Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, for use in flexibly indicating resource positions of sub-blocks so as to flexibly use a plurality of physical carriers for communications. The method may comprise: determining first indication information, and sending the first indication information. The first indication information is used for indicating the resource position of a first sub-block, the first sub-block is one of at least two sub-blocks comprised in a virtual carrier, and the at least two sub-blocks are in one-to-one correspondence with at least two physical carriers. On the basis of the method, by indicating the resource position of a sub-block in a virtual carrier by means of indication information, the resource positions of different sub-blocks can be flexibly indicated at low implementation complexity. In this way, when a plurality of physical carriers are shared by means of a virtual carrier, the processing time delay and signaling overhead can be reduced.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410452426.4, filed on April 15, 2024, and entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0004] At present, when multiple carriers of different operators or multiple carriers of the same operator are shared by a terminal device, the sharing can be implemented by using a carrier aggregation mode. However, the use of the carrier aggregation mode to implement the utilization of multiple carriers has high implementation complexity and requires the terminal device to support the carrier aggregation capability, which limits the method.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method that can flexibly implement and reduce the implementation complexity when multiple carriers are used. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to flexibly indicate the resource position of a sub-block, so as to flexibly use multiple physical carriers for communication.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a network device, or can be a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the network device. Taking the case that the method is applied to the network device as an example, the method can include determining first indication information and sending the first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate the resource position of a first sub-block. The first sub-block is one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier. The at least two sub-blocks correspond to at least two physical carriers one by one.

[0008] Based on the above method, the resource position of a sub-block in a virtual carrier is indicated by indication information, which can flexibly indicate the resource position of different sub-blocks, has low implementation complexity, and thus can reduce the processing delay and signaling overhead when multiple physical carriers are shared by using a virtual carrier.

[0009] In a possible design, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated by using the first frequency domain reference point.

[0010] In a possible design, the first frequency domain reference point can be reference point A, or can be an ending frequency domain position of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block, or can be a starting position of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be flexibly indicated by using different frequency domain reference points.

[0011] In a possible design, the first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on reference point A. In this way, the first frequency domain reference point can be flexibly determined.

[0012] In a possible design, the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately determined in combination with the first frequency domain reference point.

[0013] In a possible design, the first indication information can further include direction indication information used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point, or the direction indication information can be further transmitted. In this way, multiple sub-blocks can share one same frequency domain reference point by using the direction indication information, and the indication overhead can be reduced.

[0014] In a possible design, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated, and the indication is simple and has a small indication overhead.

[0015] In a possible design, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, position information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated.

[0016] In a possible design, the location information of the first physical carrier includes one or more of the following: a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier and a reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier. This can flexibly indicate the location information of the first physical carrier.

[0017] In a possible design, the relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier includes: a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block. This can accurately indicate the relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

[0018] In a possible design, the first indication information can also be used to indicate a resource location of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block. This can flexibly implement indication of resource locations of multiple sub-blocks through the first indication information, saving indication overhead.

[0019] In a possible design, the first indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a media access control control element (MAC CE), or downlink control information (DCI). This can flexibly implement transmission of the first indication information.

[0020] In a possible design, configuration information is sent, the configuration information can be used to configure the virtual carrier, and the configuration information includes the first indication information. This can simultaneously configure the virtual carrier and the sub-blocks in the virtual carrier, reducing indication overhead.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device, the communication device can be a terminal device, or can be a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit or a functional module, etc.) in the terminal device. The method can include: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a resource location of a first sub-block, the first sub-block being one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier, the at least two sub-blocks corresponding to at least two physical carriers in a one-to-one manner; and further determining the resource location of the first sub-block according to the first indication information.

[0022] Based on the above method, the resource position of the sub-block in the virtual carrier is indicated by the indication information, the resource position of different sub-blocks can be flexibly indicated, and the complexity is low. Therefore, when the multiple physical carriers are shared by using the virtual carrier, the processing delay and signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0023] In a possible design, the first indication information includes the index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and the bandwidth of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated by using the first frequency domain reference point.

[0024] In a possible design, the first frequency domain reference point is a reference point A, or can be an ending frequency domain position of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block, or can be a starting position of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be flexibly indicated by using different frequency domain reference points.

[0025] In a possible design, the first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on the reference point A. In this way, the first frequency domain reference point can be flexibly determined.

[0026] In a possible design, the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately determined in combination with the first frequency domain reference point.

[0027] In a possible design, the first indication information further includes direction indication information, and the direction indication information is used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point. Alternatively, the direction indication information can be received. In this way, the multiple sub-blocks can share the same frequency domain reference point by using the direction indication information, and the indication overhead is reduced.

[0028] In a possible design, the first indication information includes the index of the first sub-block, an ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block, and the bandwidth of the first sub-block. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated, and the implementation is simple and the indication overhead is small.

[0029] In a possible design, the first indication information includes the index of the first sub-block, position information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier. In this way, the resource position of the first sub-block can be accurately indicated.

[0030] In a possible design, the location information of the first physical carrier includes one or more of the following: a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier and a reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier. In this way, the location information of the first physical carrier can be flexibly indicated.

[0031] In a possible design, the relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier includes: a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block. In this way, the relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier can be accurately indicated.

[0032] In a possible design, the first indication information is further used to indicate a resource location of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block. In this way, the indication of the resource locations of multiple sub-blocks can be flexibly implemented by the first indication information, and indication overhead can be saved.

[0033] In a possible design, the first indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a system message, an RRC message, a MAC CE, or a DCI. In this way, the transmission of the first indication information can be flexibly implemented.

[0034] In a possible design, configuration information is received, the configuration information being used to configure the virtual carrier, and the configuration information including the first indication information. In this way, the virtual carrier and the sub-blocks in the virtual carrier can be simultaneously configured, and indication overhead can be reduced.

[0035] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus, which can be a network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a network device. The communication apparatus has a function of implementing the method in the first aspect or in each possible design example of the first aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0036] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally, a transceiving unit, which can perform the functions of the method in the first aspect or in each possible design example of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0037] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver can be used to receive and transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor(s) can be configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-described first aspect and / or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory can be coupled to the processor(s) and can store program instructions and data for the communication apparatus.

[0038] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver can be used to receive and transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor(s) can be configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-described first aspect and / or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory can be coupled to the processor(s) and can store program instructions and data for the communication apparatus.

[0039] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver can be used to receive and transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor(s) can be configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-described first aspect and / or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory can be coupled to the processor(s) and can store program instructions and data for the communication apparatus.

[0040] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver can be used to receive and transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor(s) can be configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-described first aspect and / or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory can be coupled to the processor(s) and can store program instructions and data for the communication apparatus.

[0041] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver can be used to receive and transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor(s) can be configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-described first aspect and / or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory can be coupled to the processor(s) and can store program instructions and data for the communication apparatus.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores program instructions. When the program instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method described in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application and any possible design thereof, or the second aspect and any possible design thereof. Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. Taking this as an example but not limited to: the computer-readable medium may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0043] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect is executed.

[0044] In the eighth aspect, the present application also provides a chip or chip system, comprising one or more processors, which are coupled to at least one memory and are used to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory so that the chip or chip system implements the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0045] For each of the above-mentioned aspects from the third to the eighth aspect and the technical effects that may be achieved by each of the aspects, please refer to the above-mentioned description of the technical effects that can be achieved by the first aspect or the various possible solutions in the first aspect, or the above-mentioned second aspect or the various possible solutions in the second aspect, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0047] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a co-construction and sharing architecture of different operators in an SA scenario provided by this application;

[0048] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided by the present application;

[0049] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a co-construction and sharing architecture of different operators in a DC scenario provided by this application;

[0050] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a virtual carrier provided by the present application;

[0052] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence between at least two sub-blocks and at least two physical carriers provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another correspondence between at least two sub-blocks and at least two physical carriers provided by the present application;

[0054] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0055] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0059] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another first indication information indication provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0062] FIG17 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The present invention provides a communication method and apparatus for flexibly indicating the resource location of sub-blocks to enable flexible use of multiple physical carriers for communication. The method and apparatus described herein are based on the same technical concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0064] To facilitate understanding, some terms involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced below.

[0065] 1) Network equipment, which may also be referred to as access network equipment, may be an access network equipment in a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or an access network equipment in a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The access network equipment may also be an access network equipment in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. The access network equipment may also be an access network equipment in a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are integrated.

[0066] In one possible scenario, the access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The access network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). Optionally, the access network device may also be a reader. All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network device in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0067] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist terminal devices 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 be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0068] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called open RU (open RU, O-RU). 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.

[0069] 2) Terminal equipment, which can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. Terminal equipment can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal device.

[0070] 3) In the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0071] 4) In the description of this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0072] 5) In the description of this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. " / " means "or", for example, a / b means a or b.

[0073] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system (such as long term evolution (LTE) system), fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system (such as new radio (NR) system), and future evolved communication systems (such as 5.5G mobile communication system, sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system), etc.

[0075] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various scenarios, such as terrestrial cellular communications, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), satellite communications, high altitude platform stations (HAPS) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, integrated access and backhaul (IAB), and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) communications.

[0076] Exemplarily, Figure 1 shows the architecture of a possible communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The architecture of the communication system may be an architecture in a stand alone (SA) scenario. In the communication system, a terminal device may be connected to a network device. The network device to which the terminal device is connected and the core network to which the network device is connected may be of the same standard. For example, if the core network (core) is a 5G core network, then the network device is a 5G network device, and the 5G network device is directly connected to the 5G core network; or if the core network is a 6G core network, then the network device is a 6G network device, and the 6G network device is directly connected to the 6G core network.

[0077] Based on the communication system shown in Figure 1, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a co-construction and sharing architecture of different operators in an SA scenario. In Figure 2, operator A and operator B can achieve network sharing by sharing network equipment.

[0078] The term "co-construction and sharing" used in this application can be understood as different operators jointly building network equipment through network sharing during network construction, thereby achieving network equipment sharing. Co-construction and sharing can also be referred to as network equipment sharing or shared network equipment. In the network equipment sharing scenario, access network equipment and antennas can be shared by different operators.

[0079] Figure 3 shows the architecture of another possible communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The architecture of the communication system may be an architecture in a dual connectivity (DC) scenario. In this communication system, a terminal device may be connected to two network devices of different or identical standards, and these two network devices may belong to the same core network. For example, in Figure 3, an example is taken in which a terminal device simultaneously establishes a connection with a first network device and a second network device. The first network device may be a network device in 5G or a network device in 6G; similarly, the second network device may be a network device in 5G or a network device in 6G. The core network may be a 5G core network or a 6G core network, etc.

[0080] In actual applications, when a terminal device establishes connections with both 5G and 6G network devices, the 5G network device can serve as the primary station and the 6G network device as the secondary station, or the 6G network device can serve as the primary station and the 5G network device as the secondary station. Other situations are similar and will not be described in detail.

[0081] For example, if the core network is a 5G core network, the terminal device is connected to the network device in 5G and the network device in 6G at the same time, where the network device in 5G serves as the main station and the network device in 6G serves as the auxiliary station; for another example, if the core network is a 6G core network, the terminal device is connected to the network device in 6G and the network device in 5G at the same time, where the network device in 6G serves as the main station and the network device in 5G serves as the auxiliary station; for another example, if the core network is a 6G core network, the terminal device is connected to two network devices in 6G at the same time, that is, the main station and the auxiliary station are both network devices in 6G.

[0082] Based on the communication system shown in Figure 3, Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a co-construction and sharing architecture of different operators in a DC scenario. In Figure 4, operator A and operator B can achieve network sharing by sharing two network devices.

[0083] Currently, in a co-construction and sharing scenario, that is, a scenario where different operators share access network equipment, carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate carriers of different operators. However, the implementation complexity of carrier aggregation is relatively high, and the following problems may exist: the network side needs to provide configuration information on each carrier, resulting in large signaling overhead; after the network side configures the auxiliary carrier, it is necessary to activate or deactivate the auxiliary carrier, and the activation or deactivation delay is relatively long; resources cannot be fully utilized; and the terminal equipment needs to support carrier aggregation capabilities. In addition, when multiple carriers of the same operator are aggregated and used through carrier aggregation, the above problems will also exist. Based on this, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method that can realize the use of multiple physical carriers through virtual carriers, which is flexible and low in complexity, can reduce processing delays and signaling overhead, and improve resource utilization.

[0084] In the following embodiments, the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail using a network device and a terminal device as examples. It should be understood that the operations performed by the network device can also be implemented by a processor, a chip or a chip system, or a functional module in the network device, and the operations performed by the terminal device can also be implemented by a processor, a chip or a chip system, or a functional module in the terminal device, and this application does not limit this.

[0085] Based on the above description, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, as shown in FIG5 , the process of the method may include:

[0086] Step 501: The network device determines first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a resource location of a first subblock, where the first subblock is one of at least two subblocks included in a virtual carrier, and the at least two subblocks correspond one-to-one to at least two physical carriers.

[0087] A virtual carrier can be understood as a logically continuous segment of frequency domain resources. For example, as shown in FIG6 , a virtual carrier can include frequency domain resources corresponding to virtual resource blocks (VRBs) 0 to VRB 149. It should be understood that a virtual carrier can also have other names, such as virtual resources, and this application does not limit this.

[0088] A virtual carrier may include at least two sub-blocks. For example, as shown in FIG6 , taking a virtual carrier including three sub-blocks as an example, sub-block 1 corresponds to the frequency domain resources corresponding to VRB 0-VRB 49, sub-block 2 corresponds to the frequency domain resources corresponding to VRB 50-VRB 99, and sub-block 3 corresponds to the frequency domain resources corresponding to VRB 100-VRB 149. It should be understood that sub-blocks may also be described in other ways, such as sub-resource blocks, frequency domain resource blocks, resource blocks, etc., and this application is not limited thereto.

[0089] The bandwidths of the at least two sub-blocks included in the virtual carrier can be the same, can be partially the same, or can not be the same, which is not limited in the present application.

[0090] The at least two sub-blocks correspond to the at least two physical carriers one by one, that is, each sub-block corresponds to one physical carrier, and the physical carriers corresponding to different sub-blocks are different. In some embodiments, the at least two sub-blocks can be continuous in the frequency domain, which can also be understood as that each two of the at least two sub-blocks are adjacent, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. In other embodiments, the at least two sub-blocks can be discontinuous in the frequency domain, which can also be understood as that there is a gap between each two of the at least two sub-blocks, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the gap between the sub-block 1 and the sub-block 2 includes two guard bands and a gap between the physical carrier 1 and the physical carrier 2, and the gap between the sub-block 2 and the sub-block 3 includes two guard bands. It should be understood that the schematic of the gap between each two of the sub-blocks in FIG. 8 is only an example for illustration, and is not a limitation on the present application.

[0091] The at least two physical carriers can correspond to different operators respectively, or part of the at least two physical carriers can correspond to one operator, and the remaining carriers can correspond to different operators respectively, or the at least two physical carriers can correspond to the same operator, which is not limited in the present application. For example, in FIG. 8, the physical carrier 1 corresponds to the operator 1, the physical carrier 2 corresponds to the operator 2, and the physical carrier 3 corresponds to the operator 3; for another example, the physical carrier 1 and the physical carrier 2 correspond to the operator 1, and the physical carrier 3 corresponds to the operator 2.

[0092] In the present application, the physical carrier and the carrier can be alternatively described. The carrier can also be referred to as a component carrier (CC). The carrier can be understood as a kind of resource unit for transmitting a channel and / or a signal in a communication system, and can represent a transmission resource. A carrier can have a certain bandwidth and a center frequency. The bandwidth and / or the center frequency of the carrier can be configured by a network device.

[0093] In an optional implementation, when the first indication information is used to indicate the resource position of the first sub-block, the following modes a1-mode a3 can be used.

[0094] Mode a1, the first indication information includes an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0095] The index of the first sub-block can be a number or a serial number of the first sub-block in the virtual carrier, and the like.

[0096] The first frequency domain position of the first sub-block can be a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block.

[0097] Optionally, the first frequency domain reference point can be a point A or can be an ending frequency domain position of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block or can be a starting position of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block.

[0098] For example, the first frequency domain reference point can be predefined or can be indicated by the first indication information or can be determined based on the point A or the first indication information can also be indicated by the network device through other messages.

[0099] For example, when the first frequency domain reference point is the point A and the first sub-block is the sub-block 1, as shown in FIG. 9, the first indication information can include a frequency domain offset between a starting position of the sub-block 1 and the point A and a bandwidth of the sub-block 1. In this case, the terminal device can obtain the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 1 based on the position of the point A and the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 1 and the point A, and can determine the resource position of the sub-block 1 according to the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 1 and the bandwidth of the sub-block 1.

[0100] The point A is a common reference point of a resource block grid and corresponds to a center position of a sub-carrier 0 in a common resource block 0.

[0101] The network device needs to obtain the position of the point A when indicating the frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the point A, and the terminal device also needs to obtain the position of the point A when determining the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block. For example, the network device or the terminal device can obtain the position of the point A as follows: the network device or the terminal device first obtains a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) frequency domain position, and then determines the position of the point A according to an indication K SSB The network device or the terminal device first obtains a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) frequency domain position, and then determines the position of the point A according to an indication K

[0102] For another example, when the first frequency domain reference point is the ending frequency domain position of a subblock adjacent to the first subblock, as shown in FIG. 10, and the first subblock is subblock 2, the first frequency domain reference point can be the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1, and the first indication information can include the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1, and the bandwidth of subblock 2. In this case, the terminal device can obtain the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 based on the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1 and the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1, and determine the resource position of subblock 2 according to the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the bandwidth of subblock 2.

[0103] Optionally, the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1 can be a positive number or 0. When the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the ending frequency domain position of subblock 1 is 0, it can be understood that the guard band in the physical carrier can be used for communication.

[0104] For another example, when the first frequency domain reference point is the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to the first subblock, as shown in FIG. 11, and the first subblock is subblock 2, the first frequency domain reference point can be the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2, and the first indication information can include the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2, and the bandwidth of subblock 2. In this case, the terminal device can obtain the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 based on the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2 and the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2, and determine the resource position of subblock 2 according to the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the bandwidth of subblock 2.

[0105] Optionally, the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2 can be a positive number or 0. When the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of subblock 2 and the starting position of the physical carrier corresponding to subblock 2 is 0, it can be understood that the guard band in the physical carrier can be used for communication.

[0106] In an optional implementation, the first indication information can further include direction indication information, which is used to indicate the frequency size relationship between the first subblock and the first frequency domain reference point. It can also be understood that the first indication information can indicate that the resource position of the first subblock is determined in a frequency ascending manner relative to the first frequency domain reference point, or indicate that the resource position of the first subblock is determined in a frequency descending manner relative to the first frequency domain reference point. Optionally, the frequency ascending manner can be understood as a positive direction, and the frequency descending manner can be understood as a negative direction.

[0107] It should be understood that the direction indication information can also be described by other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0108] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the first sub-block is sub-block 2, the direction indication information can indicate that the frequency corresponding to the first sub-block is greater than the frequency corresponding to the first frequency domain reference point, which can also be understood as determining the resource position of sub-block 2 in the positive direction. In this case, the first indication information can include the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 and the first frequency domain reference point (denoted as offset 1 in FIG. 12) and the bandwidth of sub-block 2. Further, the terminal device can obtain the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 based on the offset 1 and the position of the first frequency domain reference point and the direction indication information, and determine the resource position of sub-block 2 according to the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 and the bandwidth of sub-block 2.

[0109] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the first sub-block is sub-block 1, the direction indication information can indicate that the frequency corresponding to the first sub-block is less than the frequency corresponding to the first frequency domain reference point, which can also be understood as determining the resource position of sub-block 1 in the negative direction. In this case, the first indication information can include the frequency domain offset between the ending frequency domain position of sub-block 1 and the first frequency domain reference point (denoted as offset 2 in FIG. 12) and the bandwidth of sub-block 1. Further, the terminal device can obtain the ending frequency domain position of sub-block 1 based on the offset 2 and the position of the first frequency domain reference point and the direction indication information, and determine the resource position of sub-block 1 according to the ending frequency domain position of sub-block 1 and the bandwidth of sub-block 1 based on the direction indication information.

[0110] Optionally, the direction indication information can also be carried in other messages, for example, the direction indication information can be carried in a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message or downlink control information (DCI) and the like. That is, the network device can send the direction indication information through the above-mentioned messages, and correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the direction indication information through the above-mentioned messages.

[0111] In some embodiments, the direction indication information can be determined by a frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point. For example, when the frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point is a positive number, it can be implicitly indicated that the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point, i.e., the resource position of the first sub-block is determined in a frequency ascending manner relative to the first frequency domain reference point. When the frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point is a negative number, it can be implicitly indicated that the frequency domain offset between the ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point, i.e., the resource position of the first sub-block is determined in a frequency descending manner relative to the first frequency domain reference point.

[0112] In mode a2, the first indication information can include the index of the first sub-block, the absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of the starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block, and the bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0113] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the first sub-block is sub-block 2, the first indication information can include the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 and the bandwidth of sub-block 2. Further, the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 of the terminal device is obtained as the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2, and the resource position of sub-block 2 can be determined according to the starting frequency domain position of sub-block 2 and the bandwidth of sub-block 2.

[0114] In mode a3, the first indication information can include the index of the first sub-block, the position information of the first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and the relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

[0115] Optionally, the position information of the first physical carrier can include one or more of the following: the center frequency of the first physical carrier, the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and reference point A, or the bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

[0116] For example, the position information of the first physical carrier can include the center frequency of the first physical carrier and the bandwidth of the first physical carrier. For another example, the position information of the first physical carrier can include the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and the bandwidth of the first physical carrier. For another example, the position information of the first physical carrier can include the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and reference point A and the bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

[0117] The relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier can also be understood as position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier. For example, the relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier can include a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block. The frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block and the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier can be 0 or a positive number.

[0118] An example is shown in FIG. 14. When the first sub-block is sub-block 2, the first indication information can include a center frequency and a bandwidth of the first physical carrier corresponding to the sub-block 2, a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 and a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the sub-block 2. Further, the terminal device can determine the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier according to the center frequency and the bandwidth of the first physical carrier corresponding to the sub-block 2, and then determine the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 based on the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 and the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, and finally determine the frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 according to the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 and the bandwidth of the sub-block 2.

[0119] In an optional implementation, the first indication information can also be used to indicate the resource position of the second sub-block, which is one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

[0120] The implementation of the first indication information indicating the resource position of the second sub-block is similar to the implementation of the first indication information indicating the resource position of the first sub-block, and can be mutually referred to, which will not be repeated here.

[0121] It can also be understood that the first indication information can indicate the resource positions of all sub-blocks.

[0122] It should be understood that when the first indication information indicates the resource positions of different sub-blocks, the same manner can be used for indication, or different manners can be used for indication, which is not limited in the present application. Of course, the indication manners of the resource positions of all sub-blocks can be completely different or partially different, which is not limited in the present application.

[0123] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, taking an example of including three sub-blocks in a virtual carrier, the first indication information can indicate the resource position of the sub-block 1 through the aforementioned manner a1, for example, the first indication information can include the index of the sub-block 1, the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 1 and the reference point A, and the bandwidth of the sub-block 1; and the first indication information indicates the resource position of the sub-block 2 and the sub-block 3 through the aforementioned manner a2, for example, the first indication information includes the index of the sub-block 2, the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 2 and the bandwidth of the sub-block 2, and the index of the sub-block 3, the ARFCN of the starting frequency domain position of the sub-block 3 and the bandwidth of the sub-block 3.

[0124] In some embodiments, if the resource positions of multiple sub-blocks are indicated through the aforementioned manner a1, the multiple sub-blocks can multiplex the same frequency domain reference point, such as the reference point A, or the first frequency domain reference points of different sub-blocks are different, which is not limited in the present application.

[0125] In yet another optional implementation, the network device can further determine second indication information, and the second indication information can be used to indicate the resource position of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

[0126] It can also be understood that the resource positions of different sub-blocks can be indicated through different indication information.

[0127] The implementation manner of the different indication information indicating the resource positions of different sub-blocks is similar to the implementation manner of the first indication information indicating the resource position of the first sub-block, and can be referred to each other, which will not be described herein again.

[0128] Similarly, the implementation manner of the resource positions of different sub-blocks can be the same, partially the same, partially different, or completely different, which is not limited in the present application.

[0129] Step 502: The network device sends the first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0130] In the present application, the sending can also be described as outputting, transmitting, etc. That is, the network device sending the first indication information can also be described as the network device outputting the first indication information, or the network device transmitting the first indication information, etc.

[0131] Optionally, the sending can refer to the transmission between two devices, or can refer to the internal transmission of one device, such as the transmission from a high layer to a low layer of one device.

[0132] For example, the network device sending the first indication information can be understood as the network device sending the first indication information to the terminal device (e.g., the radio frequency unit of the network device sending the first indication information to the terminal device through the air interface), or can be understood as the baseband unit of the network device outputting the first indication information to the radio frequency unit of the network device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a system message, an RRC message, a media access control control element (MAC CE), or a DCI.

[0134] For example, when the first indication information is carried in multiple messages in the foregoing messages, the content indicated by the first indication information can be respectively carried in the multiple messages, for example, the system message indicating the position information of the frequency domain reference point of the sub-block, the RRC message indicating the frequency domain offset between the first frequency domain position of the sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point, and the bandwidth of the sub-block.

[0135] In some embodiments, if the resource positions of different sub-blocks are respectively indicated by different indication information, the multiple indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages, which is not limited in the present application.

[0136] In an optional implementation, the network device can configure a virtual carrier for the terminal device, that is, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device, and the configuration information is used to configure the virtual carrier. The virtual carrier is introduced in the foregoing description. The configuration information can include one or more of the following: the indexes of the sub-blocks included in the virtual carrier, the physical carrier information corresponding to the sub-blocks, the physical resource position indication (i.e., the first indication information) corresponding to the sub-blocks, the cell identifier of the virtual carrier, the BWP configuration in the virtual carrier, the scrambling identifier configured for the terminal device in the virtual carrier, etc. Optionally, the physical carrier information corresponding to the sub-blocks can include the cell identifier of the physical carrier and / or the resource position of the physical carrier.

[0137] Optionally, when the configuration information includes the first indication information, it can also be understood that the network device can indicate the resource positions of the sub-blocks included in the virtual carrier when configuring the virtual carrier. In this way, the network device can configure the virtual carrier and the sub-blocks in the virtual carrier at the same time, reducing the indication overhead.

[0138] In an optional implementation, before the network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device, the terminal device can send capability information to the network device, and the capability information is used to indicate the number of physical carriers that the terminal device can support. The network device can indicate the resource positions of the corresponding number of sub-blocks to the terminal device based on the capability information of the terminal device.

[0139] Step 503: The terminal device determines the resource position of the first sub-block according to the first indication information.

[0140] Wherein, based on the different implementation manners of the first indication information indicating the resource position of the first sub-block as described above, the terminal device determines the resource position of the first sub-block in different ways, which can be referred to the relevant description above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0141] In some embodiments, the network device can configure a bandwidth part (BWP) for the terminal device based on the virtual carrier, so that the terminal device transmits data based on the BWP. Wherein, the BWP can correspond to one or more sub-blocks, and correspondingly, the BWP can correspond to one or more physical carriers, so as to realize that the terminal device can transmit data through one or more physical carriers.

[0142] Based on the above communication method, the resource position of the sub-block in the virtual carrier is indicated by the indication information, which can flexibly indicate the resource position of different sub-blocks, and has low complexity. Therefore, when multiple physical carriers are shared by using a virtual carrier, the processing delay and signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0143] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device. Referring to FIG. 16, the communication device 1600 can include a transceiver unit 1601 and a processing unit 1602. Wherein, the transceiver unit 1601 is used for the communication device 1600 to communicate, such as receiving information (message or data) or sending information (message or data), and the processing unit 1602 is used for controlling and managing the actions of the communication device 1600. The processing unit 1602 can also control the steps performed by the transceiver unit 1601.

[0144] Exemplarily, the communication device 1600 can be a terminal device, a processor of the terminal device, or a chip, or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1600 can be a network device, a processor of the network device, or a chip, or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. in the above embodiments.

[0145] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1600 is used to realize the functions of the network device in the above embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1602 can be used to determine first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a resource position of a first sub-block, the first sub-block being one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier, the at least two sub-blocks corresponding to at least two physical carriers one by one; and the transceiver unit 1601 can be used to send the first indication information.

[0146] In an optional implementation, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0147] Optionally, the first frequency domain reference point is a reference point A, or an ending frequency domain position of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block, or a starting position of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block.

[0148] Illustratively, the first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on the reference point A.

[0149] In an example, the first frequency domain position of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first indication information further includes direction indication information used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point; or the transceiver 1601 can be further used to send the direction indication information.

[0151] In another optional implementation, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0152] In yet another optional implementation, the first indication information includes an index of the first sub-block, position information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

[0153] Optionally, the position information of the first physical carrier includes one or more of the following: a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and the reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

[0154] Illustratively, the relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier includes a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first indication information can be further used to indicate a resource position of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

[0156] In some examples, the first indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or a downlink control information (DCI).

[0157] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 1601 can further be configured to send configuration information for configuring the virtual carrier, the configuration information including the first indication information.

[0158] In yet another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1600 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the transceiver 1601 can be configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a resource location of a first sub-block, the first sub-block being one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier, the at least two sub-blocks corresponding to at least two physical carriers in a one-to-one manner; and the processing unit 1602 can be configured to determine the resource location of the first sub-block according to the first indication information.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0160] Optionally, the first frequency domain reference point is a reference point A, or an ending frequency domain location of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block, or a starting location of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block.

[0161] Optionally, the first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on the reference point A.

[0162] For example, the first frequency domain location of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain location of the first sub-block.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the first indication information can further include direction indication information, the direction indication information being used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point; or the transceiver 1601 can be further configured to receive the direction indication information.

[0164] In some other embodiments, the first indication information can include an index of the first sub-block, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0165] In some embodiments, the first indication information can comprise an index of the first sub-block, location information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

[0166] Optionally, the location information of the first physical carrier can comprise one or more of the following: a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier and a reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

[0167] For example, the relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier can comprise a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

[0168] In an optional implementation, the first indication information can also be used to indicate a resource location of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

[0169] For example, the first indication information can be carried in one or more of the following: a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or a downlink control information (DCI).

[0170] Optionally, the transceiver 1601 can also be configured to receive configuration information, the configuration information being used to configure the virtual carrier, and the configuration information comprising the first indication information.

[0171] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. The functional units in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present independently, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0172] The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or say the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor execute all or part of the steps of the method described in various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0173] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device. Referring to FIG. 17, the communication device 1700 can include one or more processors 1702. Optionally, the communication device 1700 can also include a transceiver 1701. Optionally, the communication device 1700 can also include at least one memory 1703. The memory 1703 can be arranged inside the communication device 1700, or arranged outside the communication device 1700. The processor 1702 can control the transceiver 1701 to receive and send information, messages or data.

[0174] Specifically, the processor 1702 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor 1702 can further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof.

[0175] The transceiver 1701, the processor 1702 and the memory 1703 are connected with each other. Optionally, the transceiver 1701, the processor 1702 and the memory 1703 are connected with each other through a bus 1704. The bus 1704 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the convenience of indication, only one thick line is used in FIG. 17, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0176] In an optional implementation, the memory 1703 is configured to store programs, etc. Specifically, the programs can include program codes including computer operation instructions. The memory 1703 can include a RAM, and can also include a non-volatile memory such as one or more disk memories. The processor 1702 executes the programs stored in the memory 1703 to implement the above functions, thereby implementing the functions of the communication apparatus 1700.

[0177] For example, the communication apparatus 1700 can specifically implement the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0178] In one embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1700 implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1701 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1702 can implement other operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, except the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, refer to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0179] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1700 implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1701 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1702 can implement other operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, except the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, refer to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0180] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include the network device, the terminal device, etc. involved in the above embodiments.

[0181] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions, which are executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the communication method provided by the method embodiment.

[0182] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product for storing computer programs or instructions, which are executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the communication method provided by the method embodiment.

[0183] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip or chip system, which comprises a logic circuit, and the logic circuit is used for executing the communication method provided by the method embodiment.

[0184] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip or chip system, which comprises one or more processors, and the one or more processors are coupled with at least one memory, and the one or more processors are used for calling programs in the memory so that the chip or chip system implements the communication method provided by the method embodiment.

[0185] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip or chip system, which is coupled with at least one memory, and the chip or chip system is used for implementing the communication method provided by the method embodiment.

[0186] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can adopt a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can adopt a computer program product in the form of one or more computer usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer usable program codes.

[0187] The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams according to the method, device (system), and computer program product of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing devices produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0188] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart or flowsheets and / or block or blocks of the block diagrams.

[0189] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart or flowsheets and / or block or blocks of the block diagrams.

[0190] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate resource location of a first sub-block, the first sub-block being one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier, the at least two sub-blocks corresponding to at least two physical carriers in one-to-one manner; sending the first indication information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first frequency domain reference point is a reference point A or an ending frequency domain location of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block or a starting location of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein, The first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on the reference point A.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The first frequency domain location of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain location of the first sub-block.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, The first indication information further comprises direction indication information, the direction indication information being used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point. Or, the method further comprises: sending the direction indication information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, location information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The location information of the first physical carrier comprises one or more of the following: a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier and the reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein, The relative location information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier comprises a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain location of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain location of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The first indication information is further used to indicate resource location of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first indication information is carried in one or more of the following: a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control control element (MAC CE), or downlink control information (DCI).

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The method further comprises: sending configuration information, the configuration information being used to configure the virtual carrier, the configuration information comprising the first indication information.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate resource location of a first sub-block, the first sub-block being one of at least two sub-blocks included in a virtual carrier, the at least two sub-blocks corresponding to at least two physical carriers in one-to-one manner; determining resource location of the first sub-block according to the first indication information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, a frequency domain offset between a first frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a first frequency domain reference point, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first frequency domain reference point is a reference point A or an ending frequency domain position of a sub-block adjacent to the first sub-block or a starting position of a physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, The first frequency domain reference point is predefined, or the first indication information is further used to indicate the first frequency domain reference point, or the first frequency domain reference point is determined based on the reference point A.

18. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein, The first frequency domain position of the first sub-block is a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block or an ending frequency domain position of the first sub-block.

19. The method of any one of claims 15-18, wherein, The first indication information further comprises direction indication information used to indicate a frequency size relationship between the first sub-block and the first frequency domain reference point. Alternatively, the method further comprises: receiving the direction indication information.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first indication information comprises an index of the first sub-block, position information of a first physical carrier corresponding to the first sub-block, and relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The position information of the first physical carrier comprises one or more of a center frequency of the first physical carrier, an ARFCN of a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, a frequency domain offset between the starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier and the reference point A, or a bandwidth of the first physical carrier.

23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein, The relative position information of the first sub-block in the first physical carrier comprises a frequency domain offset between a starting frequency domain position of the first sub-block and a starting frequency domain position of the first physical carrier, and a bandwidth of the first sub-block.

24. The method of any one of claims 14-23, wherein, The first indication information is further used to indicate a resource position of a second sub-block, the second sub-block being one of the at least two sub-blocks other than the first sub-block.

25. The method of any one of claims 14-24, wherein, The first indication information is carried in one or more of a system message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control control element (MAC CE), or a downlink control information (DCI).

26. The method of any one of claims 14-25, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving configuration information used to configure the virtual carrier, the configuration information comprising the first indication information.

27. A communications device, characterized by comprise units or modules for performing the method of any of claims 1-13, or comprise units or modules for performing the method of any of claims 14-26.

28. A communications device, characterized by comprise a processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions to implement the method of any of claims 1-13, or to implement the method of any of claims 14-26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any of claims 1-13, or implement the method of any of claims 14-26.

30. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-13 to be implemented or the method of any one of claims 14-26 to be implemented.

31. A chip or chip system, characterized by The chip or chip system comprises a logic circuit for performing the method of any one of claims 1-13 or performing the method of any one of claims 14-26.

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