Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used for indicating a first resource and a first parameter, the first resource is used for bearing a first signal, the first signal is generated on the basis of the first parameter, and the first signal is used for synchronization and paging; and on the basis of the configuration information, detecting the first signal. In the technical solution of the present application, by means of detecting only one first signal, it is possible to identify whether a terminal device has been paged by a network device and whether the terminal device has been synchronized with the network device, such that synchronization and paging are integrated, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device, and reducing the complexity of detection performed by the terminal device.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202410366383.8 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 27, 2024, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] In non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications, space or airborne aircraft have extensive service coverage capabilities, capable of covering areas that 5G network services cannot reach (for example, isolated or remote mountainous areas, or on airplanes or ships) or underserved areas (for example, suburban or rural areas). However, in NTN communications, the strength of electromagnetic wave signals weakens with increasing distance. In NTN scenarios, when the distance between the transmitter (for example, network equipment) and the receiver (for example, terminal equipment) is as high as hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, the power of the signal sent from the network equipment in the NTN to the ground will be very low. In particular, when encountering obstructions (for example, clouds, rain, leaves, or human bodies), the signal attenuation will be greater, resulting in the terminal device not being able to receive the paging signal sent by the device in space or airborne aircraft, thereby causing the receiving end to miss important information. Currently, during ground paging, when the network device cannot page the terminal device, the paging signal is often enhanced to increase the possibility of the network device paging the terminal device.

[0004] However, in actual implementation, it is also necessary to ensure time domain synchronization between the terminal device and the network equipment. The terminal device also needs to detect the synchronization signal block (SSB) before detecting the paging signal. In this case, if only the paging signal is enhanced, the terminal device will not be able to detect the SSB, resulting in the terminal device still not being able to receive the paging signal. However, enhancing both the paging signal and the SSB at the same time increases the complexity of the signal design, making the process of receiving the signal by the terminal device cumbersome.

[0005] In view of this, there is an urgent need for a signal transmission solution that enables terminal devices in extreme environments with limited coverage to be paged by network devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus to improve the paging performance of a network device to a terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a terminal device, or may be executed by a chip, circuit, or logic module of the terminal device, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by a terminal device.

[0008] The method includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, the first resource is used to carry a first signal, the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and the first signal is used for synchronization and paging; and detecting the first signal according to the configuration information.

[0009] Exemplarily, the first resource may correspond to the frequency domain starting position of the first signal, or the first resource may correspond to the bandwidth of the first signal, or the first resource may correspond to the number of symbols of the first signal.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device detects the first signal sent by the network device through the configuration information. Since the configuration information can indicate the resources and parameters of the first signal to the terminal device, the terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information. Since the first signal can be used for synchronization and paging, the terminal device can realize the integration of synchronization and paging, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the configuration information is used to indicate the first parameter, detecting the first signal according to the configuration information includes: generating a second signal according to the first parameter; and detecting the first signal according to the second signal.

[0012] Exemplarily, detecting the first signal based on the second signal can be understood as performing correlation detection on the second signal and determining whether the terminal device has detected the first signal based on the result of the correlation detection. For example, when the correlation coefficient between the first signal and the second signal is greater than a certain threshold, the terminal device detects the first signal.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device generates a second signal according to the configuration information, and detects the first signal according to the correlation between the second signal and the first signal. Since the first signal can be used for synchronization and paging, the terminal device only needs to detect one first signal to be able to identify whether the terminal device is paged by the network device and whether the terminal device is synchronized with the network device, thereby realizing the integration of synchronous paging, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device and reducing the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: measuring the signal strength of the synchronization signal block SSB to obtain a first measurement result, and determining whether to detect the first signal based on the first measurement result.

[0015] It should be noted that when the terminal device has no need for data communication for a long time, it will enter the IDLE state or the INACTIVE state; or, the terminal device is configured with a DRX mechanism, so that the terminal device is periodically awakened to detect the SSB. Therefore, the terminal device will periodically measure the signal strength of the above-mentioned SSB.

[0016] Based on the above solution, the terminal device can determine the appropriate timing for detecting the first signal according to the first measurement result, so as to avoid the terminal device from continuously detecting non-existent signals and reduce power consumption.

[0017] Combined with the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, determining to detect the first signal according to the first measurement result includes: when the first measurement result is less than the threshold α within the first duration, determining to detect the first signal, and the first duration and the threshold α are carried in the configuration information.

[0018] As an example, the first measurement result being less than the threshold α within the first duration includes: the first measurement result continuously being less than the threshold α within the first duration and / or the first measurement result continuously being equal to the threshold α within the first duration.

[0019] As another example, the SSB can be measured continuously multiple times, for example, continuously measured M times to obtain M measurement results. The first measurement result is one of the M measurement results. Within the first duration, the measurement results of N consecutive times among the M measurement results are less than and / or equal to the threshold α, where 1 < N ≤ M, and N and M are positive integers.

[0020] Based on the above solution, if the terminal device finds that the signal strength of the SSB is less than the threshold α within a period of time, the terminal device will then detect the first signal, which can avoid the terminal device from continuously detecting non-existent signals and reduce power consumption.

[0021] Combined with the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the configuration information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: the frequency-domain starting position corresponding to the first resource; the bandwidth corresponding to the first resource; the repetition times of the first signal; the period of the first signal; the resource element (RE) offset value on the starting symbol of the first signal. Based on the above solution, by indicating the time domain and frequency domain positions of the first signal to the terminal device through the configuration information, the terminal device can directly obtain the time domain and frequency domain positions where the first signal is located, so as to achieve synchronization with the network device. In this way, the terminal device can identify whether it is paged by the network device and whether it is synchronized with the network device by only detecting one first signal, realizing the integration of synchronization and paging, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device for the terminal device and reducing the detection complexity of the terminal device.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first signal sent based on the above-mentioned configuration information is a power-boosted signal.

[0023] Based on the above solution, the paging success rate based on the first signal can be increased.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the RE mapping mode of the first signal is that the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB on each symbol, and the RE position on each symbol is cyclically increased according to the RE position on the previous symbol.

[0025] Exemplarily, the RE mapping mode of the first signal on the 12 symbols is a stepped mapping mode, that is, the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB on each symbol, and the RE position of each symbol is cyclically increased based on the RE position of the previous symbol. Specifically, the RE position of the first symbol of the 12 symbols of the first signal can be determined based on the RE offset value. For example, the RE offset value of the starting symbol of the first signal is 0, that is, position 0, then the RE position of the second symbol of the first signal is at position 1, and the RE positions of the remaining 10 symbols are cyclically increased.

[0026] Based on the above solution, the first signal is mapped to only one RE on each symbol, and this RE occupies 1 / 12RB. The traditional mapping mode is to fully occupy all 12 REs on each symbol. Therefore, the RE mapping mode of the present application can make the power of one RE on each symbol 12 times that of one RE on each symbol in the traditional mapping mode. This enhances the power of the first signal, making it easier for the terminal device to detect the first signal, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device, and thus improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first parameter corresponds to a user identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the user identification code; or, the first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the cell identification code.

[0028] For example, the first parameter may be an initial value c init , the initial value c init Depend on The only certainty is that Corresponding to the user identification code, that is, the first parameter corresponds to the user identification code, wherein the user identification code can be a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI). The C-RNTI and TMSI are used to uniquely identify the UE in the network. When the network device pages a specific terminal device (for example, UE), the terminal device can determine the specific UE being called according to the user identification code, thereby avoiding the network device from paging other UEs, thereby avoiding false alarms.

[0029] For example, the first parameter may be The c init The first parameter is uniquely determined by the first parameter, which may correspond to the user identification code, or the first parameter may be randomly generated by the network and then sent to the terminal device.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can determine which terminal device is being paged based on the user identification code or cell identification code corresponding to the first parameter, so as to avoid the first signal paging to the wrong terminal device, thereby avoiding false alarms; in addition, the first signal is generated based on the first parameter. Since the first signal is a reference signal, the terminal device can achieve synchronization with the network device based on the first signal, so that the terminal device can achieve integrated synchronous paging based on the first signal, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device for the terminal device.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the ability to receive the first signal.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can inform the network device through the first indication information whether it has the ability to receive the first signal. This can avoid the network device sending the first signal to the terminal device that does not have the ability to receive the first signal, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the duration of detecting the first signal is greater than or equal to a period of the first signal.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device detects the first signal within a time length greater than or equal to the period of the first signal, which can ensure that the terminal device detects the first signal within the time when the network device sends the first signal, thereby increasing the possibility of the terminal device detecting the first signal, and thus avoiding missing the paging of the network device.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information further includes a first timer, which is used to indicate the duration from when the terminal device starts detecting the first signal to when it stops detecting the first signal.

[0036] Based on the above solution, since the network device does not always have the need to page the terminal device, even if the terminal device is in a coverage-restricted scenario, the network device may not have the pager terminal device. Therefore, if the terminal device still does not detect the first signal before the first timer expires, the terminal device does not need to detect the first signal again. This can avoid the terminal device always detecting non-existent signals, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has detected the first signal.

[0038] Based on the above solution, the terminal device notifies the network device of the detection of the first signal by the terminal device through the second indication information, so that the network device can stop sending the first signal according to the second indication information, thereby reducing the power consumption of the network device.

[0039] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a chip, circuit, or logic module of the network device, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by a network device.

[0040] The method includes: sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, where the first resource is used to carry a first signal, where the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and where the first signal is used for synchronization and paging; and sending the first signal.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device detects the first signal sent by the network device through the configuration information. Since the configuration information can indicate the resources and parameters of the first signal to the terminal device, the terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information. Since the first signal can be used for synchronization and paging, the terminal device can realize the integration of synchronization and paging, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a paging signal, which is used for paging; when no response information of the paging signal is received within the second time period, sending the first signal, wherein the response information is used to indicate paging to the terminal device.

[0043] Exemplarily, when the network device has a need to page the terminal device, a paging signal is sent to the terminal device, and the paging signal is used for paging. Since the terminal device is in a scenario with limited signal coverage, the terminal device cannot detect the paging signal. Therefore, the terminal device will not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, and the network device will send a first signal to the terminal device after a period of time. For example, in the case of only one terminal device, within the second time period, the terminal device does not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, then the function of the network device to send the first signal will be activated, or the network device will be activated to send the first signal. For another example, in the case of multiple network devices, within the second time period, any terminal device among the multiple terminal devices in a cell does not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, then the function of the network device to send the first signal will be activated, or the network device will be activated to send the first signal.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, when the network device has a need to page the terminal device, it determines whether to send the first signal based on whether the response information of the paging signal is received within the second time period. In this way, when the network device has a paging need and the terminal device is in a coverage-restricted area, the paging signal cannot be detected by the terminal device, and the first signal is sent, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: the frequency domain starting position corresponding to the first resource; the bandwidth corresponding to the first resource; the number of repetitions of the first signal; the period of the first signal; and the resource element RE bias value on the starting symbol of the first signal.

[0046] Based on the above scheme, the time domain and frequency domain positions of the first signal of the terminal device are indicated by the configuration information, and the terminal device can directly obtain the time domain and frequency domain positions of the first signal, thereby achieving synchronization with the network device. In this way, the terminal device only needs to detect one first signal to identify whether the terminal device is paged by the network device and whether the terminal device is synchronized with the network device, thereby realizing integrated synchronous paging. At the same time, since the first signal sent based on the above configuration information is a power-enhanced signal, it can avoid missing the paging of the network device, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device and reducing the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the RE mapping mode of the first signal is that the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB on each symbol, and the RE position on each symbol is cyclically increased according to the RE position on the previous symbol.

[0048] Based on the above solution, the first signal is mapped to only one RE on each symbol, and this RE occupies 1 / 12RB. The traditional mapping mode is to fully occupy all 12 REs on each symbol. Therefore, the RE mapping mode of the present application can make the power of one RE on each symbol 12 times that of one RE on each symbol in the traditional mapping mode. This enhances the power of the first signal, making it easier for the terminal device to detect the first signal, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device, and thus improving the paging performance of the network device to the terminal device.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first parameter corresponds to a user identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the user identification code; or, the first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the cell identification code.

[0050] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can determine which terminal device is being paged based on the user identification code or cell identification code corresponding to the first parameter, so as to avoid the first signal paging to the wrong terminal device, thereby avoiding false alarms; in addition, the first signal is generated based on the first parameter. Since the first signal is a reference signal, the terminal device can achieve synchronization with the network device based on the first signal, so that the terminal device can achieve integrated synchronous paging based on the first signal, thereby improving the paging performance of the network device for the terminal device.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the ability to receive the first signal.

[0052] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can inform the network device through the first indication information whether it has the ability to receive the first signal. This can avoid the network device sending the first signal to the terminal device that does not have the ability to receive the first signal, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0053] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information further includes a first timer, which is used to indicate the duration from when the terminal device starts detecting the first signal to when it stops detecting the first signal.

[0054] Based on the above solution, since the network device does not always have the need to page the terminal device, even if the terminal device is in a coverage-restricted scenario, the network device may not have the pager terminal device. Therefore, if the terminal device still does not detect the first signal before the first timer expires, the terminal device does not need to detect the first signal again. This can avoid the terminal device always detecting non-existent signals, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has detected the first signal.

[0056] Based on the above solution, the terminal device notifies the network device of the detection of the first signal by the terminal device through the second indication information, so that the network device can stop sending the first signal according to the second indication information, thereby reducing the power consumption of the network device.

[0057] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the terminal device or the chip, circuit, or logic module of the terminal device described in the first aspect. The communication device includes: a transceiver unit configured to receive configuration information indicating a first resource and / or a first parameter, the first resource being used to carry a first signal, the first signal being generated based on the first parameter, the first signal being used for synchronization and paging; and a processing unit configured to detect the first signal based on the configuration information.

[0058] The transceiver unit can perform the receiving and sending processing in the aforementioned first aspect and its possible implementations, and the processing unit can perform other processing except receiving and sending in the aforementioned first aspect and its possible implementations.

[0059] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the network device or a chip, circuit, or logic module of the network device according to the second aspect. The communication device includes: a transceiver unit configured to send configuration information, the configuration information being configured to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, the first resource being configured to carry a first signal, the first signal being generated based on the first parameter, and the first signal being configured to be used for synchronization and paging.

[0060] Optionally, the transceiver unit is also used to send the first signal.

[0061] The transceiver unit can perform the receiving and sending processing in the aforementioned second aspect and its possible implementations. Optionally, the device also includes a processing unit, which can perform other processing in addition to receiving and sending in the aforementioned second aspect and its possible implementations.

[0062] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor configured to execute a computer program so that the device executes the method of the first to second aspects above and any possible implementation thereof.

[0063] Optionally, there are one or more processors.

[0064] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, which is used to store the computer program, and the memory is one or more.

[0065] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be set separately from the processor, or the memory may be located within the processor.

[0066] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver circuit, such as a transceiver or an input / output circuit.

[0067] In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a network device and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is used to execute the method in the possible implementation manner of the above-mentioned first aspect, and the network device is used to execute the method in the possible implementation manner of the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0068] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or code. When the computer program or code is run on a computer, the methods in the above-mentioned first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof are executed.

[0069] In an eighth aspect, a chip (or chip system) is provided, comprising at least one processor for running a computer program so that a device equipped with the chip executes the methods of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0070] The chip may include an output circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an input circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0071] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program code, which, when executed on the computer, enables the methods in the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof to be executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0074] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the ground paging process.

[0076] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a paging signal and synchronization signal enhancement process.

[0077] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0078] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an RE mapping mode provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another RE mapping mode provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the duration of detecting the first signal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] FIG10 is another schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] FIG11 is another schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0084] FIG13 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0088] 1. Unless otherwise specified, “plurality” means two or more.

[0089] 2. Unless otherwise specified or there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments of this application are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their internal logical relationships.

[0090] 3. The various numerical numbers involved in this application are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The size of the serial numbers involved in this application does not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various terminology labels (if any) in the specification and claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Among them, the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than what is illustrated or described here.

[0091] At the same time, any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0092] 4. The terms "comprise" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product or apparatus.

[0093] 5. In this application, "used to indicate" can be understood as "enabling," and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and does not necessarily mean that the information contains A.

[0094] The information enabled by the information is called information to be enabled. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to enable the enabled information, such as but not limited to, directly enabling the information to be enabled, such as the information to be enabled itself or the index of the information to be enabled. The information to be enabled can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be enabled. It is also possible to enable only a part of the information to be enabled, while the other parts of the information to be enabled are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to enable specific information with the help of the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and enable them uniformly to reduce the enabling overhead caused by enabling the same information separately.

[0095] 6. In this application, "pre-configuration" may include pre-definition, such as protocol definition. "Pre-definition" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., including each network element). This application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0096] 7. "Storage" or "saving" as used in this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be provided in part separately and in part integrated into a decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium and is not limited thereto.

[0097] 8. The dotted arrows or boxes in the schematic diagrams in the accompanying drawings of this application specification represent optional steps or optional modules.

[0098] 9. Unless otherwise specified, “ / ” indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an “or” relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. “And / or” in this application is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0099] For ease of understanding, the communication systems shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 are used as examples below to describe the communication systems applicable to the various embodiments of the present application.

[0100] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal device 110, a satellite 120, an NTN gateway 130, a network device 140, a core network 150, and a data network 160. The terminal device 110 is connected to the satellite 120 via an NR Uu interface; the satellite 120 is connected to the NTN gateway 130 via an NR Uu interface; the NTN gateway 130 is connected to the satellite 120 (or embedded in the satellite 120) via a feeder link; the network device 140 is located on the ground behind the NTN gateway 130 and is connected to the core network 150 via an NG interface; and the core network 150 is connected to the data network 160 via an NG interface. In the communication system 100, the network device 140 is located on the ground, and the satellite acts as a relay node for forwarding signals. The communication system 100 can also represent a transparent satellite-based NG-RAN architecture.

[0101] FIG2 shows another schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the communication system 200 includes a terminal device 210, a satellite 220, a gateway 230, a network device 240, a core network 250, and a data network 260. The terminal device 210 is connected to the satellite 220 via an NR Uu interface. The satellite 220 carries the entire network device 240 or only a portion of the network device 240, that is, the functions of the network device 240 are integrated on the satellite 220. The satellite 220 and the network device 240 it carries are connected to the NTN gateway 230 via an NR Uu interface. The NTN gateway 230 is connected to the core network 250 via an NG interface. The core network 250 is connected to the data network 260 via an NG interface. The communication system 200 can also represent a regenerate satellite based NG-RAN architecture.

[0102] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. Signals can include information, signaling, or data. Devices can also be replaced by entities, network entities, communication devices, communication modules, nodes, communication nodes, etc. The embodiments of this application are described using devices as an example.

[0103] In an embodiment of the present application, the NTN gateway is responsible for receiving information from the satellite and then forwarding the information received from the satellite to the ground network device, or the NTN gateway sends the signal of the ground network device to the satellite.

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities, which can be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (such as a mobile phone), a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, or a wireless device built into the above devices (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.). The terminal device is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, V2X communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communication (M2M / MTC) communication, Internet of Things, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, and other scenarios. For example, the terminal device can be a handheld terminal in cellular communication, a communication device in D2D, an IoT device in MTC, a surveillance camera in smart transportation and smart cities, or a communication device on a drone, etc. The terminal device can sometimes be referred to as user equipment (UE), user terminal, user device, user unit, user station, terminal, access terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, mobile device or wireless communication device, such as a cellular phone, smart phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, laptop computer, machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc. The terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. In the embodiment of the present application, IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through, for example, narrowband (NB) technology. In an embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the terminal device. The device can be installed in the terminal device.In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device 110 or the terminal device 210 can also be a device with communication functions in a future communication system, without limiting the form or type of the terminal device in the future and other future communication systems.

[0106] In an embodiment of the present application, a network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver functions. The network device may be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, and is referred to as a RAN device. For example, the network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station that has been subsequently evolved by 3GPP, a transmission reception point (TRP), an access node in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. In communication systems using different radio access technologies (RAT), the names of devices with base station functions may be different. For example, in an LTE system, it may be called an eNB or eNodeB, and in a 5G system or NR system, it may be called a gNB. This application does not limit the specific name of the base station. The network device may include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points.

[0107] In one possible scenario, the network device may include at least one of the following items: one or more centralized units (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), and one or more radio units (RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. Exemplarily, the function of the CU may be implemented by one entity or different entities. For example, the function of the CU is further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane are separated and implemented through different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-UP entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the access network device. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and realizing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, and implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. In this way, some functions of the wireless access network device can be implemented through multiple network function entities. These network function entities can be network elements in hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). The network device may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, under this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the network device can be a device including one or more of the CU node, DU node, and AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the radio access network (RAN) or a network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in this application. For example, in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology, the access network device can be a road side unit (RSU).The multiple access network devices in the communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. The base station can communicate with the terminal device or communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. In the embodiment of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can implement the function of the access network device, which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0108] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, the CU may also be called the open central unit (O-CU), the DU may also be called the open distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP may also be called the open central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP may also be called the open central user plane (O-CU-UP), and the RU may also be called the open radio unit (O-RU).

[0109] As shown in Figure 3, Figure 3 shows another schematic diagram of the communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application, namely the O-RAN architecture. The communication system 300 includes an orchestration and automation framework 310, a near real-time RAN intelligent controller (RAN intelligent controller, RIC) 320, an O-CU-CP 330, an O-CU-UP 340, an O-DU 350, and an O-RU 360. Among them, the orchestration and automation framework 310 includes a design 310, an inventory 311, a configuration 312, and a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (non-real-time RIC) 313. The non-real-time RIC 313 is connected to the near real-time RIC functional layer 320 via an A1 interface. The near-real-time RIC functional layer 320 includes a third-party application 321, radio connection management 322, mobility management 323, quality of service management 324, interference management 325, and a trained model 326. The near-real-time RIC functional layer 320 is connected to the O-CU-CP 330 and the O-CU-UP 340 via an interface E2. The O-CU-CP 330 and the O-CU-UP 340 are connected via an interface E1. In addition, the near-real-time RIC functional layer 320 is also connected to the O-DU 350 via an interface E2. The O-CU-CP 330 includes the control plane protocols of RRC and PDCP, and the O-CU-UP 340 includes the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the user plane protocols of PDCP. The O-DU includes the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers. The O-RU 360 connects to the O-DU 350 via an open fronthaul interface. The O-RU 360 includes a remote radio unit (RRU) 361 for radio frequency processing.

[0110] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the functions of the network device is used as an example to illustrate, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0111] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the scenarios in which the network device is located. In addition, the network device can be a hardware device, or a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a software function running on general-purpose hardware, for example, an entity including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The present application does not limit the specific form of the network device.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, the network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the scenarios in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0113] In the embodiment of the present application, the core network refers to the equipment in the core network (CN) that provides service support for terminal devices. At present, some examples of core network equipment are: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of terminal devices; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting to the external network. It should be noted that the entities in this application can also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. For another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0114] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of this application, the relevant terms involved in this application are first introduced.

[0115] (1) Non-terrestrial Network (NTN)

[0116] NTN is a network that uses transmission equipment on airborne or spaceborne aircraft as relay nodes or base stations. Specifically, it implements new radio (NR) communications through satellites or unmanned aerial vehicle platforms. In areas where ground network equipment cannot reach, the use of NTN can further expand coverage. NTN consists of terminal devices, satellites, satellite gateways, network equipment, a core network, and servers. The satellites can be low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The terminal devices and network equipment can be any of the above.

[0117] (2) Downlink synchronization

[0118] Downlink synchronization refers to the frequency, frame, and symbol synchronization between a terminal device and a base station through a synchronization signal sequence periodically sent by the base station at a specific location. Only after downlink synchronization can the terminal device demodulate the master information block (MIB) and system information block (SIB) broadcast by the cell. Therefore, synchronization is the starting point for establishing communication between the terminal device and the base station. Specifically, downlink synchronization has the following functions:

[0119] a) The terminal device searches for the center frequency of the cell carrier and achieves frequency synchronization with the carrier signal;

[0120] b) The terminal device obtains the bandwidth of the cell.

[0121] c) Time synchronization of the terminal device with the 10ms frame of the cell.

[0122] d) The terminal device obtains the cell information for communication.

[0123] In NR, downlink synchronization is achieved by the UE searching for the SSB.

[0124] (3) Synchronous Signal Block SSB

[0125] SSB includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) used to demodulate the PBCH. The SSB period can be 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms. An SSB period can include multiple SSB signals (with different SSB indexes, such as SSB 0 to SSB 7, or SSB 1 to SSB 8), called an SSB burst, located in the first 5ms of a 10ms frame. Each SSB uses a different transmit beam but contains the same cell information. SSB is generally considered a broadcast channel used for synchronization and cell search. Among them, the broadcast channel can be understood as a channel on which the base station often sends signals without distinguishing between user equipment, and any terminal device may search for it. Synchronization and cell search are for terminal devices. If a terminal device wants to access an NR cell, it first performs a cell search. The network device then periodically sends SSBs, which the terminal receives to synchronize with the base station and obtain system messages. Through cell search, the terminal device can obtain one or more of the following: time and frequency synchronization, the cell's physical identity (ID), the length of the cyclic prefix, and the cell's standard.

[0126] (4) Resource element (RE)

[0127] RE can also be called resource element, which is the smallest resource unit in NR physical resources. It occupies one orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. That is, one OFDM symbol and one subcarrier constitute a time-frequency resource unit RE. All OFDM symbols in a time slot and 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain constitute a resource block (RB). That is, one RB includes one or more REs.

[0128] (5) Paging signal

[0129] The paging signal is also called the paging signal. It is used by the network device to detect the reachability of the UE and trigger the UE to initiate a connection establishment request to the network device. After the terminal device receives the paging signal sent by the network device, the UE determines whether it is paged by detecting the paging signal.

[0130] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the terrestrial paging process. As shown in Figure 4, during the terrestrial paging process, the terminal device (for ease of description, the UE is used as an example below) enters the idle or inactive state to save power when there is no data communication demand for a long period of time. At the same time, the terminal device is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. A DRX cycle consists of two parts: an active period (on duration) and a sleeping period. During the on duration, the UE detects whether a paging signal has arrived. During the sleeping period, the UE does not detect paging signals to reduce power consumption.

[0131] During the above-mentioned terrestrial paging process, if the network device cannot page the UE, that is, if the UE does not detect the paging signal during the on-duration period, the paging signal coverage can be enhanced by increasing the number of repeated transmissions of the paging signal, thereby enabling the network device to page the UE. However, to ensure time synchronization between the UE and the network device, the UE needs to detect the SSB before detecting the paging signal. However, if the signal strength of the SSB is low in a coverage-restricted scenario, the UE cannot detect the SSB and the paging signal. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance both the SSB and the paging signal. For example, in an NTN scenario, if a UE in the INACTIVE or IDLE state enters a wooded area, or is placed in a user's backpack, the UE will be blocked, resulting in a signal attenuation of approximately 10dB, and the UE is likely to be unable to detect both the SSB and the paging signal. In this case, if only the paging signal is enhanced without the SSB, the UE will not be able to achieve synchronization with the network device due to the inability to detect the SSB, resulting in the UE still not receiving the paging signal. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the SSB as well.

[0132] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the paging signal and synchronization signal enhancement process. As shown in Figure 5, before the paging signal and synchronization signal are enhanced, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for the terminal device to detect the paging signal is at least -7.7dB, and the SNR required to detect the synchronization signal is at least -4.5dB. However, due to the influence of obstructions in the actual scene, the measured carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) is -8dB, which is less than -7.7dB and -4.5dB. At this time, the terminal device cannot detect the paging signal and synchronization signal. Therefore, both the synchronization signal and the paging signal are enhanced, as shown in the black shaded areas of Figure 5. The SNR required for the enhanced paging signal and synchronization signal is at least -8.5dB, which is less than the actual measured CNR. Therefore, the terminal device can detect the paging signal and synchronization signal.

[0133] However, simultaneously enhancing the coverage of synchronization signals and paging signals, especially for UEs that are severely shielded, will complicate signal design, thereby making the UE's reception process complicated and cumbersome.

[0134] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and device, which indicates the resources and parameters of the first signal to the terminal device through configuration information. The terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information, so that when only one first signal is detected, it is possible to identify whether the terminal device is paged by the network device and whether the terminal device is synchronized with the network device, thereby realizing integrated synchronous paging, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device and reducing the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0135] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided in the present application can be applied to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 3 above. The technical solution of the present application is described in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 11. The execution subject can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip or circuit for a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in a terminal device or a network device that can call and execute a program. The steps performed by the network device can also be performed by the O-CU, O-DU, or O-RU in the O-RAN architecture.

[0136] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the method 400 includes the following steps.

[0137] S410: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0138] The configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, the first resource is used to carry a first signal, the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and the first signal is used for synchronization and paging.

[0139] It should be noted that the first signal may also be used only for synchronization or only for paging.

[0140] Exemplarily, the first resource may correspond to the frequency domain starting position of the first signal, or the first resource may correspond to the bandwidth of the first signal, or the first resource may correspond to the number of symbols of the first signal.

[0141] Optionally, the configuration information is further used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0142] A frequency domain starting position corresponding to the first resource;

[0143] The bandwidth corresponding to the first resource;

[0144] The number of times the first signal is repeatedly sent;

[0145] A resource element (RE) offset value on a starting symbol of the first signal.

[0146] The frequency domain starting position corresponding to the first resource can also be understood as the frequency domain starting position of the first signal; the bandwidth corresponding to the first resource can also be understood as the bandwidth occupied by the first signal.

[0147] Optionally, the configuration information may also indicate the number of symbols corresponding to the first resource, that is, the number of symbols of the first signal, for example, the first signal occupies 12 symbols.

[0148] Exemplarily, the RE mapping mode of the first signal on the 12 symbols is a stepped mapping mode, that is, the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB on each symbol, and the RE position on each symbol is cyclically increased according to the RE position on the previous symbol. Specifically, the RE position on the first symbol of the 12 symbols of the first signal can be determined according to the RE offset value. For example, the RE offset value of the starting symbol of the first signal is 0, that is, position 0, then the RE position on the second symbol of the first signal is at position 1, and the RE positions on the remaining 10 symbols are cyclically increased. The RE mapping mode of the first signal is described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0149] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an RE mapping pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the first signal occupies 12 symbols in the time domain, while the traditional method is that the paging signal occupies 4 symbols in the time domain. Therefore, the signal power is also enhanced by increasing the number of symbols in the time domain. In the frequency domain, each black square occupies 1 / 12 of an RB, that is, one RE in each RB in the frequency domain, and each small black square represents an RE. 12 REs are mapped on 12 symbols in a stepped manner, and this pattern is called a stepped mapping pattern. The traditional mapping pattern is that all 12 REs on each symbol are occupied, while the stepped mapping pattern only occupies one RE in an RB on each symbol, that is, 1 / 12 of the RB. In this way, the power of a single RE on each symbol in the stepped mapping pattern is 12 times the power of a single RE on each symbol in the traditional mapping pattern. Therefore, the stepped pattern mapping increases the power of a single RE on each symbol, thereby enhancing the signal power. In addition, the offset values ​​of REs on different symbols are different, so that the first signal can resist frequency selective fading. For example, the RE on the first symbol is at position 0, the RE on the second symbol is at position 1, and so on, the RE on the twelfth symbol is at position 11. In this way, channel attenuation occurs at the frequency point where the RE on the first symbol is located. Since the channel on each RE changes slowly in a short period of time, the channel of the RE on the current symbol can be equivalent to the channel of the RE on other symbols. For example, the first signal is mapped at position 1 on the first symbol and there is frequency attenuation, but the first signal is not mapped at position 1 on the second symbol. The frequency attenuation at position 1 on the RE on position 1 on the first symbol can be equivalent to the frequency attenuation at position 1 on the second symbol. Therefore, the signal coverage strength of this step-shaped mapping pattern is 12 times higher than the signal coverage strength of the mapping pattern in which all REs on a single symbol are occupied. The terminal device can perform time domain correlation detection on the first signals of the 12 symbols as a whole. The obtained correlation function is equivalent to the correlation function obtained by correlation detection on the signal with all REs occupied on a symbol, and the correlation peak will not have sidelobes, which can ensure the accuracy of timing estimation.

[0150] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another RE mapping mode provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, when multiple UEs exist, a stepped mapping mode is used to configure different RE bias values ​​for the first signals corresponding to different UEs to achieve frequency division multiplexing of different UEs. In Figure 8, squares with different shades represent the mapping positions of the first signals corresponding to different UEs. For example, the black squares represent the mapping positions of the first signal corresponding to UE 1, the diagonal shaded squares represent the mapping positions of the first signal corresponding to UE 2, the diamond shaded squares represent the mapping positions of the first signal corresponding to UE 3, and the black dot shaded squares represent the mapping positions of the first signal corresponding to UE 4, wherein the mapping position of the RE of each UE is determined by obtaining the bias value of the RE on the first symbol, incrementing the bias value corresponding to the RE position on the first symbol by one bit to obtain the RE position on the second symbol, and then cyclically recursively in sequence until the first signal corresponding to each UE occupies one RE on 12 symbols. After occupying 12 symbols, it returns to the position of the first RE. For example, the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 1 on the first symbol is at position 0, and the offset value is 0. Then the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE on the second symbol is located at position 1 plus 1, that is, at position 1; the RE of the first symbol corresponding to UE 2 is at position 1, and the offset value is 1. Then the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 2 on the second symbol is located at position 2; the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 3 on the first symbol is at position 2, and the offset value is 2. Then the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 3 on the second symbol is located at position 3; the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 4 on the first symbol is at position 3, and the offset value is 3. Then the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 4 on the second symbol is located at position 4.

[0151] It should be noted that the RE position of the UE on each symbol is cyclically incremented. It can be understood that when the RE of the first signal corresponding to the UE on the Nth symbol is at position 11, the RE position of the first signal on the N+1th symbol returns to the position of the first RE, that is, position 0, where N≤11. For example, assuming N=11, the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 2 on the first symbol is at position 1, and the RE on the eleventh symbol is at position 11. At this time, the RE on the eleventh symbol has occupied the last RE of the 12 REs. Therefore, the RE on the twelfth symbol returns to the position of the first RE, that is, the RE on the twelfth symbol is at position 0, returning to the position of the first RE. For another example, assuming N=10, the RE of the first signal corresponding to UE 3 on the first symbol is located at position 2, and the RE on the tenth symbol is located at position 11. At this time, the RE on the tenth symbol has occupied the last RE of the 12 REs. Therefore, the RE on the eleventh symbol returns to the position of the first RE, that is, the RE on the eleventh symbol is located at position 0. At this time, the position of the RE on the twelfth symbol increases by one position on the RE position on the eleventh symbol, that is, the RE on the twelfth symbol is located at position 1.

[0152] It should be noted that the RE bias value of the starting symbol of the first signal can be 0, 1, 2, ..., 11, and the RE positions on other symbols of the first signal are cyclically increased based on the RE position of the previous symbol. Assuming that the RE position of the first signal on the first symbol is a, the RE position of the first signal on the i-th symbol is (a+i-1)mod X, where i is 2, 3, ..., 12, and X is the number of REs included in a frequency domain unit, for example, X can be 12. This application does not limit the RE position on the twelfth symbol. The power of the signal is enhanced through a stepped mapping pattern, so that the terminal device can more easily detect the first signal, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device. Optionally, the first parameter corresponds to a user identification code, and the first signal is used to page the terminal device corresponding to the user identification code; or, the first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code, and the first signal is used to page the terminal device corresponding to the cell identification code.

[0153] As an example, the first signal can be considered as a reference signal and can be generated by a pseudo-random sequence, such as a Gold sequence or a zadoff_chu (ZC) sequence. The Gold sequence or the ZC sequence requires a unique initialization value during the generation process to uniquely generate a sequence of the first signal, that is, one initialization value corresponds to one first signal. The sequence initialization value c of the first signal is init It can be defined as:

[0154] Wherein, l represents the index value of the OFDM symbol on a time slot; is the number of symbols contained in a time slot; is the time slot index within a system frame; It is a random number ranging from 0 to 4095, and is generally configured by high-level signaling. Related to the above UE identification code.

[0155] For example, the first parameter may be an initial value c init , the initial value c init Depend on The only certainty is that Corresponding to the user identification code, that is, the first parameter corresponds to the user identification code, wherein the user identification code can be a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI). The C-RNTI and TMSI are used to uniquely identify the UE in the network. When the network device pages a specific terminal device (for example, UE), the terminal device can determine the specific UE being called according to the user identification code, thereby avoiding the network device from paging other UEs, thereby avoiding false alarms.

[0156] For example, the first parameter may be The c init The first parameter is uniquely determined by the first parameter, which may correspond to the user identification code, or the first parameter may be randomly generated by the network and then sent to the terminal device.

[0157] It should be noted that if the user identification code is very long, a portion of the user identification code may be intercepted to generate a sequence initialization ID, or the user identification code may be divided into at least two segments, and then the segmented user identification codes may be used to generate first signals in adjacent time slots.

[0158] As another example, when there are multiple terminal devices, the initial value c init Depend on The only certainty is that It can be determined by a cell identification code (or cell ID), that is, the first parameter corresponds to the cell identification code, wherein the cell identification code is a cell global identification (CGI) or a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a transmission receiving point (TRP) ID or a satellite ID. It should be noted that when there are multiple terminal devices, the multiple terminal devices can detect the same first signal.

[0159] Optionally, before receiving the configuration information, the terminal device further sends first indication information to the network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the ability to receive the first signal. Specifically, the terminal device may send the first indication information to the network device to inform the network device whether it supports receiving the first signal; alternatively, the network device may send a request message to the terminal device, where the request message is used to request the terminal device to report its ability to receive the first signal. The fact that the terminal device may send the first indication information to the network device, or that the network device sends the request message to the terminal device, is not shown in FIG6 .

[0160] In the embodiment of the present application, it is assumed that the terminal device has established a communication link with the network device before the terminal device enters the woods or puts the backpack back, that is, before the terminal device receives the configuration information, the terminal device has established a communication link with the network device.

[0161] S420. The terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information.

[0162] When the configuration information is used to indicate the first parameter, the terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information, including: the terminal device generates a second signal according to the first parameter; and detects the first signal according to the second signal.

[0163] Exemplarily, detecting the first signal based on the second signal can be understood as performing correlation detection on the second signal and determining whether the terminal device has detected the first signal based on the result of the correlation detection. For example, when the correlation coefficient between the first signal and the second signal is greater than a certain threshold, the terminal device detects the first signal.

[0164] It should be noted that the first signal is a signal that changes after spatial transmission, and the second signal is a local signal generated by the terminal device according to the configuration information. The first signal and the second signal have the same position in the time domain and frequency domain, the same occupied bandwidth, the same number of occupied symbols, and the same RE mapping mode.

[0165] Optionally, before the terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information, the terminal device measures the signal strength of the SSB to obtain a first measurement result, and determines whether to detect the first signal according to the first measurement result. Specifically, when the first measurement result is less than the threshold α within the first duration, it is determined to detect the first signal, where the first duration and the threshold α are carried in the above configuration information.

[0166] As an example, the first measurement result being less than the threshold α within the first duration includes: the first measurement result being continuously less than the threshold α within the first duration and / or the first measurement result being continuously equal to the threshold α within the first duration.

[0167] As another example, the SSB can be measured multiple times continuously, for example, measured M times continuously to obtain M measurement results. The first measurement result is one of the M measurement results. Within the first duration, the measurement results of N consecutive times among the M measurement results are less than and / or equal to the threshold α, where 1 < N ≤ M, and N and M are positive integers.

[0168] In the embodiments of the present application, the signal strength can be represented by a power measurement value, where the power parameters corresponding to the power measurement value include one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indication (RSSI or SNR).

[0169] It should be noted that when the terminal device has no data communication requirement for a long time, it will enter the IDLE state or the INACTIVE state; or, the terminal device is configured with a DRX mechanism, so that the terminal device is periodically awakened to detect the SSB. Therefore, the terminal device will periodically measure the signal strength of the above SSB. Determine whether to detect the first signal according to the measured signal strength of the SSB, reducing power consumption.

[0170] Optionally, the duration for which the terminal device detects the first signal is greater than or equal to the period of the first signal. The terminal device detecting the first signal within a time length greater than or equal to the period of the first signal can ensure that the terminal device can detect the first signal within the time when the network device sends the first signal, increasing the possibility that the terminal device detects the first signal. The duration for which the terminal device detects the first signal will be described below with reference to FIG. 9.

[0171] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the duration of detecting the first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the network device sends the first signal with a period of 10ms. Since the terminal device cannot determine in advance whether the network device sends the first signal, the terminal device performs a blind detection of the first signal. When the blind detection time is equal to the period of the network device sending the first signal, the terminal device can also detect the first signal. For example, the duration of the terminal device's blind detection can be 10ms; or the duration of the terminal device's blind detection is 20ms, which can ensure that the terminal device detects the first signal at least once.

[0172] Optionally, the configuration information also includes a first timer, which is used to indicate the duration from the start of the terminal device detecting the first signal to the stop of detecting the first signal. That is, when the first timer expires, the terminal device no longer detects the first signal. Specifically, the terminal device sets a first timer, and the terminal device detects the first signal before the first timer expires. If the terminal device still does not detect the first signal when the timer expires, the terminal device stops detecting the first signal. When the network device does not page the terminal device and the terminal device is in a scenario with limited signal coverage, the terminal device cannot detect the first signal; or, after a period of time, the terminal device moves to an area with unrestricted coverage. Since the signal improves, the terminal device can detect SSB. At this time, the terminal device does not need to detect the first signal. If the terminal device continues to detect the first signal, it will cause the power consumption of the terminal device to increase. Therefore, setting the first timer can prevent the terminal device from being in the first signal detection process all the time, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, the network device sends a paging signal to the terminal device, where the paging signal is used for paging; when the network device does not receive response information for the paging signal within the second time period, it sends the first signal, where the response information is used to indicate that the terminal device is being paged.

[0174] Exemplarily, when the network device has a need to page the terminal device, a paging signal is sent to the terminal device, and the paging signal is used for paging. Since the terminal device is in a scenario with limited signal coverage, the terminal device cannot detect the paging signal. Therefore, the terminal device will not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, and the network device will send a first signal to the terminal device after a period of time. For example, in the case of only one terminal device, within the second time period, the terminal device does not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, then the function of the network device to send the first signal will be activated, or the network device will be activated to send the first signal. For another example, in the case of multiple network devices, within the second time period, any terminal device among the multiple terminal devices in a cell does not send a response message of the paging signal to the network device, then the function of the network device to send the first signal will be activated, or the network device will be activated to send the first signal.

[0175] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device determines whether to send the first signal based on whether response information of the paging signal is received within a period of time, which can reduce power consumption.

[0176] Optionally, when the terminal device detects the first signal, the terminal device sends second indication information to the network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the second indication information from the terminal device. The second indication information indicates that the terminal device has detected the first signal. Based on the second indication information, the network device determines that the terminal device has detected the first signal, and then stops sending the first signal.

[0177] As an example, when the first signal is used to page multiple terminal devices, the network device stops sending the first signal only when it receives second indication information sent by all paged terminal devices among the multiple terminal devices.

[0178] It should be noted that when the terminal device detects the first signal, the terminal device will initiate a warning message to indicate to the user of the terminal device that the terminal device needs to transmit data. According to the warning message, the user moves the terminal device to an area with unrestricted coverage, and then the terminal device initiates random access.

[0179] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device detects the first signal through configuration information. The first signal can be used to synchronize and / or page the terminal device. Since the configuration information can indicate the resources and parameters of the first signal, the terminal device can obtain the time domain and frequency domain positions of the first signal. Therefore, when the terminal device only detects one first signal, it can detect whether the terminal device is paged by the network device and whether the terminal device is synchronized with the network device, realizing the integration of synchronous paging, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device and reducing the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0180] Figure 10 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, the method 500 includes the following steps.

[0181] S510: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0182] In the embodiment of the present application, the configuration information is used to indicate a first parameter, which corresponds to a user identification code. For a detailed description of the configuration information, refer to the above step S410 and will not be repeated here.

[0183] Optionally, before step S510, the method 500 further executes step S501.

[0184] S501: A terminal device sends first indication information to a network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the first indication information from the terminal device. The first indication information indicates whether the terminal device is capable of receiving a first signal. For a detailed description of the first indication information, see step S410 above and will not be repeated here.

[0185] S520: The terminal device measures the signal strength of the SSB.

[0186] Under the DRX mechanism, the terminal device periodically detects the SSB. During a first time period (e.g., time T1), when the SSB signal strength is consistently less than a threshold value α, the terminal device determines to detect the first signal. The detailed steps are described in step S420 above and are not repeated here.

[0187] S530: The network device sends a paging signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the paging signal from the network device.

[0188] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device is in an IDLE state or an INACTIVE state, or the terminal device is configured with a DRX mechanism, and the terminal device will be periodically awakened to detect a paging signal. Specifically, the terminal device will detect the paging signal during the onDuration period of the DRX cycle. Therefore, upon receiving a request to paging the terminal device, the network device begins to send a paging signal to the terminal device. The paging signal is used to page the terminal device. When the terminal device detects the paging signal, the terminal device enters a connected state, thereby realizing data transmission between the terminal device and the network device. For detailed steps, please refer to the above step S420, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] S540: The terminal device detects a paging signal.

[0190] After receiving the paging signal, the terminal device determines whether the user being paged by the paging signal is itself based on the user identification code carried in the paging signal. The user identification code may be the C-RNTI or TMSI mentioned above.

[0191] Depending on the result of the terminal device detecting the paging signal, the subsequent steps can be divided into the following two cases:

[0192] Case 1: If the terminal device does not detect the paging signal, then steps S550 to S570 are executed.

[0193] S550: The network device sends a first signal to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first signal from the network device.

[0194] S560. The terminal device detects the first signal according to the configuration information.

[0195] S570: The terminal device sends second indication information to the network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the second indication information from the terminal device. The second indication information indicates that the terminal device has detected the first signal. Based on the second indication information, the network device determines that the terminal device has detected the first signal, and then stops sending the first signal.

[0196] The detailed description of steps S550 to S570 can be found in the above step S420 and will not be repeated here.

[0197] Case 2: If the terminal device detects a paging signal, step S580 is executed.

[0198] S580: The terminal device sends a response message of the paging signal to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the response message of the paging signal from the terminal device.

[0199] The response information of the paging signal sent by the terminal device to the network device can be understood as that the terminal device has detected the paging signal, and the network device does not need to send the first signal to the terminal device, that is, the terminal device will not execute the same steps as the above steps S550 to S570, or will not execute the same part of the process as the above steps S410 to S420.

[0200] It should be noted that the case where the terminal device detects a paging signal may be when the network device sends a paging signal to the terminal device and the terminal device moves from a coverage-restricted area to an unrestricted area. The terminal device may also detect a paging signal in other cases, for example, when the terminal device is always in an unrestricted area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The process of the terminal device detecting a paging signal is not further described here.

[0201] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines whether to detect the first signal based on the measurement result of the SSB signal strength, so that the terminal device knows when to detect the first signal, avoiding the terminal device from constantly detecting a non-existent signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. In addition, the network device determines the time to send the first signal based on whether the terminal device will respond to the paging signal, and the network device determines the time to stop sending the first signal through the second indication information, thereby reducing the power consumption of the network device. Furthermore, since the detection of the first signal can achieve paging detection and synchronization between the terminal device and the network device, the integration of synchronous paging is achieved, thereby avoiding missing the paging of the network device and reducing the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0202] Figure 11 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11, the method 600 includes the following steps. The method 600 can be applied to paging multiple terminal devices, or the method 600 can be applied to multiple terminal devices, and the multiple terminal devices can detect the same first signal.

[0203] S610: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0204] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information is used to indicate a first parameter, where the first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code. The cell identification code is a cell global identification (CGI) or a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a transmission receiving point (TRP) ID or a satellite ID. The multiple terminal devices can detect the same first signal.

[0205] The detailed description of the configuration information is given in step S410 above and will not be repeated here.

[0206] Optionally, before step S610, the method 600 further executes step S601.

[0207] S601: A terminal device sends first indication information to a network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the first indication information from the terminal device. The first indication information indicates whether the terminal device is capable of receiving a first signal. For a detailed description of the first indication information, see step S410 above and will not be repeated here.

[0208] S620. Multiple terminal devices measure the signal strength of SSB.

[0209] S630: The network device sends a paging signal to the multiple terminal devices. Correspondingly, the multiple terminal devices receive the paging signal from the network device.

[0210] S640. Multiple terminal devices detect paging signals.

[0211] Based on the results of multiple terminal devices detecting paging signals, the subsequent steps can be divided into the following two cases:

[0212] Case 1: If any terminal device among the multiple terminal devices fails to detect the paging signal, steps S550 to S570 are executed.

[0213] S650: The network device sends a first signal to multiple terminal devices. Correspondingly, the multiple terminal devices receive the first signal from the network device.

[0214] S660. Multiple terminal devices detect the first signal according to the configuration information.

[0215] S670: The plurality of terminal devices send second indication information to the network device. Accordingly, the network device receives the second indication information from the plurality of terminal devices.

[0216] The network device stops sending the first signal only when it receives the second indication information sent by all the paged terminal devices among the multiple terminal devices.

[0217] Case 2: If multiple terminal devices detect the paging signal, then step S580 is executed.

[0218] S680: Multiple terminal devices send response information of paging signals to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives response information of paging signals from multiple terminal devices.

[0219] The detailed description of steps S610 to S680 refers to the above-mentioned step S440 and will not be repeated here.

[0220] In an embodiment of the present application, multiple terminal devices in a cell determine whether to detect the first signal based on the measurement results of the SSB signal strength, so that the multiple terminal devices know when to detect the first signal, avoiding the multiple terminal devices from constantly detecting a non-existent signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal devices. In addition, the network device determines the time to send the first signal based on information about whether the multiple terminal devices will respond to the paging signal, and the network device determines the time to stop sending the first signal through a second indication, thereby reducing the power consumption of the network device. Since the detection of the first signal can achieve synchronization between the terminal device and the network device, it can avoid the terminal device missing the network device's paging due to asynchrony, and reduce the complexity of terminal device detection.

[0221] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, the device 1000 may include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020. The transceiver unit 1010 can communicate with the outside world, and the processing unit 1020 is used to process data. The transceiver unit 1010 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver unit. The processing unit 1020 may be used for processing.

[0222] Optionally, the device 1000 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1020 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0223] Exemplarily, the communication device 1000 can be a terminal device, or a communication device applied to a terminal device or used in combination with a terminal device and capable of implementing a method executed by the terminal device, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the chip system shown in the figure below.

[0224] Exemplarily, the communication device 1000 can be a network device, or a communication device applied to a network device or used in combination with a network device and capable of implementing a method executed by the network device, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the chip system shown in the figure below.

[0225] In one possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0226] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is configured to receive configuration information, where the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, where the first resource is used to carry a first signal, where the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and where the first signal is used for synchronization and paging;

[0227] A processing unit is configured to detect the first signal according to the configuration information.

[0228] In another possible design, the device 1000 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the network device in the above method embodiment, wherein the processing unit 1020 is used to perform processing-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform transceiver-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0229] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to send configuration information, where the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, where the first resource is used to carry a first signal, where the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and where the first signal is used for synchronization and paging.

[0230] Optionally, the transceiver unit is also used to send the first signal.

[0231] It should be understood that the device 1000 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a merging logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1000 can be specifically the transmitting end in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the transmitting end in the above-mentioned method embodiment, or the device 1000 can be specifically the receiving end in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the receiving end in the above-mentioned method embodiment. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0232] The device 1000 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the sending end in the above-mentioned method, or the device 1000 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the receiving end in the above-mentioned method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0233] In addition, the above-mentioned transceiver unit can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it can include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit. In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned communication device can be the receiving end or the transmitting end in the aforementioned embodiment, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). Among them, the transceiver unit can be an input and output circuit or a communication interface. The processing unit is a processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0234] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the device 2000 includes a processor 2010 and a transceiver 2020. The processor 2010 and the transceiver 2020 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The processor 2010 is configured to execute instructions to control the transceiver 2020 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0235] Optionally, the apparatus 2000 may further include a memory 2030, which communicates with the processor 2010 and the transceiver 2020 via an internal connection path. The memory 2030 is used to store instructions, and the processor 2010 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 2030.

[0236] Exemplarily, the communication device 2000 can be a network device, or a communication device applied to a network device or used in combination with a network device and capable of implementing a method for executing a location management function network element, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the chip system shown in Figure 14.

[0237] Exemplarily, the communication device 2000 can be a terminal device, or a communication device applied to a terminal device or used in combination with a terminal device and capable of implementing a method executed by the terminal device, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the chip system shown in Figure 14.

[0238] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 2000 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0239] In another possible implementation, the apparatus 2000 is used to implement the various processes and steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0240] Optionally, the memory 2030 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 2010 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. When the processor 2010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 2010 is configured to perform the various steps and / or processes of the above-described method embodiments corresponding to the transmitting end or the receiving end.

[0241] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0242] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the above processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, or a portion of the circuit used for processing functions in other chips. The processor in the embodiments of the present application can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0243] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0244] In the embodiments of the present application, the above-described method can be executed by a network device and a terminal device, or can be executed by a chip, chip system, or circuit of the network device and the terminal device, and the chip, chip system, or circuit can be installed in the network device and the terminal device. Below, the chip system in the network device and the terminal device is described in conjunction with Figure 14.

[0245] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system 3000 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG14 , the chip system 3000 (or processing system) includes a storage module 3010 , a processor module 3020 , a radio frequency / antenna module 3030 , and a power supply module 3040 .

[0246] The storage module 3010 includes RAM and ROM, which are used to store data. Specifically, RAM is a temporary storage space in the terminal device, used to temporarily store data in use. For example, if the terminal device is a mobile phone, the data in use may include open web pages, chat application messages, game status, etc. ROM is a read-only storage space in the terminal device, used to store system files, pre-installed applications, and firmware.

[0247] Processor module 3020 is responsible for various computations and includes a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem. The CPU is responsible for executing various instructions, such as instructions from applications, operating systems, and other software; the GPU is responsible for graphics processing. Optionally, the CPU can also handle some graphics tasks, such as rendering application interfaces. The modem is used to modulate or demodulate signals to enable digital signals to be transmitted over space.

[0248] The power supply module 3030 is used to provide voltage and current to the above modules to maintain the normal operation of the chip.

[0249] The RF / antenna module 3040 is used to amplify signals and radiate them into space, or to receive wireless signals in space.

[0250] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the network device or terminal device in each of the above method embodiments. For example, the processor module 3020 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, such as the processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above embodiments; the RF / antenna module 3040 is used to implement the transmission and / or reception-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, such as the transmission and / or reception-related operations performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0251] For another example, the processor module 3020 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, such as the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments; the RF / antenna module 3040 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, such as the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0252] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0253] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0254] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the network device or terminal device apparatus in the above embodiments.

[0255] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0257] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0258] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0259] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0260] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0261] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0262] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving configuration information, where the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, where the first resource is used to carry a first signal, where the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and where the first signal is used for synchronization and paging; The first signal is detected according to the configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the configuration information is used to indicate the first parameter, detecting the first signal according to the configuration information includes: generating a second signal according to the first parameter; The first signal is detected according to the second signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Measure the signal strength of the synchronization signal block SSB to obtain a first measurement result, and determine whether to detect the first signal based on the first measurement result.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Determining, according to the first measurement result, to detect the first signal includes: When the first measurement result is less than a threshold value α within a first time period, it is determined to detect the first signal, where the first time period and the threshold value α are carried in the configuration information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The configuration information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: A frequency domain starting position corresponding to the first resource; a bandwidth corresponding to the first resource; the number of repetitions of the first signal; a period of the first signal; A resource element (RE) offset value on a starting symbol of the first signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The RE mapping mode of the first signal is that the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB in each symbol, and the RE position on each symbol is cyclically increased according to the RE position on the previous symbol.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first parameter corresponds to a user identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the user identification code; or The first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code, and the first signal pages a terminal device corresponding to the cell identification code.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further includes: sending first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the ability to receive the first signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The duration of detecting the first signal is greater than or equal to a period of the first signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The configuration information also includes a first timer, which is used to indicate the duration from when the terminal device starts detecting the first signal to when it stops detecting the first signal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The method further includes: sending second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has detected the first signal.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to indicate a first resource and / or a first parameter, where the first resource is used to carry a first signal, where the first signal is generated based on the first parameter, and where the first signal is used for synchronization and paging; The first signal is sent.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending a paging signal, where the paging signal is used for paging; When no response information of the paging signal is received within the second time period, the first signal is sent, wherein the response information is used to indicate that the terminal device is being paged.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The configuration information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: A frequency domain starting position corresponding to the first resource; a bandwidth corresponding to the first resource; the number of repetitions of the first signal; a period of the first signal; A resource element (RE) offset value on a starting symbol of the first signal.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The RE mapping mode of the first signal is that the first signal occupies only one RE in each resource block RB in each symbol, and the RE position on each symbol is cyclically increased according to the RE position on the previous symbol.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that The first parameter corresponds to a user identification code, and the first signal pages the terminal device corresponding to the user identification code; or The first parameter corresponds to a cell identification code, and the first signal pages a terminal device corresponding to the cell identification code.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that The method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the ability to receive the first signal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that The configuration information also includes a first timer, which is used to indicate the duration from when the terminal device starts detecting the first signal to when it stops detecting the first signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that The method further includes: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has detected the first signal.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A module or unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or a module or unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 12 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that include: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 to be executed, or cause the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19 to be executed.

24. A chip or a chip system, characterized in that: It comprises: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 is executed.

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