Synchronization signal block sending method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a synchronization signal block (SSB) sending method and an apparatus, facilitating flexible sending of SSB bursts. The method comprises: an access network device sends first indication information to a terminal on a primary cell of the terminal, the first indication information being used for indicating a time domain configuration of an SSB of a secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information being a DCI or an MAC CE; and the access network device sends at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell, the at least one SSB burst comprising at least one SSB.

Description

Synchronization signal block sending method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 3, 2024, with application number 202410417551.1 and application name “Method and device for sending synchronization signal blocks”, and claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 15, 2024, with application number 202410452728.1 and application name “Method and device for sending synchronization signal blocks”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method and device for sending a synchronization signal block. Background Art

[0003] In a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, after a terminal accesses the primary cell (PCell), the access network device initiates the secondary cell (SCell) configuration process, configuring at least one secondary cell for the terminal to provide additional radio resources. During the secondary cell configuration process, the terminal can perform cell search, measurement, synchronization, activation, and other operations based on the synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the access network device. The access network device sends SSBs in the form of beam scanning, meaning that the access network device can send one beam direction at a given moment and send different beams at multiple moments to cover the directions required by the entire cell.

[0004] However, the way in which the access network equipment sends SSB on the secondary cell is not flexible enough. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, a synchronization signal block transmission method is provided that can flexibly transmit SSB bursts. This method can be performed by a communication device, which can be an access network device, a component configured in the access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the access network device functions, which is not limited in this application. The following description uses the communication device as an access network device as an example.

[0006] The method includes: an access network device sends first indication information to the terminal on the primary cell of the terminal, the first indication information is used to indicate the time domain configuration of the SSB of the secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE); the access network device sends at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell of the terminal, each SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst includes at least one SSB. In this application, an SSB burst can also be referred to as an SSB burst set.

[0007] For example, the access network device may send the first indication information when the terminal requires SSB use in its secondary cell. In other words, the access network device may not send the first indication information or send SSB in its secondary cell when the terminal does not require SSB use in its secondary cell. This provides greater flexibility and saves energy.

[0008] For example, the access network equipment can also adjust the time domain configuration of SSB in real time, such as adjusting the parameters in the time domain configuration of SSB according to the usage requirements of the terminal, without sticking to a set of time domain configurations configured through high-level signaling (such as radio resource control (RRC) messages), so it is more flexible.

[0009] Based on the technical solution of the present application, the access network device indicates the time domain configuration of the secondary cell SSB through DCI or MAC CE, which is more flexible for the time domain configuration of the secondary cell.

[0010] In a second aspect, a synchronization signal block reception method is provided that enables flexible reception of SSB bursts. This method can be performed by a communication device, which may be a terminal, a component configured in a terminal (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the terminal's functions, although this application does not limit this. The following description uses a terminal as an example.

[0011] The method includes: receiving first indication information on a primary cell of a terminal, the first indication information being used to indicate the time domain configuration of an SSB of a secondary cell of the terminal, the first indication information being DCI or MAC CE; receiving at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell, each SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst including at least one SSB.

[0012] In combination with the first or second aspect, in certain implementations, the time domain configuration of the SSB includes one or more of the following: a first time interval, a second time interval, or an SSB pattern for each SSB burst. The first time interval is the time interval between the time when the first indication information is sent and the time when the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is sent; the second time interval is the time interval between two adjacent SSB bursts in the at least one SSB burst; and the SSB pattern indicates the time domain position of each SSB in each SSB burst.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations, the time interval between the time of sending the first indication information and the time of sending the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is: the time interval in time slots between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, the time interval in milliseconds between the subframe occupied by sending the first indication information and the first subframe occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, the time interval in symbols between the last symbol occupied by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the first indication information and the first symbol occupied by sending the first SSB burst.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations, the first indication information is also used to indicate the number of the at least one SSB.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations, the first indication information is further used to indicate an identifier of a secondary cell of the terminal.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations, the first indication information is further used to indicate activation of a secondary cell of the terminal.

[0017] In combination with the first or second aspect, in certain implementations, the first indication information is further used to indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst or a timer parameter, where the timer parameter is used to limit the duration of sending the SSB burst. This allows for flexible indication of the SSB burst configuration. After sending a certain number of SSB bursts or after sending an SSB burst within a limited time window, the access network device can immediately stop sending SSBs, which helps reduce energy consumption of the access network device.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations, the method further includes: sending second indication information to the terminal on a primary cell of the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, an upper limit on the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst. The first time interval is one of the at least one candidate first time interval, the second time interval is one of the at least one candidate second time interval, the SSB pattern of each SSB burst is one of the at least one candidate SSB pattern, and the at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: receiving second indication information on the main cell of the terminal, the second indication information being used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, an upper limit on the number of SSBs included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0020] The first time interval is one of the at least one candidate first time interval, the second time interval is one of the at least one candidate second time interval, and the at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, receiving at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell includes: receiving the at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell based on the identifier of the secondary cell indicated by the first indication information and the time domain configuration of the SSB of the secondary cell.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, after receiving the first indication information, the method further includes: activating the secondary cell based on the first indication information.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations, the second indication information is carried in an RRC message.

[0024] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Specifically, the device includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0025] In one design, the device may include a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any of the above aspects. The module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0026] In another design, the device is a communication chip, which may include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0027] In another design, the apparatus is an access network device or a terminal, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0028] In another design, the apparatus is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, and the apparatus can be configured in an access network device or a terminal.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that the device executes a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0030] Optionally, the device further comprises a memory, which can be used to store instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the above aspects can be implemented.

[0031] Optionally, the device further includes: a transmitter (emitter) and a receiver (receiver), and the transmitter and the receiver can be separately provided or integrated together, and are referred to as a transceiver (transceiver).

[0032] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0034] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the functions involved in implementing any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing the data involved in the above method.

[0035] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0036] Optionally, the chip system may consist of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation scenario;

[0039] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of configuring a secondary cell;

[0040] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a time-frequency structure of SSB;

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an SSB beam scan;

[0042] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a transmission cycle of an SSB burst;

[0043] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an SSB pattern;

[0044] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG9A and FIG9B are schematic diagrams of sending SSB according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of SSB patterns provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams of stopping SSB transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] 12 and 13 are schematic block diagrams of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1000 shown in Figure 1 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one access network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1) and may also include at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal is wirelessly connected to the access network device, and the access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device and the access network device may be independent, distinct physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the access network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the access network device. Terminals and access network devices may be connected to each other via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is merely a schematic diagram; the communication system may also include other access network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0050] The radio access network 100 may be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, a 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) system (also known as a long term evolution (LTE) system), a 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) system (also known as a new radio (NR) system), or may be applied to a next generation mobile communication system or other similar communication systems (for example, a 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) system), etc., without specific limitation. The radio access network 100 may also be an open radio access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The wireless access network 100 may also be a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication network, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) communication network, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication network, etc. The wireless access network 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0051] An access network device is a node in a radio access network (RAN), also known as a RAN node or RAN device. It helps terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple access network devices in communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types.

[0052] In one possible scenario, an access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access point (AP) in a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB), or an access network device in a mobile switching center (NSN) communication system. This means it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. The access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. The access network device can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, Internet of Vehicles (IoV) communication, drone communication, or machine communication. Alternatively, the access network device can be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an onboard device. For example, the access network device in the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0053] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network device can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the access network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into an access network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into an access network device in the core network, which is not limited here.

[0054] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the O-RAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0055] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to or receive signals from an access network device. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can specifically be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0056] Access network equipment and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; and on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of access network equipment and terminals.

[0057] The roles of access network devices and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile access network device. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is an access network device. However, to access network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via an interface protocol between access network devices. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also an access network device. Therefore, both access network devices and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with access network device functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0058] Access network devices and terminals, access network devices and access network devices, and terminals can communicate through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; they can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communications.

[0059] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the access network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the access network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the functions of the access network device. The control subsystem that includes the functions of the access network device here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the functions of the terminal.

[0060] In this application, an access network device sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink signals or downlink information are carried on a downlink channel. A terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the access network device, and the uplink signals or uplink information are carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with the access network device, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection to the cell controlled by the access network device. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it may also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0061] In the present application, the time domain symbol may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. Unless otherwise specified, the symbols in the embodiments of the present application refer to time domain symbols.

[0062] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, PDSCH and PDCCH are merely examples of downlink data channels and downlink control channels, respectively. In different systems and different scenarios, data channels and control channels may have different names, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0063] The following is an introduction to the relevant technologies and concepts involved in this application.

[0064] 1. Carrier Aggregation

[0065] Carrier aggregation technology in NR systems can integrate multi-frequency resources, aggregating spectrum resources in the same or different frequency bands for terminal use, thereby improving the utilization of the entire network resources, increasing the transmission bandwidth of a single user, and improving the user experience.

[0066] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation scenario. Carrier aggregation technology can aggregate multiple component carriers (CCs) to support a larger transmission bandwidth. Multiple component carriers may include a primary component carrier (PCC) corresponding to a primary cell and a secondary component carrier (SCC) corresponding to a secondary cell. For example, in Figure 2, PCC (corresponding to cell 1, cell 1 is the primary cell, frequency is F1), SCC 1 (corresponding to cell 2, cell 2 is the secondary cell, frequency is F2), and SCC 2 (corresponding to cell 3, cell 3 is the secondary cell, frequency is F3).

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of configuring a secondary cell. Referring to moment 1 in Figure 3, a terminal establishes an RRC connection with cell 1. Cell 1 is the primary cell of the terminal. The primary cell is the cell with which the terminal establishes an initial connection, the cell with which the terminal reestablishes an RRC connection, or the primary cell designated by the terminal during a handover. The primary cell is responsible for RRC communication with the terminal.

[0068] A secondary cell is a cell added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. As shown in Figure 3 at moment 2, the terminal configures cell 2 as a secondary cell. No RRC communication occurs between the secondary cell and the terminal; control information is forwarded between the secondary cell and the terminal via the primary cell. A successfully configured secondary cell is deactivated, and the terminal cannot yet transmit data through it.

[0069] Referring to moment 3 in Figure 3, when specific conditions are met, the terminal activates the secondary cell, switching the secondary cell from a deactivated state to an activated state, and the terminal can then transmit data with the secondary cell. For example, the specific conditions may include the terminal's pending data exceeding a threshold ratio, such as 50%. At specific moments in the above process, the terminal uses the SSB sent by the access network device in the secondary cell to perform operations such as cell search, measurement, and synchronization.

[0070] The primary cell and secondary cell are user-level concepts. The primary cell of one terminal can be the primary cell or secondary cell of another terminal, and the secondary cell of one terminal can be the primary cell or secondary cell of another terminal.

[0071] 2. Layer 1 (L2) control signaling and layer 2 (L2) control signaling

[0072] In the NR system, the physical (PHY) layer is usually referred to as L1, and the MAC layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer are referred to as L2.

[0073] L1 control signaling is, for example, DCI, which is sent by access network equipment to terminals to support uplink and downlink data transmission. DCI includes three types of information: downlink authorization, uplink authorization, and power control commands. DCI is carried on the PDCCH.

[0074] The size of the DCI payload may vary in different scenarios, resulting in different DCI formats. Currently defined DCI formats include, but are not limited to: DCI format 0_X (X can be 0, 1, 2, or 3, used to indicate uplink scheduling), DCI format 1_X (X can be 0, 1, 2, or 3, used to indicate downlink scheduling), DCI format 2_X (X can be 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 9, used for other specific scenarios), DCI format 3_X (X can be 0, 1, or 2, used for sidelink scheduling), and DCI format 4_X (X can be 0, 1, or 2, used for multicast broadcast service (MBS) scheduling). The information that DCI can carry is comprehensive and complex, including control information indicated by the network side that is necessary for normal communication between the terminal and the network.

[0075] The L2 control signaling is, for example, MAC CE. MAC CE is a special structure on the MAC layer, carried on the PDSCH, and can be used to activate various functions such as the secondary cell.

[0076] 3. SSB

[0077] The SSB includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). As a terminal moves within the system, it continuously searches for and measures cells based on the SSB, selecting the appropriate SSB beam for initial access and mobility management.

[0078] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the time-frequency resources occupied by an SSB. As shown in Figure 4, each SSB occupies four consecutive symbols in the time domain and 20 resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain, i.e., 240 subcarriers. Among them, the PSS and SSS occupy the first and third symbols in the SSB, respectively, and occupy a total of 127 subcarriers in the frequency domain. The PBCH (including the demodulation reference signal (DMRS)) occupies the second and fourth symbols in the entire SSB, and also occupies 48 subcarriers at both ends of the third symbol.

[0079] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of SSB beam scanning. As shown in Figure 5, in NR, SSB is sent in the form of beam scanning, that is, the access network device can send a beam direction at a certain moment, and send different beams at multiple moments to cover the direction required by the entire cell. Assuming that a round of beam scanning sends N SSBs in different directions, then all SSBs sent in this round are called an SSB burst. The maximum value of N is, for example, 64. It can also be described that the set of all synchronization signals / physical broadcast channel blocks (SS / PBCH block) in a round of beam scanning is called an SSB burst.

[0080] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an SSB burst transmission period. As shown in Figure 6, upon initial access, the terminal defaults to a 20ms SSB burst transmission period, and the SSB burst transmission window is based on a half-frame (5ms duration). That is, within this 20ms period, the SSB burst is always limited to a 5ms (half-frame length) time interval, and no SSB transmission occurs in the remaining 15ms.

[0081] In one example, the access network device may indicate the period of the SSB burst through a field named "ssb-PeriodicityServingCell" in an information unit named "ServingCellConfigCommon" in the RRC configuration. This field has eight possible values: {ms5, ms10, ms20, ms40, ms80, ms160, spare2, spare1}, corresponding to an SSB burst period of 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms. When the access network device adjusts the period of the SSB burst of the secondary cell, the access network device may instruct the terminal to obtain the adjusted period of the SSB burst through an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0082] Frequency band differences and SSB subcarrier spacing (SCS) differences result in different SSB positions within each SSB burst (SSBs with uncertain positions are currently referred to as candidate SSBs in the protocol), which in turn leads to different SSB patterns. The protocol currently specifies multiple SSB patterns, including but not limited to Patterns A through G.

[0083] Take pattern D as an example: assuming that the carrier frequency band is within the frequency range (FR) 2 and the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz, under this limitation, the index of the first symbol of the candidate SSB in its half frame is {4, 8, 16, 20}+28×n, n=0, 1,…, 18. The resulting SSB pattern is shown in Figure 7, which is pattern D.

[0084] After the terminal successfully initially accesses the primary cell and establishes an RRC connection, the access network device can configure a secondary cell for the terminal. After the secondary cell is configured, the access network device does not have a flexible way of sending SSBs in the secondary cell of the terminal.

[0085] For example, in a scenario where the terminal has no need to use SSB in its secondary cell, the access network device always periodically sends SSB in the secondary cell of the terminal. This method of sending SSB is not flexible enough and will cause the access network device to consume too much energy.

[0086] For another example, in a scenario where the access network device adjusts the parameters in the time domain configuration according to the needs of the terminal, the access network device indicates the adjusted time domain configuration through high-layer signaling (e.g., RRC message), and then sends the SSB based on the adjusted time domain configuration. The response time of indicating the adjusted time domain configuration through high-layer signaling is long, and therefore, this method of sending SSB is not flexible enough.

[0087] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for sending a synchronization signal block, in which the access network device can indicate the time domain configuration of the SSB through DCI or MAC CE, so that the time domain configuration of the SSB can be sent according to demand. Therefore, the way of sending the SSB is more flexible.

[0088] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Method 800 can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 above. Method 800 can be interactively executed by an access network device and a terminal, where the access network device is, for example, 110a and 110b shown in Figure 1, and the terminal is, for example, 120a-120j shown in Figure 1.

[0089] Method 800 includes S801 and S803, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0090] S801: An access network device sends first indication information to a terminal on a primary cell of the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate a time domain configuration of an SSB of a secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information is a DCI or a MAC CE. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first indication information.

[0091] In carrier aggregation scenarios, the primary and secondary cells of the access network device serve the terminal together. The secondary cell is deactivated by default, but the access network device can instruct the terminal to activate the secondary cell. After the terminal activates the secondary cell, it can transmit data on it.

[0092] It should be noted that, before the access network device sends the first indication information in the secondary cell of the terminal, as shown in Figure 9A, if the terminal does not have a demand for using SSB in its secondary cell, the access network device may not send SSB in the secondary cell of the terminal. In this way, in the scenario where the terminal has a demand for using SSB in its secondary cell, the access network device can indicate the time domain configuration of SSB through the first indication information, and then send SSB based on the indicated time domain configuration of SSB.

[0093] An example of a terminal requiring to use SSB in its secondary cell is as follows:

[0094] For example, when the data transmission traffic of a terminal or access network device increases, the terminal needs to activate a secondary cell to support the transmission of larger amounts of data. During the cell activation process, the access network device needs to send at least one SSB in the terminal's secondary cell. By detecting the content of the SSB, the terminal can obtain synchronization information and determine the frame boundaries of the downlink system frame. Therefore, if the terminal needs to activate a cell, the access network device can determine that the terminal needs to use SSB in its secondary cell.

[0095] For another example, when the terminal needs to perform initial access or handover to a cell, the terminal can perform a cell search to select a suitable cell for initial access or handover. When performing a cell search, the terminal can receive the SSB sent by each cell in at least one cell (including the terminal's secondary cell), and the terminal can select a suitable cell from the at least one cell for access or handover based on the signal strength of the SSB received on each cell. Therefore, if the terminal needs to perform a cell search, the access network device can determine that the terminal has a need to use SSB in its secondary cell.

[0096] In other possible scenarios, as shown in FIG9B , before the access network device sends the first indication information, the access network device is sending the SSB in the secondary cell of the terminal. When the access network device needs to adjust the time domain configuration of the SSB, the access network device can adjust the time domain configuration of the SSB in real time through the first indication information. Different from the method of indicating the time domain configuration of the SSB through high-layer signaling (such as RRC message), the response time of the method of indicating the adjusted time domain configuration of the SSB through DCI or MAC CE in the embodiment of the present application is shorter, so the indication method is more efficient and flexible.

[0097] The time domain configuration of the SSB is used to indicate the timing of the access network device to send the SSB, that is, to indicate when the access network device will send the SSB. Accordingly, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal can determine the timing of receiving the SSB based on the time domain configuration of the SSB indicated by the first indication information.

[0098] Wherein, sending an SSB is, for example, sending an SSB with one cycle, or one SSB burst, or one SSB set, or one SSB sample as the minimum unit, then the access network device sends an integer number of cycles, or an integer number of SSB bursts, or an integer number of SSB sets, or an integer number of SSB samples. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking sending an SSB burst as the minimum sending unit as an example.

[0099] The time domain configuration of SSB will be described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

[0100] S802: The access network device sends at least one SSB burst on a secondary cell of the terminal, where each SSB burst includes at least one SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal receives at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell.

[0101] More specifically, the access network device sends at least one SSB burst in the secondary cell of the terminal based on the time domain configuration of the SSB of the secondary cell. The terminal receives at least one SSB burst based on the time domain configuration of the SSB of the secondary cell.

[0102] The access network device sending at least one SSB burst in the secondary cell of the terminal includes: the access network device broadcasting at least one SSB burst. The terminal can receive the at least one SSB burst broadcast by the access network device within the coverage of the secondary cell.

[0103] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device indicates the time domain configuration of the SSB through DCI or MAC CE, so that the time domain configuration of the SSB can be sent according to demand, and this sending method is more flexible.

[0104] Optionally, the time domain configuration of the SSB in S801 includes one or more of the following: a first time interval, a second time interval, or an SSB pattern of each SSB burst.

[0105] The first time interval is the time interval between the time when the first indication information is sent and the time when the first SSB burst of the at least one SSB burst is sent. That is, the first time interval may indicate the time when the first SSB burst is sent. In this way, the terminal can determine the time when the access network device sends the first SSB burst based on the first time interval, and thus the terminal can determine the time when the SSB burst is received in its secondary cell.

[0106] Optionally, the time interval between the time when the first indication information is sent and the time when the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is: the time interval in time slots between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst. In this manner, the unit of the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is time slots.

[0107] For example, the first indication information is sent in time slot 0 and the first SSB burst is sent in time slot 1, and the first time interval is 1 time slot.

[0108] In one example, the time interval between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst is: the time interval between the starting position of the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the starting position of the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst.

[0109] In another example, the time interval between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst is: the time interval between the end position of the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the end position of the time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst.

[0110] Optionally, the time interval between the time when the first indication information is sent and the time when the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is sent is: the time interval in milliseconds between the subframe occupied by sending the first indication information and the first subframe occupied by sending the first SSB burst. In this manner, the unit of the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is milliseconds.

[0111] Optionally, the time interval between the time when the first indication information is sent and the time when the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is sent is: the time interval in symbols between the last symbol occupied by the PDCCH or PDSCH carrying the first indication information and the first symbol occupied by sending the first SSB burst. In this manner, the unit of the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is symbol.

[0112] For example, the first indication information is DCI, the length of the PDCCH carrying the DCI is 2 symbols, the symbols occupied by the PDCCH are symbol 1 and symbol 2, and the first SSB burst is sent starting at symbol 30, then the first time interval is 28 symbols.

[0113] For example, the first indication information is MAC CE, the length of the PDSCH carrying the MAC CE is 2 symbols, the symbols occupied by the PDSCH are symbol 1 and symbol 2, and the first SSB burst is sent starting at symbol 30, then the first time interval is 28 symbols.

[0114] The second time interval is the time interval between two adjacent SSB bursts in the at least one SSB burst. In this way, through the second time interval indicated by the first indication information, the terminal can determine the time when the other SSB bursts except the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst are sent in its secondary cell.

[0115] Similar to the first time interval, the unit of the second time interval may also be a time slot, millisecond, or symbol.

[0116] As can be seen from the above introduction to the SSB pattern in the relevant technology, the SSB pattern can indicate the time domain position of each SSB in the SSB burst, for example, indicating the index of the first symbol (or starting symbol) of each SSB in the subframe in which it is located. The current protocol predefines a variety of SSB patterns, and different combinations of carrier frequency bands and subcarrier spacing correspond to different SSB patterns. For the SSB patterns predefined by the protocol, the access network device can indicate the SSB pattern of each SSB burst to the terminal, and the terminal can determine the SSB pattern based on the RRC configuration. For SSB patterns not defined by the protocol, the access network device can indicate the SSB pattern of each SSB burst through the first indication information.

[0117] In some scenarios with high latency requirements (e.g., secondary cell activation), the terminal expects to use SSB more quickly to shorten the time required for the scenario. Therefore, for scenarios with high latency requirements, the access network device can indicate an SSB pattern different from that specified in existing protocols through the first indication information. This embodiment of the present application refers to it as a compact SSB pattern.

[0118] Figure 10A is a schematic diagram of a compact SSB pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application. Compared to the SSB pattern in the existing protocol shown in Figure 10B, which has a carrier frequency band within the FR 2 range and a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz, the compact SSB pattern has the following characteristics: first, the time interval between adjacent SSBs within an SSB burst is compressed; second, the time interval between adjacent SSB bursts is compressed; and third, the number of candidate SSBs within an SSB burst is the same as the number of transmit beams used to carry SSBs. Based on the characteristics of the compact SSB pattern, the time it takes for access network equipment to perform one or more rounds of SSB scanning is significantly reduced.

[0119] For compact SSB, since the number of candidate SSBs within the SSB burst is the same as the number of transmit beams, the time window occupied by the SSB burst is no longer a fixed 5ms, but is related to the current configuration (the more transmit beams are configured, the more candidate SSBs there are within the SSB burst, and the longer the time window occupied by the SSB burst).

[0120] Optionally, the first indication information is further used to indicate an identifier of the secondary cell. The access network device indicates to the terminal through the identifier of the secondary cell that the cell to be used for SSB transmission is the secondary cell, that is, the access network device is about to transmit the SSB in the secondary cell.

[0121] Assume that the payload length of the identifier of the secondary cell in the first indication information is n0 bits, and the value of n0 is related to the number k0 of secondary cells configured by the access network device for the terminal. For example, in, The symbol for rounding up.

[0122] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0123] For example, for the compact SSB pattern provided in the embodiment of the present application, if the compact SSB pattern is not predefined in the protocol and the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst is not indicated in the RRC configuration, then the first indication information may also indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst when indicating the compact SSB pattern.

[0124] For another example, for the compact SSB pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application, if the protocol predefines a compact SSB pattern and the RRC configuration does not indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst, then the first indication information may indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0125] When the first indication information indicates the SSB pattern and the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst, two different bit information can be used to respectively indicate the SSB pattern and the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst, or the same bit information can be used to simultaneously indicate the SSB pattern and the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst. This embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0126] For ease of description, it is assumed below that n0 is the payload length of the identifier of the secondary cell of the terminal in the first indication information, n1 is the payload length of the first indication information for indicating the first time interval, n2 is the payload length of the first indication information for indicating the second time interval, n3 is the payload length of the SSB pattern for indicating each SSB burst in the first indication information, and n4 is the payload length of the first indication information for indicating the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0127] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is DCI. For example, an information field is defined in DCI format 1_X or DCI format 2_X, and the information field is used to indicate one or more of the first time interval, the second time interval, or the SSB pattern.

[0128] When X in DCI format 1_X is 0, 1, 2, or 3, or when X in DCI format 2_X is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, the DCI format is a DCI format supported by the existing protocol, that is, the access network device can define an information field in the existing DCI format to indicate one or more of the first time interval, the second time interval, or the SSB pattern. When X in DCI format 1_X is an integer greater than or equal to 4, or when X in DCI format 2_X is an integer greater than or equal to 10, the DCI format is a newly defined DCI format, that is, the access network device can use the information field in the newly defined DCI format to indicate one or more of the first time interval, the second time interval, or the SSB pattern. Optionally, the information field number can also indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst and / or the cell identifier, where the cell identifier is the identifier of a secondary cell of the terminal.

[0129] For example, the length of the information field is n bits, n=n0+n1+n2. In the information field, the 1st to n0th bits are used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell, the (n0+1)th to (n0+n1)th bits are used to indicate the first time interval, and the (n0+n1+1)th to nth bits are used to indicate the second time interval.

[0130] For another example, the length of the information field is n bits, n=n0+n1+n2+n3+n4. In the information field, the 1st to n0th bits are used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell of the terminal, the (n0+1)th to (n0+n1)th bits are used to indicate the first time interval, the (n0+n1+1)th to (n0+n1+n2)th bits are used to indicate the second time interval, the (n0+n1+n2+1)th to (n0+n1+n2+n3)th bits are used to indicate the SSB pattern, and the (n0+n1+n2+n3+1)th to nth bits are used to indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0131] In another possible implementation, the first indication information is MAC CE.

[0132] For example, the length of the MAC CE is Bytes (or octets), wherein the 1st to n0th bits are used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell of the terminal, the (n0+1)th to (n0+n1)th bits are used to indicate the first time interval, and the (n0+n1+1)th to nth bits are used to indicate the second time interval.

[0133] For another example, the length of the MAC CE is bytes, where the 1st to n0th bits are used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell of the terminal, the (n0+1)th to (n0+n1)th bits are used to indicate the first time interval, the (n0+n1+1)th to (n0+n1+n2)th bits are used to indicate the second time interval, the (n0+n1+n2+1)th to (n0+n1+n2+n3)th bits are used to indicate the SSB pattern, and the (n0+n1+n2+n3+1)th to nth bits are used to indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0134] If n mod 8≠0, then bits are reserved bits and have a value of 0.

[0135] For activation of the secondary cell, the terminal uses SSB to complete cell measurement, cell synchronization, and other functions. In existing protocols, when the access network device can send a MAC CE (SCell activation MAC CE) for activating the secondary cell to the terminal, to distinguish it from the MAC CE sent in S801, the MAC CE sent in S801 is referred to as the first MAC CE below, and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell in the existing protocol is referred to as the second MAC CE.

[0136] After the terminal receives the second MAC CE in the secondary cell, it starts to receive the SSB sent by the access network device to execute the process of activating the secondary cell. In the embodiment of the present application, the access network device sends the SSB on demand. Therefore, for the scenario of activating the secondary cell, the terminal may need to receive two MAC CEs (i.e., the first MAC CE and the second MAC CE) before starting to activate the secondary cell.

[0137] In order to simplify the signaling design and save signaling overhead, optionally, for the scenario of activating the secondary cell, the identifier of the secondary cell is indicated by the n0 bit above. The first indication information can also be used to indicate the activation of the secondary cell that will send SSB, that is, to activate the secondary cell indicated by the n0 bit. Alternatively, the first indication information does not indicate the identifier of the secondary cell, but indicates the activation of the secondary cell. In this case, the terminal can simultaneously receive the SSB in one or more secondary cells of the terminal based on the time domain configuration of the SSB indicated by the first indication information. The secondary cell in which the SSB is received is activated. Assuming that the payload length used to indicate the activation of the secondary cell in the first indication information is n5, for example, n5 takes the value of "1", indicating that the secondary cell of the terminal is activated, for example, n5 takes the value of "0", indicating that the secondary cell of the terminal is not activated.

[0138] After receiving the first indication information, the terminal determines whether to activate the secondary cell according to the first indication information. If the first indication information indicates to activate the secondary cell, the terminal starts to activate the secondary cell. That is, the terminal can activate the configured secondary cell through the first indication information without the need for an additional second MAC CE to indicate activation of the secondary cell.

[0139] It should be understood that the access network device usually configures one or more secondary cells for the terminal. When the number of configured secondary cells is multiple, optionally, when the n0 bit indicates the identifier of the secondary cell, the access network device can indicate in the first indication information in the form of a bitmap that the access network device will simultaneously send SSB in one or more secondary cells. Each bit corresponds to the identifier of a secondary cell, that is, corresponds to a secondary cell. If a bit is "1", it means that the access network device will send SSB in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit; if a bit is "0", it means that the access network device will not send SSB in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit. Conversely, if a bit is "0", it means that the access network device will send SSB in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit; if a bit is "1", it means that the access network device will not send SSB in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit.

[0140] The payload length of the identifier of the secondary cell of the terminal in the first indication information is n0, and the value of n0 is related to the number k0 of secondary cells configured for the terminal, for example, n0=k0.

[0141] For example, k0=4, then n0=4, and n0 bits are, for example, "1100". Assuming that the first bit corresponds to secondary cell #1, the second bit corresponds to secondary cell #2, the third bit corresponds to secondary cell #3, and the fourth bit corresponds to secondary cell #4, the terminal can determine that the access network device will send SSB in secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2, or conversely, the terminal can determine that the access network device will send SSB in secondary cell #3 and secondary cell #4.

[0142] Optionally, the access network device indicates in the form of a bitmap through the first indication information that SSB will be sent simultaneously in one or more secondary cells, and the access network device indicates whether to activate the one or more secondary cells through the first indication information. That is, the one or more secondary cells that will send SSB are the same as the one or more secondary cells that need to be activated. After receiving the first indication information, the terminal can receive SSB on the one or more secondary cells according to the time domain configuration indicated by the first indication information, and activate the one or more secondary cells.

[0143] Assume that the access network device indicates the identifier of the secondary cell using n0 bits in the first indication information, where n0 = k0. For example, if k0 = 4, then n0 = 4, and n0 bits are, for example, "1100." Assume that the first bit corresponds to secondary cell #1, the second bit corresponds to secondary cell #2, the third bit corresponds to secondary cell #3, and the fourth bit corresponds to secondary cell #4. A bit value of "1" indicates that an SSB will be sent in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit, and a bit value of "0" indicates that an SSB will not be sent in the secondary cell corresponding to the bit. Based on this example, the terminal can determine that the access network device will send SSBs in secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2. Assume that the payload length used to indicate activation of the secondary cell in the first indication information is n5, for example, n5 takes the value of "1," indicating activation of the terminal's secondary cell. Based on this example, the terminal can determine that secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2 in this example need to be activated. For another example, n5 takes the value of "0", indicating that the secondary cell of the terminal is not activated. Based on this example, the terminal can determine that there is no need to activate all secondary cells, that is, there is no need to activate secondary cell #1, secondary cell #2, secondary cell #3 and secondary cell #4 in this example.

[0144] At some point, the secondary cell to which the access network device sends the SSB may be different from the secondary cell that needs to be activated. The access network device indicates the identifier of the secondary cell in the first indication information with bit n0. When the first indication information indicates a secondary cell, for example, secondary cell #1, the access network device will send SSB in secondary cell #1. However, if the secondary cells that need to be activated are secondary cell #2 and secondary cell #3, the access network device can indicate the need to activate secondary cell #2 and secondary cell #3 in the form of a bitmap in the first indication information.

[0145] Assume that the identifier of the secondary cell indicated by bit n0 in the first indication information corresponds to secondary cell #1, and the payload length used to indicate activation of the secondary cell in the first indication information is n5, where n5 = k0. For example, if k0 = 4, then n5 = 4, and the n5 bits are, for example, "0110." Assume that the first bit corresponds to secondary cell #1, the second bit corresponds to secondary cell #2, the third bit corresponds to secondary cell #3, and the fourth bit corresponds to secondary cell #4. A bit value of "1" indicates that the secondary cell corresponding to the bit needs to be activated, and a bit value of "0" indicates that the secondary cell corresponding to the bit does not need to be activated. Based on this example, the terminal can determine that an SSB will be sent in secondary cell #1 and that secondary cells #2 and #3 need to be activated.

[0146] Alternatively, when the access network device indicates the identifier of the secondary cell using bit n0 in the first indication information, and n0=k0, the first indication information indicates one or more secondary cells, for example, secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2, and the access network device will send SSBs in secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2. However, if the secondary cells that need to be activated are secondary cell #2 and secondary cell #3, the access network device may indicate in the first indication information in the form of a bitmap that secondary cell #2 and secondary cell #3 need to be activated.

[0147] For example, if k0=4, then n0=4, n5=4, and n0 bits are, for example, "1100." Assuming the first bit corresponds to secondary cell #1, the second bit corresponds to secondary cell #2, the third bit corresponds to secondary cell #3, and the fourth bit corresponds to secondary cell #4, a bit value of "1" indicates that the secondary cell corresponding to that bit needs to be activated, and a bit value of "0" indicates that the secondary cell corresponding to that bit does not need to be activated. Based on this example, the terminal can determine that SSBs will be sent in secondary cell #1 and secondary cell #2. Similarly, if n0 bits are, for example, "0110," the terminal can determine that secondary cell #2 and secondary cell #3 need to be activated.

[0148] As an optional embodiment, before S801, method 800 further includes S803: the access network device sends second indication information to the terminal in the primary cell of the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, an upper limit of the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst. The at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

[0149] The first time interval indicated by the first indication information in S801 is one of the at least one candidate first time interval. That is, before sending the first indication information, the access network device selects a first time interval from the at least one candidate first time interval, and then indicates the selected first time interval through the first indication information.

[0150] For example, the at least one candidate first time interval includes 1 time slot, 2 time slots and 3 time slots, indicating that the time interval between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst can be one of 1 time slot, 2 time slots and time slots, and the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is, for example, 2 time slots.

[0151] The second time interval indicated by the first indication information in S801 is one of the at least one candidate second time interval. That is, before sending the first indication information, the access network device selects a second time interval from the at least one candidate second time interval, and then indicates the selected second time interval through the first indication information.

[0152] For example, the at least one second time interval includes 1 time slot, 2 time slots and 3 time slots, indicating that the time interval between two adjacent SSB bursts in the at least one SSB burst can be one of 1 time slot, 2 time slots and 3 time slots, and the second time interval indicated by the first indication information is, for example, 1 time slot.

[0153] It should be noted that if the second indication information does not indicate the second time interval, it can be understood that the access network device sends a round of SSB bursts after sending the first indication information, that is, the number of at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device in S802 is one.

[0154] It should be noted that the names of the first time interval, the second time interval, etc. in the embodiments of the present application are only examples, where the time interval can be replaced by other possible names such as time domain bias, time domain offset, offset, etc., and the present application does not limit this.

[0155] Optionally, the second indication information is carried in an RRC message.

[0156] For example, the RRC message includes a first field, the first field includes k1 elements, each element indicating a candidate first time interval. For example, the k1 elements included in the first field are {1, 2, 3}, indicating that at least one candidate first time interval includes 1 millisecond (or time slot, or symbol), 2 milliseconds (or time slot, or symbol), and 3 milliseconds (or time slot, or symbol).

[0157] The value of the payload length n1 used to indicate the first time interval in the first indication information is related to the number k1 of elements included in the first field. For example,

[0158] For example, if the first field includes k1 elements {1, 2, 3}, then k1=3, and based on the value of k1, n1=2, indicating that 2 bits are needed to indicate the first time interval. Table 1 shows a mapping relationship between elements in the first field and the first time interval.

[0159] Table 1

[0160] In the example of Table 1, when the value of n1 bits used to indicate the first time interval in the first indication information is "00", it means that the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is 1 time slot or 1 millisecond or 1 symbol; when the value of n1 bits used to indicate the first time interval in the first indication information is "01", it means that the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is 2 time slots or 2 milliseconds or 2 symbols; when the value of n1 bits used to indicate the first time interval in the first indication information is "10", it means that the first time interval indicated by the first indication information is 3 time slots or 3 milliseconds or 3 symbols.

[0161] Optionally, the RRC message includes a second field, the second field includes k2 elements, each element indicating a candidate second time interval. For example, the k2 elements included in the second field are {1, 2, 3, 4}, indicating that at least one candidate second time interval includes 1 millisecond, 2 milliseconds, 3 milliseconds, and 4 milliseconds, or that at least one candidate second time interval includes 1 time slot, 2 time slots, 3 time slots, and 4 time slots, or that at least one candidate second time interval includes 1 symbol, 2 symbols, 3 symbols, and 4 symbols.

[0162] The value of the payload length n2 used to indicate the second time interval in the first indication information is related to the number k2 of elements included in the second field. For example,

[0163] For example, if the k2 elements included in the second field are {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, then k2 = 5. Based on the value of k2, n2 = 3, indicating that 3 bits are required to indicate the second time interval. Table 2 shows a mapping relationship between the elements in the second field and the second time interval.

[0164] Table 2

[0165] In the example of Table 2, when the value of the n2 bits in the first indication information indicating the second time interval is "000," the second time interval indicated by the first indication information is 1 time slot, 1 millisecond, or 1 symbol. When the value of the n2 bits in the first indication information indicating the second time interval is "001," the second time interval indicated by the first indication information is 2 time slots, 2 milliseconds, or 2 symbols. Similarly, different values ​​of the n2 bits correspond to different second time intervals, which will not be detailed here.

[0166] The SSB pattern of each SSB burst indicated by the first indication information in the above S801 is one of the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

[0167] For example, the RRC message includes a third field, the third field includes a first sequence, the first sequence includes k3 elements, and each element indicates a candidate SSB pattern. Similar to the above description for at least one candidate first time interval or at least one candidate second time interval, the access network device may first indicate at least one candidate SSB pattern through an RRC message, then select an SSB pattern from the at least one SSB pattern, and indicate the selected SSB pattern through first indication information. Thereafter, in S802, the access network device sends the SSB according to the time domain distribution of the selected SSB pattern.

[0168] The value of the payload length n3 for indicating the SSB pattern in the first indication information is related to the number k3 of elements included in the first sequence. For example,

[0169] Optionally, the third field further includes a second sequence, the second sequence including k4 elements, each element indicating the number of a candidate SSB. For example, the k4 elements included in the second sequence are {2, 4, 6, 8}, indicating that the number of at least one candidate SSB includes 2, 4, 6, and 8.

[0170] The value of the payload length n4 in the first indication information, which is used to indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each burst, is related to the number k4 of elements included in the second sequence. For example,

[0171] For example, the k4 elements included in the second field are {2, 4, 6, 8}, then k4=4, and based on the value of k4, n4=2 can be obtained, which means that 2 bits are required to indicate the number of at least one SSB included in each burst.

[0172] In the above example, the candidate SSB pattern and the number of candidate SSBs are indicated by different elements respectively. In addition, the access network device can also indicate the candidate SSB pattern and the number of candidate SSBs at the same time through the same element. For example, the RRC message includes a fourth field, and the fourth field includes k6 elements, each element corresponding to an information including a candidate SSB pattern and the number of candidate SSBs. The value of the payload length n6 used to indicate the candidate SSB pattern and the number of candidate SSBs in the first indication information is related to the number k6 of elements included in the fourth field. For example,

[0173] The reason for limiting the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst is explained below.

[0174] Normally, after receiving the first indication information sent by the access network device, the terminal receives the SSB according to the SSB configuration in the first indication information (for example, the first time interval, the second time interval, and the identifier of the secondary cell). The terminal can then complete functions such as cell measurement, cell synchronization, cell activation, and cell search based on the received SSB. For various functions that require the use of SSB, after the terminal completes each function and feeds back to the access network device that the function has been completed, the access network device believes that the current needs of the terminal have been met and can stop sending the SSB, or send an SSB with a time domain configuration different from the currently sent SSB.

[0175] For example, when the terminal activates the secondary cell, the terminal needs to use SSB for measurement, synchronization and other functions. Therefore, the access network device can send SSB to the terminal. When the terminal feeds back the channel state information (CSI) report to the access network device, the access network device believes that the secondary cell of the terminal has been activated. Therefore, the access network device can stop sending SSB. When the terminal does not feed back to the access network device whether the activation cell function is completed due to some reasons (for example, the terminal moves out of the coverage of the current serving cell), the access network device does not know whether the activation cell function has been completed. As a result, the access network device needs to continue to send SSB in the secondary cell, which will result in excessive energy consumption.

[0176] Therefore, in one implementation, a constant M is predefined by the protocol, or defined by the access network device, and the upper limit of the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst is represented by M. For example, the RRC message includes a fifth field, and the fifth field is used to indicate the maximum number M of SSB bursts to be sent continuously, that is, the upper limit of the number of at least one SSB burst that the access network device can send after sending the first indication information.

[0177] Referring to Figure 11A, assuming M=5, after the access network device sends the first indication information to the terminal, the access network device continuously sends SSB bursts in the secondary cell of the terminal. When the number of SSB bursts sent is less than M and the access network device receives feedback from the terminal, the access network device can stop sending SSB.

[0178] Referring to Figure 11B, assuming M=5, after the access network device sends the first indication information to the terminal, the access network device continuously sends SSB bursts in the secondary cell of the terminal. When the number of SSB bursts sent is equal to M and the access network device does not receive feedback from the terminal, the access network device can stop sending SSB.

[0179] In the above-mentioned FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B , K1 represents the first time interval, and K2 represents the second time interval.

[0180] In another implementation, the access network device may further limit the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst by indicating a timer parameter. For example, after the access network device sends the first indication information to the terminal, the access network device starts a timer. Before the timer expires, if the access network device receives feedback from the terminal, the access network device may stop sending SSBs. If the access network device still has not received feedback from the terminal at the end of the timer, the access network device may stop sending SSBs. In this application, the expiration of a timer may also be referred to as a timer timeout.

[0181] In the above description, the access network device limits the number of SSB bursts sent by the access network device through the maximum number M of SSB bursts sent or a timer parameter. In another possible implementation, the access network device may also indicate a set of SSB burst quantities or a set of time windows for sending SSB bursts through the second indication information. Each time window for sending SSB bursts in the set of time windows for sending SSB bursts is a candidate time window for sending SSB bursts, and a candidate time window for sending SSB bursts corresponds to a timer parameter (or timer parameter). Thereafter, the access network device may indicate an element of the quantity set through the first indication information to limit the number of SSB bursts sent by the access network device; or, the access network device may indicate an element of the set of time windows for sending SSB bursts through the first indication information to limit the number of SSB bursts sent by the access network device by limiting the duration of the SSB bursts sent by the access network device. This allows for flexible indication of the SSB burst configuration. After sending a certain number (or a certain number of times) of SSB bursts, or after sending an SSB burst within a limited time window, the access network device may immediately stop sending SSBs, which helps reduce energy consumption of the access network device.

[0182] It should be noted that the access network device described in the embodiment of the present application sends at least one SSB burst, which can also be described as the access network device sending at least one SSB burst or sending at least one round of SSB bursts, that is, sending an SSB burst once or sending a round of SSB bursts is equivalent to sending one SSB burst.

[0183] The following first introduces the number of candidates for SSB burst indicated by the access network device through the second indication information.

[0184] Taking the second indication information carried in the RRC message as an example, the RRC message includes the sixth field, the sixth field includes the third sequence, the third sequence includes k7 elements, each element represents the number of candidate SSB bursts, that is, the candidate value of the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device, where k7 is a positive integer.

[0185] For example, k7 is equal to 3, and the k7 elements included in the third sequence are {1, 2, 3}, which means that the set of time windows for sending SSB bursts includes 1, 2, and 3, or the number of candidate SSB bursts includes 1, 2, and 3, that is, the access network device can send 1 SSB burst, or 2 SSB bursts, or 3 SSB bursts.

[0186] Optionally, on the basis of the set of the number of SSB bursts indicated by the second indication information, the first indication information is further used to indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst. The number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst indicated by the first indication information is one of the numbers in the set of SSB bursts indicated by the second indication information.

[0187] The value of the payload length n7 in the first indication information, which is used to indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, is related to the number k7 of elements included in the third sequence. For example,

[0188] For example, the k7 elements included in the third sequence are {1, 2, 3}, then k7=3, and based on the value of k7, n7=2 can be obtained, which means that 2 bits are required to indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst.

[0189] After sending the first indication information to the terminal, the access network device sends the at least one SSB burst in accordance with the indication of the first indication information. For example, the k7 elements included in the third sequence are {1, 2, 3}, and the first indication information indicates the element "1" with 2 bits. Then the access network device sends an SSB burst in the secondary cell of the terminal, that is, the number of the at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device is one. After the access network device sends an SSB burst (recorded as SSB burst 1), the access network device stops sending SSB, or sends SSB burst 2, and the time domain configuration of SSB burst 2 is different from the time domain configuration of SSB burst 1. Accordingly, after receiving SSB burst 1, the terminal stops receiving SSB bursts, or receives SSB burst 2.

[0190] It should be noted that when the sixth field is empty, or the sixth field is not included in the RRC message, the terminal believes that the access network device has not pre-configured the number of SSB bursts sent, or the number of times the SSB bursts are not pre-configured.

[0191] It should be noted that when the third sequence includes only one element, that is, k7=1, the access network device may indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst through the first indication information, and this number is the number of candidate SSB bursts corresponding to this element in the third sequence. Alternatively, the access network device may not indicate the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, and the terminal receives SSB bursts according to the number of candidate SSB bursts corresponding to this element in the third sequence.

[0192] Optionally, in one implementation, a sequence including k7 elements is predefined by the protocol, each element representing the number of candidate SSB bursts. In this implementation, the access network device may not indicate the set of numbers of SSB bursts to the terminal, but indicates an element in the set of numbers of SSB bursts in the first indication information, indicating that the number of the at least one SSB burst to be sent by the access network device is the number of SSB bursts indicated by the first indication information.

[0193] The following describes how the access network device indicates at least one candidate time window for sending an SSB burst through the second indication information.

[0194] Similar to the above description, the RRC message includes a seventh field, the seventh field includes a fourth sequence, and the fourth sequence includes k8 elements, each element representing a candidate time window for sending an SSB burst, that is, a candidate value for the time window for sending an SSB burst by the access network device. The number of the at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device is limited by the length of the time window for sending the SSB burst. The longer the length of the time window for sending the SSB burst, the greater the number of the at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device; conversely, the shorter the length of the time window for sending the SSB burst, the fewer the at least one SSB burst sent by the access network device.

[0195] For example, the k8 elements included in the fourth sequence are {1, 2, 3, 4}, which means that the set of time windows (in milliseconds or time slots) for sending SSB bursts includes 1, 2, 3, and 4, or at least one candidate time window for sending SSB bursts (in milliseconds or time slots) includes 1, 2, 3, and 4, that is, the access network device can send SSB bursts within a time window of 1 (millisecond or time slot), or within a time window of 2 (milliseconds or time slots), or within a time window of 3 (milliseconds or time slots), or within a time window of 4 (milliseconds or time slots).

[0196] Optionally, on the basis of the set of time windows for sending SSB bursts indicated by the second indication information, the first indication information is further used to indicate the time window for sending SSB bursts. The time window for sending SSB bursts indicated by the first indication information is an element in the set of time windows for sending SSB bursts indicated by the second indication information.

[0197] The value of the payload length n8 for indicating the time window for sending the SSB burst in the first indication information is related to the number k8 of elements included in the fourth sequence, for example,

[0198] For example, the k8 elements included in the fourth sequence are {1, 2, 3, 4}, then k8=4, and based on the value of k8, n8=2 can be obtained, indicating that 2 bits are required to indicate the time window for sending the SSB burst.

[0199] The access network device starts the timer when sending the first indication information to the terminal and starts sending the SSB burst. The length of the timer is the same as the length of the time window for sending the SSB burst indicated by the first indication information. If the timer is in time slots, the timer starts timing with the next time slot of the time slot occupied by the first indication information (usually occupies 1 time slot) as the first time slot. If the timer is in milliseconds, the timer starts timing with the next subframe of the subframe occupied by the first indication information (usually occupies 1 subframe) as the first subframe. If the timer is in symbols, the timer starts timing with the next symbol of the last symbol occupied by the PDCCH or PDSCH carrying the first indication information as the first symbol. Accordingly, the terminal detects the SSB burst within the time window for sending the SSB burst indicated by the first indication information. When the timer expires, the access network device stops sending the SSB, or sends an SSB burst with a time domain configuration different from the time domain configuration of the currently sent SSB burst.

[0200] It should be noted that when the seventh field is empty, or the seventh field is not included in the RRC message, the terminal believes that the access network device has not pre-configured the time window for sending the SSB burst.

[0201] It should be noted that when the fourth sequence includes only one element, that is, k8=1, the access network device may indicate the time window for sending the SSB burst through the first indication information, and the time window for sending the SSB burst is the time window for sending the SSB burst corresponding to this element in the fourth sequence. Alternatively, the access network device may not indicate the time window for sending the SSB burst, and the terminal may receive the SSB burst according to the candidate time window for sending the SSB burst corresponding to this element in the fourth sequence.

[0202] Optionally, in one implementation, a sequence including k8 elements is predefined by the protocol, each element representing a candidate time window for sending an SSB burst. In this implementation, the access network device may not indicate the at least one candidate time window for sending an SSB burst to the terminal, but indicates one of the at least one candidate time window for sending an SSB burst in the first indication information, indicating that the access network device will send an SSB burst within the time window for sending an SSB burst indicated by the first indication information.

[0203] The number of the at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst is, for example, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10, indicating that the number of the at least one SSB included in each SSB burst may be one of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. The access network device may indicate, through the first indication information, one of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 as the number of the at least one SSB included in each SSB burst.

[0204] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of the present application are only used for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily indicate the order in which they are executed. The order in which the processes are executed should be determined by their functions and internal logic.

[0205] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions described in the above embodiments, the access network equipment and terminals include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0206] The communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figure 8. The communication device according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 12 and 13.

[0207] Figures 12 and 13 are schematic block diagrams of communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments.

[0208] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a transceiver module 1210. The transceiver module 1210 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0209] Apparatus 1200 can be used to execute the actions performed by the access network device in the above-described method embodiments. Alternatively, apparatus 1200 is a component (e.g., a chip) configured in the access network device. Processing module 1220 is used to execute processing-related operations of the access network device in the above-described method embodiments. Transceiver module 1210 is used to execute receiving and transmitting-related operations of the access network device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0210] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0211] It should be noted that the apparatus 1200 may include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the apparatus 1200 may include a receiving module but not a sending module. This may depend on whether the above solution executed by the apparatus 1200 includes both a sending action and a receiving action.

[0212] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 is configured to execute the actions executed by the access network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 8. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 further includes a processing module 1220, and the processing module 1220 is configured to perform data processing.

[0214] Optionally, the device 1200 may also include a storage module, which can be used to store data and / or to store computer programs or instructions. The processing module 1220 can read the computer programs / instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device 1200 implements the above method embodiment.

[0215] When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the function of the access network device in the method embodiment as shown in Figure 8: the transceiver module 1210 is used to: send first indication information to the terminal on the primary cell of the terminal, the first indication information is used to indicate the time domain configuration of the SSB of the secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information is DCI or MAC CE; and send at least one SSB burst in the secondary cell of the terminal, each SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst includes at least one SSB.

[0216] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send second indication information to the terminal in the primary cell of the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, an upper limit of the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst. The first time interval is one of the at least one candidate first time interval, and the second time interval is one of the at least one candidate second time interval, or in other words, the at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

[0217] For a more detailed description of the transceiver module 1210, please refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 8, which will not be repeated here. The processing module 1220 can be implemented by a processor, and the transceiver module 1210 can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0218] For a more detailed description of the first indication information and the second indication information, please refer to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310 and an interface circuit 1320. The one or more processors 1310 and the interface circuit 1320 are coupled to each other. It is understandable that the interface circuit 1320 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the device 1300 may further include a memory 1330 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1310 or storing input data required by the processor 1310 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1310 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1320 can also be understood as a part of the processor 1310, in which case the device 1300 includes the processor 1310.

[0220] The one or more processors 1310 and the memory 1330 may be separately or integrated, and this is not limited.

[0221] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 12 , the processor 1310 is used to implement the functions of the processing module 1220 , and the interface circuit 1320 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver module 1210 .

[0222] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in an access network device, the chip of the access network device implements the functions of the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. When the chip of the access network device receives information from a terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the chip of the access network device by these modules. When the chip of the access network device sends information to a terminal, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0223] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the aforementioned communication method to be executed. In other words, the computer program includes instructions for implementing the aforementioned communication method.

[0224] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including: a computer program or instructions, which enables the above-mentioned communication method to be executed when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer.

[0225] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit, or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0226] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) (also known as read-only optical discs) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0227] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0228] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0229] In the embodiments of this application, various terms and abbreviations, such as SSB burst, SSB pattern, and time interval, are provided for ease of description and are not intended to limit this application in any way. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms in existing or future protocols that can achieve the same or similar functions.

[0230] The first, second and various numerical numbers mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0231] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can represent: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0232] In the embodiments of the present application, "sending" and "receiving" in the present application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending a first indication message to a terminal" can be understood as the destination end of the first indication message being the terminal, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving a first indication message from an access network device" can be understood as the source end of the first indication message being the access network device, which can include direct receiving from the access network device through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from the access network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0233] In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a terminal and an access network device; or it can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wiring or interface.

Claims

1. A synchronization signal block sending method, characterized in that: include: Sending first indication information to the terminal on a primary cell of the terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate a time domain configuration of a synchronization signal block (SSB) of a secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE); At least one SSB burst is sent on the secondary cell, each SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst including at least one SSB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The time domain configuration of the SSB includes one or more of the following: an SSB pattern for the first time interval, the second time interval, or each of the SSB bursts; The first time interval is the time interval between the time of sending the first indication information and the time of sending the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst, the second time interval is the time interval between two adjacent SSB bursts in the at least one SSB burst, and the SSB pattern indicates the time domain position of each SSB in each SSB burst.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The time interval between the time of sending the first indication information and the time of sending the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is: The time interval in time slots between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, the time interval in milliseconds between the subframe occupied by sending the first indication information and the first subframe occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, The time interval in symbols between the last symbol occupied by sending the first indication information and the first symbol occupied by sending the first SSB burst.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate the quantity of the at least one SSB.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first indication information is further used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first indication information is further used to indicate activation of the secondary cell.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate the number of SSB bursts or timer parameters included in the at least one SSB burst, and the timer parameters are used to limit the duration of sending the SSB burst.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending second indication information to the terminal on the primary cell, where the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, an upper limit of the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst; The first time interval is one of the at least one candidate first time interval, the second time interval is one of the at least one candidate second time interval, and the at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second indication information is carried in a radio resource control RRC message.

10. A synchronization signal block receiving method, characterized in that: include: Receiving first indication information on a primary cell of a terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate a time domain configuration of a synchronization signal block (SSB) of a secondary cell of the terminal, and the first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE); At least one SSB burst is received on the secondary cell, each SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst including at least one SSB.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The time domain configuration of the SSB includes one or more of the following: an SSB pattern for the first time interval, the second time interval, or each of the SSB bursts; The first time interval is the time interval between the time of sending the first indication information and the time of sending the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst, the second time interval is the time interval between two adjacent SSB bursts in the at least one SSB burst, and the SSB pattern indicates the time domain position of each SSB in each SSB burst.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The time interval between the time of sending the first indication information and the time of sending the first SSB burst in the at least one SSB burst is: The time interval in time slots between the time slot occupied by sending the first indication information and the first time slot occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, the time interval in milliseconds between the subframe occupied by sending the first indication information and the first subframe occupied by sending the first SSB burst; or, The time interval in symbols between the last symbol occupied by sending the first indication information and the first symbol occupied by sending the first SSB burst.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate the quantity of the at least one SSB.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The first indication information is further used to indicate the identifier of the secondary cell.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that The first indication information is further used to indicate activation of the secondary cell.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The first indication information is also used to indicate the number of SSB bursts or timer parameters included in the at least one SSB burst, and the timer parameters are used to limit the duration of sending the SSB burst.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second indication information is received on a primary cell of the terminal, where the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: at least one candidate first time interval, at least one candidate second time interval, at least one candidate SSB pattern, or an upper limit on the number of SSB bursts included in the at least one SSB burst, or the number of at least one candidate SSB included in each SSB burst; The first time interval is one of the at least one candidate first time interval, the second time interval is one of the at least one candidate second time interval, and the at least one SSB burst corresponds to the same SSB pattern in the at least one candidate SSB pattern.

18. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The receiving at least one SSB burst on the secondary cell includes: Based on the identifier of the secondary cell and the time domain configuration of the SSB indicated by the first indication information, the at least one SSB burst is received on the secondary cell.

19. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that After receiving the first indication information, the method further includes: The secondary cell is activated based on the first indication information.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 17 is executed.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that Used for storing a computer program, which, when the computer program is run on a communication device, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to be executed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19 to be executed.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that include: A computer program or instructions, which, when executed, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to be performed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19 to be performed.

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