second device in time-domain resource 1 includes the second sub-information, and the first information sent in time-domain resource 2 also includes the second sub-information. After sending the second sub-information, if the second device needs to page at least one device, it sends the second information (or the first information including the first sub-information) in time-domain resource 6. Time-domain resource 6 is spaced three times apart from time-domain resource 2. The figure uses the third duration as an example to describe the time interval between the end time of time-domain resource 2 and the start time of time-domain resource 6; other cases will not be elaborated. Furthermore, the first information sent by the second device in time-domain resources 3, 4, and 5 includes the second sub-information.

[0202] In this implementation, if the first information received by the first device on the first time-frequency resource includes the second sub-information and / or the third sub-information, then the first device continues to receive messages. The first device receives the second information on the second time-frequency resource following the first time-frequency resource. If the first device is paged by the second information, it accesses the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paged by the second information, it sleeps for a second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated here. The second duration can be less than or equal to the difference between the first duration and the third duration. The "second information" described here can also be replaced with "the first information including the first sub-information."

[0203] Alternatively, in this implementation, after the first device is charged or powered on, if the first information received on the first time-frequency resource includes the second sub-information and / or the third sub-information, then the first device enters a sleep state for a fourth duration, which is shorter than the second duration. After the first device enters a sleep state for the fourth duration, it stops sleeping and continues to receive messages. The first device receives the second information on the second time-frequency resource following the first time-frequency resource. If the first device is paged by the second information, it accesses the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paged by the second information, it enters a sleep state for the second duration. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated here. The "second information" described here can also be replaced with "the first information including the first sub-information".

[0204] For example, referring to Figure 13 above, the first information received by the first device in time domain resource 1 includes the second sub-information. If the first device does not receive paging information in time domain resource 1 after time domain resource 1 and at a time interval of three time periods from time domain resource 1, it can go into sleep mode for a second time period. The figure uses the end time of time domain resource 1 as the starting position of the third time period as an example; other cases will not be elaborated upon. The second sub-information can indicate at least one of the second and third time periods. After the first device ends its sleep mode, the first information received by the first device in time-frequency resource 2 includes the second information. The first device receives the second information in time domain resource 6 after time domain resource 1 and at a time interval of three time periods from time domain resource 1. If the first device is paging by the second information, it accesses the second device; the specific process is described later. If the first device is not paging by the second information, it goes into sleep mode for a second time period. After the first device goes into sleep mode for a second time period, it stops sleeping and continues to receive messages, for example, receiving the first information including the second sub-information in time-frequency resource 3. Other cases follow the same logic and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0205] Step 903: If the first information is used to page the first device, the first device connects to the second device; if the first information is used for synchronization, the first device performs synchronization according to the first information.

[0206] Using this method, multiple time-domain resources with a period of a first duration can be either time-domain resources used for synchronization or time-domain resources used for paging. In this way, the network side can transmit the first information used for paging and / or synchronization through the same periodic time-domain resources, so that the first device can receive the first information used for paging and / or synchronization in the same time-domain resources. This can reduce the complexity of the first device receiving downlink information from the second device and improve communication efficiency.

[0207] In another implementation, the first information is not used to page the first device, or the terminal device paged by the first information does not include the first device, and the first device is not connected to the second device.

[0208] In this application, when the first information is used to page the first device, the first device can access the second device and perform data transmission with the second device. For example, taking the data transmission process for performing inventory services between the first device and the second device as an example, the specific process can be referred to in the following process.

[0209] Figure 14 illustrates a schematic diagram of an inventory process. The names of the messages in the following process are just examples; other message names may exist, but they will not be described in detail here. The following process uses the example of multiple periodic time-domain resources. The same logic applies to the case of multiple non-periodic time-domain resources, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0210] Step 1401: The second device sends a query message, which is used to initialize an inventory cycle and to trigger at least one device to access.

[0211] The query message can also be called an access round trigger message. This application does not limit the name of the query message.

[0212] The query message and the first information can be combined into one message or treated as separate messages. When the query message and the first information are treated as separate messages, the first information is used to page at least one device, and the query message is used to trigger access to at least one device paged by the first information.

[0213] In one implementation, the query message includes the value of parameter Q, which is used to determine the total number of time slots included in the inventory cycle. Q For example, if Q = 4, then the total number of time slots included in the inventory cycle is 2. 4 =16. Here, a time slot is only used as an example. A time slot can be replaced by a time unit, and the length of the time unit can be fixed or not.

[0214] For each device selected or paged, the index range of the time slot allocated to the second device can be calculated based on the Q value as [0, 2]. Q -1]. Each device generates a [0,2] value based on the Q value. Q A random number between [0, 15] is generated. For example, if Q = 4, then the random number generated by each device is one of [0, 15]. For example, the random number generated by the first device is 10.

[0215] Whenever the first device receives a QueryRep message (also known as a Next Time Trigger message), it increments a counter. When the counter equals the random number generated by the first device, the first device can send a 16-bit random number (RN16). This RN16 can be used to trigger a random access procedure and can serve as a random access request message. The first time slot after the query message is time slot 0. If the random number generated by the first device is 0, RN16 can be sent immediately after receiving the first query message. Alternatively, an 8-bit random number, such as RN8, can be used. The specific number of bits in the random number can be indicated in the first message.

[0216] Another implementation involves the second device carrying a timeslot number in the query duplicate message it sends. For example, if the timeslot triggered by the query message is 0, the first query duplicate message sent by the second device carries a timeslot number of 1, the second query duplicate message carries a timeslot number of 2, and so on. In this way, the first device can determine the timeslot number independently of the number of times it receives query duplicate messages, and can determine whether its own timeslot has arrived based on the timeslot number carried in the query duplicate messages. For example, if the first device generates a random number of 5, it assumes access is in timeslot 5. Therefore, when it receives a query duplicate message carrying timeslot number 5, it starts sending the random number RN16 or an access message.

[0217] Once the first device determines that it has reached its own time slot, it can send a random number RN16 or an access message. For details, please refer to the following process.

[0218] Step 1402: The first device sends a random access request message.

[0219] For example, the random access request message can be an RN16 generated by the first device. Here, RN16 is used as an example, but the first device can also send random numbers of other lengths, such as an 8-bit random number.

[0220] Step 1403: If the second device successfully receives RN16, it will send an acknowledgment (ACK) message containing RN16 from the first device.

[0221] This ACK message can also be called a random access response message or a conflict resolution message.

[0222] If the first device receives an ACK message that includes its own RN16, then it executes step 1404.

[0223] Steps 1401 to 1403 can also be optional. The first device can also directly execute step 1404, that is, transmit data directly without an access process. Whether steps 1401 to 1403 are optional can be indicated by a paging message.

[0224] Step 1404: The first device sends the first uplink message.

[0225] The first uplink message includes business data related to inventory services. For example, the first uplink message may include at least one of the following data: the EPC, TID, or other first device identifier (such as an identifier containing PLMN information or an identifier containing core network equipment information), sensor data collected by the first device, and storage area data of the first device. This application is not limited to this.

[0226] The first uplink message can also transmit other business data, such as read responses and write responses.

[0227] The first device can send multiple uplink messages. This application uses one uplink message as an example for illustration, and does not limit the number of uplink messages sent by the first device.

[0228] After the second device completes data transmission with the first device, the second device can send a duplicate query message to trigger the next time slot.

[0229] The above are just examples. This application does not limit the specific process by which the first device connects to the second device and transmits data with the second device.

[0230] In this application, during the process of transmitting information in multiple time-domain resources, the second device may page at least one device to transmit data with that at least one device. Taking data transmission between the second and third devices as an example, if the data transmission process takes a long time and conflicts with at least one of the multiple time-domain resources (i.e., the duration required for the data transmission process is longer than a first duration), then the second device may skip or ignore the conflicting time-frequency resource and not transmit the first or third information in that time-frequency resource. This can also be understood as not transmitting the first, second, or third sub-information.

[0231] Correspondingly, if the first device does not receive information from the second device for a long time, it can stop hibernating and continue to receive information from the second device until it successfully receives information from the second device.

[0232] For example, if the first device fails to receive the third information from the second device in the third time domain resource, the first device may continue to receive or monitor the third information until it is successfully received. The third information is used to perform at least one of the following functions: paging at least one device, such as paging the first device;

[0233] Used for synchronization, such as for time synchronization and / or frequency synchronization;

[0234] Used to indicate system information.

[0235] The third time domain resource is one of multiple time domain resources, and it differs from the first time domain resource.

[0236] Based on the preceding description, taking data transmission between the second and third devices as an example, as shown in Figure 15, and assuming the first, second, and third sub-information are three different messages, time domain resources 1 to 5 are resources with a period of the first duration. The second device sends the first sub-information in time domain resource 1, which is used to page the third device. After the third device accesses the second device based on the first sub-information, it performs data transmission with the second device.

[0237] The data transmission process between the second and third devices takes a long time and conflicts with time domain resources 2 and 3. When time domain resources 2 and 3 overlap with the time of data transmission between the second and third devices, the second device does not send the third information in time domain resources 2 and 3. This can also be understood as not sending any of the first, second, and third sub-information.

[0238] If the first device receives the first sub-information in time domain resource 1 and determines that it has not been paged by the first sub-information, it will not connect to the second device. At this time, the first device may or may not go into sleep for a second period of time; this application does not limit this. If the first device does not receive the third information in time domain resource 2, it will continue to receive or monitor the third information until it successfully receives the third information.

[0239] If data transmission between the second and third devices is completed before time domain resource 4, then the second device can send the third information in time domain resource 4. If the first device receives the third information in time domain resource 4 and determines that it has not been paged by the third information, it can go into sleep mode for a second duration. For details, please refer to the previous description, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] By using the above method, if the first device does not receive the third information for a long time, it can continuously receive or monitor the third information to ensure that the first device can obtain the third information in a timely manner, and complete synchronization or access to the second device based on the third information, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0241] When this application is applied to the ORAN architecture, the second device may include a CU and a DU, as shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9 above. In the ORAN architecture, the first information can be generated by the CU, which sends the first information to the DU, and then the DU transmits the first information over the air interface.

[0242] Figure 16 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes:

[0243] Step 1601: The second device determines at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information.

[0244] The first sub-information is used to page the first device, the second sub-information is used for synchronization, and the third sub-information is used to indicate system information.

[0245] The first sub-information can be called a paging message, selection message, inventory message, or service command (including service request messages containing read and write commands), etc.; the second sub-information can be called a synchronization message, synchronization signal, or synchronization information; the third sub-information can be called a system message or system information.

[0246] For other details regarding the first, second, and third sub-information, please refer to the descriptions in steps 901 to 903, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] Step 1602: The second device transmits at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information in the first time domain resource.

[0248] Accordingly, the first device receives at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information from the second device in the first time domain resource.

[0249] Here, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple time-domain resources with a period of a first duration; or, the first time-domain resource is one of multiple aperiodic time-domain resources, which can be understood as these multiple time-domain resources not being periodic in the time domain. Multiple time-domain resources are used for synchronization, multiple time-domain resources are used for paging, and multiple time-domain resources are used for transmitting system information.

[0250] For other details regarding multiple time-domain resources, please refer to the descriptions in steps 901 to 903, which will not be repeated here.

[0251] In one implementation, if the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information are sent periodically, which can be understood as multiple time-domain resources being periodic resources, then the first sub-information can also be configured or indicate the period of at least one of the first, second, and third sub-information. For example, the first information may indicate that the period of the first sub-information is a first duration, and the period of the second sub-information is also a first duration. Similarly, the second or third sub-information can also be configured or indicate the period of at least one of the first, second, and third sub-information.

[0252] In one implementation, the first, second, and third sub-information can also be sent aperiodically. This can be understood as multiple time-domain resources being aperiodic. In this case, the first sub-information can also be configured or indicate at least one of the following: the time information for the next transmission of the first sub-information, the time information for the next transmission of the second sub-information, and the time information for the next transmission of the third sub-information. Similarly, the second or third sub-information can also configure or indicate the above content, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0253] In one implementation, the first sub-information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the first sub-information is sent periodically; whether the second sub-information is sent periodically; and whether the third sub-information is sent periodically. Similarly, the above content can also be configured or indicated by the second or third sub-information, which will not be elaborated here.

[0254] [Corrected according to Rule 91, 03.03.2025] In addition, in one implementation, in the above two-week configuration method, the first information, in addition to configuring the period or indicating the next transmission time information, can also be configured with a monitoring time window. That is, after the first device wakes up, it can monitor at least one time window and attempt to receive at least one of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information within that time window.

[0255] Step 1603: If the first sub-information is used to page the first device, the first device accesses the second device according to the first sub-information, and / or, the first device performs synchronization according to the second sub-information, and / or, the first device determines system information according to the third sub-information.

[0256] In one implementation, if the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information are not sent, or during the transmission interval of the first sub-information, the second sub-information, and the third sub-information, the first device may go into sleep mode or be charged.

[0257] In one implementation, the first device can go into sleep or charge when it is not receiving information. For details, please refer to the description above, such as the description of how the first device goes into sleep or charges in steps 901 to 903, which will not be repeated here.

[0258] This method allows multiple time-domain resources to be used for synchronization, paging, or transmitting system information. This enables the network side to transmit information for paging and / or synchronization using the same time-domain resource. This allows the first device to receive paging and / or synchronization information within the same time-domain resource, reducing the complexity of the first device receiving downlink information from the second device. It also enables the determination of the reception location of the three types of information through a single mechanism, while reducing resource waste and improving communication efficiency.

[0259] In one implementation, to support timing alignment between the first and second devices in some way, a "MAC PDU" may also be transmitted, along with a "timing acquisition signal (e.g., a preamble)". The network implementation can then send the "MAC PDU" plus the "preamble" as a timing start. The first device can either receive higher-layer downlink messages (if any) or adjust the timing of the start point of the period for the first, second, or third sub-information by receiving the "MAC PDU" plus the "preamble".

[0260] When this application is applied to the ORAN architecture, the second device may include a CU and a DU, as shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9 above. In the ORAN architecture, the first, second, or third sub-information may be generated by the CU, which sends the first, second, or third sub-information to the DU, which then transmits the first, second, or third sub-information over the air interface.

[0261] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the first or second device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0262] The following are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first or second device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0263] As shown in Figure 17, the communication device 1700 includes a processing unit 1710 and a communication unit 1720. The communication device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the first or second device in the various method embodiments shown above.

[0264] In one implementation, the communication device 1700 is used to perform the following functions:

[0265] A communication unit is configured to receive first information from a second device in a first time domain resource; the first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time domain resources, the plurality of time domain resources being time domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources being time domain resources used for paging;

[0266] The processing unit is configured to connect to the second device if the first information is used to page the first device, and to perform synchronization based on the first information if the first information is used for synchronization.

[0267] In one implementation, the communication device 1700 is used to perform the following functions:

[0268] A processing unit is configured to determine first information; the first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization;

[0269] A communication unit is configured to transmit the first information in a first time domain resource; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time domain resources, the plurality of time domain resources being time domain resources for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources being time domain resources for paging.

[0270] More detailed descriptions of the first or second device described above can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0271] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, called and executed by a processing element of the device. Moreover, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the operations or units described above can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0272] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0273] The receiving unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The transmitting unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to transmit signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

[0274] As another possible product form, the first or second device in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to FIG18, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1800 includes a processor 1801 and a transceiver 1802. The communication device 1800 can be a terminal device, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1800 can be a second device, or a chip or module therein. FIG18 only shows the main components of the communication device 1800. In addition to the processor 1801 and transceiver 1802, the communication device 1800 may further include a memory 1803 and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0275] Optionally, the processor 1801 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory 1803 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1802 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0276] Optionally, the processor 1801, transceiver 1802, and memory 1803 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0277] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1801 can read the software program in the memory 1803, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1801 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1801. The processor 1801 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0278] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor that performs baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0279] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 1700 can be implemented in the form of the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18.

[0280] As an example, the function / implementation of the processing unit 1710 in FIG17 can be implemented by the processor 1801 in the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1803. The function / implementation of the communication unit 1720 in FIG17 can be implemented by the transceiver 1802 in the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18.

[0281] As another possible product form, the first or second device in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG19, or include the components shown in FIG19. FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1900 provided in this application.

[0282] As shown in Figure 19, the communication device 1900 includes at least one processor 1901. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface 1902.

[0283] When the relevant program instructions are executed in the at least one processor 1901, the communication device 1900 can implement the methods and any possible designs provided in any of the foregoing embodiments. Alternatively, the processor 1901 can implement the methods and any possible designs provided in any of the foregoing embodiments through logic circuits or executable code instructions.

[0284] The communication interface 1902 can be used to receive program instructions and transmit them to the processor, or it can be used for communication device 1900 to communicate and interact with other communication devices, such as exchanging control signaling and / or service data. For example, the communication interface 1902 can be used to receive signals from other devices besides the communication device 1900 and transmit them to the processor 1901, or to send signals from the processor 1901 to other communication devices besides the communication device 1900.

[0285] Optionally, the communication interface 1902 can be a code and / or data read / write interface circuit, or the communication interface 1902 can be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver, or a chip pin.

[0286] Optionally, the communication device 1900 may further include at least one memory 1903, which can be used to store the required program instructions and / or data. It should be noted that the memory 1903 may exist independently of the processor 1901 or may be integrated with the processor 1901. The memory 1903 may be located within or outside the communication device 1900, without limitation.

[0287] Optionally, the communication device 1900 may further include a power supply circuit 1904, which can be used to power the processor 1901. The power supply circuit 1904 may be located in the same chip as the processor 1901, or in a separate chip outside the chip containing the processor 1901.

[0288] Optionally, the communication device 1900 may also include a bus, through which the various parts of the communication device 1900 can be interconnected.

[0289] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 1700 shown in FIG17 can be implemented in the form of the communication device 1900 shown in FIG19.

[0290] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing unit 1710 in Figure 17 can be implemented by the processor 1901 in the communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1903. The function / implementation process of the communication unit 1720 in Figure 17 can be implemented by the communication interface 1902 in the communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19.

[0291] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 19 does not constitute a specific limitation on the first or second device. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the first or second device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0292] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the terminal by the base station; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the base station by the terminal.

[0293] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the base station to the terminal. Here, the base station module can be the baseband chip of the base station, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0294] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0295] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or terminal.

[0296] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0297] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0298] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0299] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0300] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0301] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information from the second device in the first time domain resource; The first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; The first time-domain resource is one of a plurality of time-domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time-domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time-domain resources, wherein the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for paging; If the first information is used to page the first device, then the second device is connected; if the first information is used for synchronization, synchronization is performed according to the first information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes a first sub-information and / or a second sub-information; the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields in the first information; Alternatively, the first sub-information and the second sub-information may be two different messages.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the first information includes the first sub-information, the first information is used to page the first device; when the first information does not include the first sub-information, the first information is used for synchronization.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If not paged by the first message, the system will remain dormant for a second duration; wherein the second duration is less than or equal to the first duration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first information is used for synchronization, and the method further includes: The second information is received in the second time domain resource, and the second information is used to page the first device; the second time domain resource is spaced apart from the first time domain resource by a third time period.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the third duration, or the third duration is predefined.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third information from the second device was not successfully received in the third time domain resource; the third information is used to page the first device, and / or the third information is used for synchronization; the third time domain resource is one of the plurality of time domain resources, and the third time domain resource is different from the first time domain resource; Continue to receive the third information until the third information is successfully received.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the transmission period of at least one of the first information, the first sub-information, and the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization; Alternatively, the first information may also be used to indicate at least one of the following: the time interval for the next transmission of the first information; the time interval for the next transmission of the first sub-information; the time interval for the next transmission of the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to periodically send the first sub-information; whether to periodically send the second sub-information; whether to periodically send the first information; wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine the first piece of information; The first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; The first information is sent in a first time domain resource; wherein the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time domain resources, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for paging.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first information includes a first sub-information and / or a second sub-information; the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields in the first information; Alternatively, the first sub-information and the second sub-information may be two different messages.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the first information includes the first sub-information, the first information is used to page the first device; when the first information does not include the first sub-information, the first information is used for synchronization.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The first information is used for synchronization, and the method further includes: A second message is sent in the second time domain resource, the second message being used to page the first device; the second time domain resource is spaced a third time interval from the first time domain resource.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the third duration, or the third duration is predefined.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the transmission period of at least one of the first information, the first sub-information, and the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization; Alternatively, the first information may also be used to indicate at least one of the following: the time interval for the next transmission of the first information; the time interval for the next transmission of the first sub-information; the time interval for the next transmission of the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to periodically send the first sub-information; whether to periodically send the second sub-information; whether to periodically send the first information; wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A communication unit is configured to receive first information from a second device in a first time domain resource; The first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of time domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time domain resources, the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time domain resources are time domain resources used for paging; The processing unit is configured to connect to the second device if the first information is used to page the first device, and to perform synchronization based on the first information if the first information is used for synchronization.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first information includes a first sub-information and / or a second sub-information; the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first sub-information and the second sub-information are two different fields in the first information; Alternatively, the first sub-information and the second sub-information may be two different messages.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that, When the first information includes the first sub-information, the first information is used to page the first device; when the first information does not include the first sub-information, the first information is used for synchronization.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that, The processing unit is also used for: If not paged by the first message, the system will remain dormant for a second duration.

24. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that, The first information is used for synchronization, and the device further includes: The second information is received in the second time domain resource, and the second information is used to page the first device; the second time domain resource is spaced apart from the first time domain resource by a third time period.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the third duration, or the third duration is predefined.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 25, characterized in that, The communication unit is also used for: The third information from the second device was not successfully received in the third time domain resource; the third information is used to page the first device, and / or the third information is used for synchronization; the third time domain resource is one of the plurality of time domain resources, and the third time domain resource is different from the first time domain resource; Continue to receive the third information until the third information is successfully received.

27. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 26, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the transmission period of at least one of the first information, the first sub-information, and the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization; Alternatively, the first information may also be used to indicate at least one of the following: the time interval for the next transmission of the first information; the time interval for the next transmission of the first sub-information; the time interval for the next transmission of the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 27, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to periodically send the first sub-information; whether to periodically send the second sub-information; whether to periodically send the first information; wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processing unit, used to determine the first information; The first information is used to page the first device, and / or the first information is used for synchronization; A communication unit is configured to transmit the first information using a first time-domain resource; The first time-domain resource is one of a plurality of time-domain resources with a period of a first duration, or the first time-domain resource is one of a plurality of aperiodic time-domain resources, wherein the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for synchronization, and the plurality of time-domain resources are time-domain resources used for paging.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the transmission period of at least one of the first information, the first sub-information, and the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization; Alternatively, the first information may also be used to indicate at least one of the following: the time interval for the next transmission of the first information; the time interval for the next transmission of the first sub-information; the time interval for the next transmission of the second sub-information, wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 30, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to periodically send the first sub-information; whether to periodically send the second sub-information; whether to periodically send the first information; wherein the first sub-information is used to page the first device, and the second sub-information is used for synchronization.

32. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first device and a second device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, and the second device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 18.

33. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device. The processor implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 18, through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

34. A chip system, characterized in that, include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor for calling and running the computer program from the memory, causing a device having the chip system installed to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18.

35. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 18.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 18.

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