Information transmission method and communication apparatus

Abstract

An information transmission method and a communication apparatus. A terminal receives first information, the first information being information used for instructing the terminal to skip uplink transmission. If the first information is set to true, the terminal may skip uplink transmission. The terminal receives first DCI, wherein the first DCI is used for scheduling first uplink transmission, and the first DCI may indicate a change of the active BWP for a cell. The first DCI carries an indication of a change of the active BWP for a cell. In response to the first DCI, the terminal switches from a first BWP to a second BWP, and performs first uplink transmission on the second BWP. In one example, the first DCI indicates that the active BWP for a cell has changed, and at the moment, the terminal sets the first information from true to false within a first time range, or does not activate a first information configuration within the first time range. A network and a terminal can have a consistent understanding of which BWP is an active BWP, thus ensuring normal data transmission and reception.

Description

Information transmission methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410497073.X, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 23, 2024, entitled "Method and Communication Apparatus for Information Transmission," and Chinese Patent Application No. 202411403429.5, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 30, 2024, entitled "Method and Communication Apparatus for Information Transmission," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for information transmission. Background Technology

[0003] The bandwidth part (BWP) is a continuous bandwidth resource allocated to the terminal by the network side, which enables flexible data transmission between the network side and the terminal side. Different terminal devices can be configured with different BWPs, and the terminal device only needs to support the BWP bandwidth configured by the network for the terminal device.

[0004] Currently, in 5G mobile communication networks, terminals are allowed to skip uplink transmissions when the network device performs uplink scheduling under certain conditions. This feature is called the uplink (UL) skip feature. Furthermore, 5G mobile networks support handover methods based on downlink control information (DCI) (DCI-based BWP handover). When the network device sends an uplink scheduling DCI for BWP handover, if the terminal correctly receives the DCI, the UE needs to perform uplink transmissions on the new BWP indicated by the DCI. The network device can determine whether the BWP handover indicated by the terminal was successful based on whether it can successfully receive the uplink transmission data sent by the UE on the new BWP.

[0005] If a network device enables the UL skip feature and sends an uplink scheduling DCI indicating a BWP switch, the terminal will not perform uplink transmission if certain conditions are met. In this case, the network will be unable to correctly receive the terminal's uplink transmission on the new BWP. From the network's perspective, there are two possibilities for not correctly receiving the terminal's uplink transmission on the new BWP: First, the terminal may have switched to the new BWP, but the terminal meets certain conditions and therefore did not perform uplink transmission. Second, the terminal may not have correctly received the DCI indicating the BWP switch, and therefore did not switch to the new BWP. The network cannot distinguish between these two possibilities, leading to a discrepancy between the network device and the terminal's understanding of which BWP is active, causing data transmission and reception problems and even affecting the enabling of the UL skip feature. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an information transmission method and communication device. In scenarios where the terminal device enables Skip and performs BWP switching, the network device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of whether the terminal device's BWP switching is successful, avoiding inconsistencies in the behavior of the terminal device and the network device. This prevents the link between the terminal device and the network device from being disconnected, ensuring normal communication between the terminal device and the network device and improving communication efficiency.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for information transmission is provided. The subject executing the method can be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device in implementing the method. The method includes: receiving a DCI, which instructs the terminal device to switch from a first BWP to a second BWP, wherein the terminal device enables uplink skip capability; responding to the DCI, switching from the first BWP to the second BWP; and transmitting first uplink data on the second BWP, the first uplink data including padding data packets.

[0008] The first aspect provides a method for information transmission. When the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, upon receiving a BWP handover command, it must transmit uplink data on the switched BWP, even if there is no valid data and / or signaling data. Padding data packets will not be skipped; they will be transmitted normally. This allows the network device to effectively confirm a successful BWP handover. It ensures consistency between the network device and the communication device's understanding of whether the BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the two, guaranteeing normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, sending uplink data on the second BWP includes: sending first uplink data on the second BWP during the execution of a first timer or before the end of a first time period. The first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data. In this implementation, after receiving the BWP handover signaling from the terminal device, the terminal device disables Skip capability (Skip capability is ineffective) during the first time period or the execution of the first timer (TSkipDisable timer). The network device confirms that the terminal device's BWP handover is successful after receiving at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets sent by the terminal. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of whether the terminal device's BWP handover is successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the terminal device and the network device. Furthermore, by disabling Skip capability on the terminal device within a time period or during the execution of the TSKipDisable timer, the terminal device sends padding packets on the new BWP. On the one hand, this simplifies the implementation and reduces complexity. On the other hand, it avoids the terminal device from sending padding packets continuously or for extended periods, thus saving energy consumption.

[0010] For example, the duration of the first time period or the duration of the first timer can be indicated to the terminal device by the network device through signaling (such as RRC, DCI, etc.); or, the duration of the first time period or the duration of the first timer can also be predefined by the protocol, or it can be preconfigured (or configured).

[0011] Optionally, before the terminal device sends the first uplink data on the second BWP, the terminal device can also receive an uplink authorization on BWP2, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data on BWP2.

[0012] For example, uplink authorization (or uplink transmission scheduling) can include dynamic authorization and configuration authorization.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after the first timer expires or the first time period ends, the method further includes: sending second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding packets. In this implementation, after the Skip capability is reactivated, the terminal device will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., skipping the transmission of padding packets, and the terminal device restores the Skip capability, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal device.

[0014] For example, the start time of the first timer or the start time of the first time period is: the moment when the DCI is received or the moment when the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP is completed.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, sending first uplink data on the second BWP includes: sending the first uplink data on the second BWP within M transmission opportunities, during the operation of counter M, or before the count reaches M. The first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data. Each time a transmission opportunity occurs, the value of counter M is incremented by one, or the count value is incremented by one. When counter M counts to M, counter M stops operating. In this implementation, for multiple uplink transmission opportunities authorized (scheduled) by the network device on the new BWP, the terminal device stops or disables the Skip capability (i.e., the Skip capability is ineffective) during the first M uplink transmission opportunities on the new BWP. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of whether the terminal device's BWP switchover has been successful, thereby avoiding communication problems between the terminal device and the network device, ensuring normal communication, and improving communication efficiency. Furthermore, by disabling the Skip capability on the terminal device within M transmission opportunities, during the operation of counter M, or before the count reaches M, the terminal device sends padding packets on the new BWP. On the one hand, the implementation method is simple, reducing the complexity of implementation. On the other hand, it can also avoid terminal devices sending padding packets for a long time or continuously, thereby saving the terminal devices' energy consumption.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the start time or the time when the counter M begins counting is: the time when the DCI is received or the time when the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP is completed.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after M transmission times on the second BWP, during the period when the counter M stops running, or after the count reaches M, the method further includes: transmitting second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding packets. In this implementation, after the Skip capability is reactivated, the terminal device will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., skip the transmission of padding packets, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal device.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the padding packet in the first uplink data carries first indication information, which indicates that the BWP handover was successful. In this implementation, indication information (i.e., the first indication information) is added to the padding packet. This indication information is used to indicate that the BWP handover was successful, and the padding packet becomes a non-empty data packet. This implementation is simple and reduces implementation complexity. It does not require disabling the Skip capability of the terminal device, and the modification to existing protocols is relatively small.

[0019] For example, the first indication information can be BWP-ACK information.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first uplink data further includes at least one of: valid data in non-acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in transparent mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode without carrying first indication information, or signaling data carrying first indication information. In this implementation, the network device can send feedback information to the terminal after receiving the first uplink data, achieving a consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the first uplink data was successfully transmitted.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information indicating correct reception of the first uplink data; and in response to the second indication information, transmitting second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding packets. In this implementation, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device no longer includes BWP-ACK information in the transmitted data (the transmitted data includes: padding packets, valid packets in unacknowledged mode, valid packets in transparent mode, valid data in acknowledged mode, and signaling data), and the BWP-ACK information is no longer included as a valid packet marker in the transmission channel. The terminal device can then stop transmitting the first uplink data to the network device. Furthermore, the terminal device continues to have Skip capability enabled. If the terminal device has valid data or signaling data to transmit, it transmits normally on BWP2. If the terminal device has no valid data or signaling data to transmit, it will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., skip the transmission of padding packets, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal device.

[0022] For example, the second indication information can be BWP-ACK-CNF information or ACK information.

[0023] Secondly, a method for information transmission is provided. The executing entity of this method can be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing the method, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: sending a DCI (Distributed Information Control Interface) to instruct a terminal device to switch from a first BWP (Browser Terminal Device) to a second BWP, wherein the terminal device enables uplink skipping capability; receiving first uplink data on the second BWP, the first uplink data including padding data packets; and determining that the terminal device's BWP switch was successful based on the received first uplink data.

[0024] The second aspect provides a method for information transmission where, with Skip capability enabled on the terminal device, after sending a BWP handover command to the terminal device, uplink data transmission will definitely be received on the switched BWP. Even if no valid data and / or signaling data is received, padding data packets will be received, meaning the padding data packets are also transmitted normally. This improves the efficiency of network devices in confirming successful BWP handover. It ensures that network devices and terminal devices have consistent understanding of whether the BWP handover has been successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between terminal devices and network devices, guaranteeing normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, receiving first uplink data on the second BWP includes: receiving first uplink data on the second BWP during the operation of the first timer or before the end of the first time period, wherein the first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, after the first timer expires or the first time period ends, the method further includes: receiving second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the start time of the first timer or the start time of the first time period is: the moment when the DCI is sent or the moment when the terminal device switches from the first BWP to the second BWP.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, receiving first uplink data on the second BWP includes: receiving the first uplink data on the second BWP during M transmission opportunities, during the operation of counter M, or before the time of counting to M, wherein the first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the start time or the time when counting begins for the counter M is: the time when the DCI is sent or the time when the terminal device completes the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, after M transmission times on the second BWP, during the period when the counter M stops running, or after the time when the count reaches M, the method further includes: receiving second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding packets.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the padding data in the first uplink data carries first indication information, which indicates that the BWP handover was successful.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first uplink data further includes at least one of: valid data in non-acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in transparent mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode without carrying first indication information, or signaling data carrying first indication information.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information to indicate correct reception of first uplink data; and receiving second uplink data on a second BWP in response to the second indication information, the second uplink data not including padding packets. For example, the second uplink data includes at least one of: valid data without the first indication information or signaling data without the first indication information.

[0034] The beneficial effects of the various possible implementation methods in the second aspect can be found in the explanation of the beneficial effects of the corresponding implementation methods in the first aspect above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0035] Thirdly, a method for information transmission is provided. The executing entity of this method can be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the terminal device. The method includes: the UE acquiring a setting of first information, wherein the first information is set to true, and the first information is used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission information; receiving first downlink control information (DCI), the first DCI being used to schedule a first uplink transmission, the first DCI including a bandwidth portion (BWP) indicator field, wherein when the BWP indicator field indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the UE applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or the UE does not apply the setting of the first information within the first time range, and the UE performs the first uplink transmission within the first time range; or...

[0036] The UE receives first downlink control information (DCI), which is used to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indication field, which indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell. The UE performs the first uplink transmission when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following:

[0037] The medium access control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization;

[0038] No uplink control information UCI is multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel PUSCH scheduled by the first DCI;

[0039] No aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the first DCI.

[0040] The MAC protocol data unit (PDU) includes the zero MAC service data unit (SDU);

[0041] The MAC PDU only includes periodic buffer status reports (BSRs) and has no available data for any logical channel group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes padding BSRs.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the BWP indicator field in the first DCI indicates that the activation BWP of a cell has not changed, and when the first condition is met, the UE does not generate a MAC PDU.

[0043] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0044] The UE receives a second DCI, which is used to schedule a second uplink transmission. When the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the second DCI falls within the first time range, the UE sends a second uplink transmission; and / or,

[0045] The UE receives a third DCI, which is used to schedule a third uplink transmission. After the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the third DCI is within the first time range, the UE does not generate a MAC PDU.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first time range is configured by the second information, or the first time range is preset, or the first time range is reported by the UE; and / or,

[0047] The start time of the first time range is preset, or the start time of the first time range is configured by third information.

[0048] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the start time of the first time range is: the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located, or the first time after the end of the time slot where the first DCI is located, and the first time is separated from the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located by a second time range.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information is skipUplinkTxDynamic, or enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic, or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0051] The UE reports first capability information, which indicates whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field in the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met.

[0052] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0053] The UE reports second capability information, which is used to indicate whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met. The second DCI is used to schedule the second uplink transmission.

[0054] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or the first uplink transmission is a PUSCH transmission, or a PUCCH transmission, or a reference signal transmission.

[0055] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0056] Upon receiving the fourth information, when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field of the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met, the fourth information enables or disables the UE from performing uplink transmission.

[0057] Fourthly, a method for information transmission is provided. The execution subject of this method can be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method in the terminal device. The method includes: obtaining the configuration of first information, wherein the first information is used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission information; receiving first downlink control information (DCI), wherein the first DCI is used to schedule a first uplink transmission, and the first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indication field; if the configuration of the first information is true, the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field is the same as the currently active BWP.

[0058] Fifthly, a method for information transmission is provided. The executing entity of this method can be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing the method, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: the network device sending first information, wherein the first information is set to true, and the first information is information used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission;

[0059] Sending first downlink control information (DCI), the first DCI is used to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion BWP indicator field. When the BWP indicator field indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the network device applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or does not take effect on the first information within a first time range, and the network device receives the first uplink transmission within the first time range; or...

[0060] The network device sends a first downlink control information (DCI) to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indicator field, which indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell. The network device receives the first uplink transmission when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is one or more of the following:

[0061] The Media Access Control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization;

[0062] No uplink control information (UCI) is multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH);

[0063] No aperiodic CSI is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI.

[0064] MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes Zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU);

[0065] The MAC PDU only includes the periodic BSR and has no available data for any logical channel group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes the Padding buffer data report BSR.

[0066] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the network device sending a second DCI, the second DCI being used to schedule a second uplink transmission, and the network device receiving the second uplink transmission when the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the second DCI is within the first time range.

[0067] The network device sends a third DCI, which is used to schedule a third uplink transmission. After the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the third DCI is within the first time range, the network device does not receive the third uplink transmission.

[0068] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first time range is configured by the second information, or the first time range is preset, or the first time range is reported by the UE; and / or,

[0069] The start time of the first time range is preset, or the start time of the first time range is configured by third information.

[0070] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the start time of the first time range is: the start or end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located, or the first time after the end of the time slot where the first DCI is located, and the first time is separated from the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located by a second time range.

[0071] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first information is skipUplinkTxDynamic, or enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic, or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured.

[0072] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: receiving first capability information, the first capability information being used to indicate whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field in the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met.

[0073] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: receiving second capability information, the second capability information being used to indicate whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met.

[0074] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or the first uplink transmission is a PUSCH transmission, or a PUCCH transmission, or a reference signal transmission.

[0075] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: sending fourth information, wherein when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field of the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met, the fourth information enables or disables the UE to perform uplink transmission.

[0076] Sixthly, a method for information transmission is provided. The executing entity of this method can be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor supporting the implementation of the method on the network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes: sending a configuration of first information, wherein the first information is used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission information; sending a first DCI, the first DCI being used to schedule a first uplink transmission, the first DCI including a Bandwidth Partial (BWP) indication field; if the configuration of the first information is true, the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field is the same as the currently active BWP.

[0077] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising: a module (e.g., including a processing module and an interface module) for performing the steps of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor within the terminal device.

[0078] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute: the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., within a terminal device.

[0079] A ninth aspect provides a communication device comprising at least one processor and interface circuitry, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute: the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., within a terminal device.

[0080] A tenth aspect provides a communication device comprising: a module (e.g., including a processing module and an interface module) for performing the steps of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0081] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute: the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the method of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0082] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and interface circuitry, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute: the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, the method of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0083] In a thirteenth aspect, a terminal device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the seventh aspect above, or the terminal device includes the communication device provided in the eighth aspect above, or the terminal device includes the communication device provided in the ninth aspect above.

[0084] In a fourteenth aspect, a network device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the tenth aspect, or the network device includes the communication device provided in the eleventh aspect, or the network device includes the communication device provided in the twelfth aspect.

[0085] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs a method of any one of the first to sixth aspects above, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0086] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored therein, and when the computer program is executed, it is used to perform the method of the first to sixth aspects above, or any one of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0087] In a seventeenth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip comprising: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, causing a communication device having the chip mounted to perform: any one of the first to sixth aspects above, or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the location determination process for a dedicated BWP for terminal equipment.

[0089] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the switching between different types of BWPs during the RRC Connected procedure.

[0090] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of different BWP configurations for a terminal device.

[0091] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device switching between different BWPs.

[0092] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device sending padding data packets when uplink pre-scheduling is enabled.

[0093] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating how a terminal device sends data packets in a scenario where the Skip feature is enabled, with uplink pre-scheduling enabled.

[0094] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating how a terminal device switches from BWP1 to BWP2 when Skip is not enabled.

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating how a terminal device switches from BWP1 to BWP2 when Skip is enabled.

[0096] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0097] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of an example of an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0098] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data transmission example of switching from BWP1 to BWP2 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0099] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of another information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0100] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of data transmission when switching from BWP1 to BWP2, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0101] Figure 14 is a schematic flowchart of another example of an information transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0102] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of data transmission from BWP1 to BWP2 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0103] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0104] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0105] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0106] Figure 19 is a schematic block diagram of another example of a communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0107] Figure 20 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0108] Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0109] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0110] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more.

[0111] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0112] In this embodiment, the terminal device or network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, this embodiment does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in this embodiment by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this embodiment. For example, the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or network device that can call and execute a program.

[0113] Furthermore, various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0114] In fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication networks, traditional mobile communication services primarily rely on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), such as WeChat, TikTok, and online games. Compared to 4G, 5G networks offer dramatically increased transmission bandwidth, supporting operating bandwidths of 100MHz or even 400MHz. In addition to eMBB services, it also introduces massive machine-type communication (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC). This means that besides mobile phones, 5G terminals offer a wider variety of types, including various smart water meters, electricity meters, drones, and autonomous vehicles. These IoT terminal services may not require very high download speeds, and many IoT terminals are even price-sensitive, falling into the category of low-end 5G IoT terminals. In this context, forcing all 5G terminals (mobile phones are just one form of 5G terminal) to support high bandwidth is highly uneconomical. Based on these considerations, 5G introduces BWP (Browser-Based Mobile Wiring) to support various types of terminals and services, truly enabling countless industries. Optionally, BWP can also be referred to as partial bandwidth.

[0115] A BWP (Bandwidth Buffer) is a continuous bandwidth resource allocated to a terminal by the network side, enabling flexible data transmission between the network and the terminal. Each BWP corresponds to a specific system parameter (Numerology) and is an essential configuration for 5G terminals to access 5G networks. In other words, BWP is a terminal device-level concept; different terminal devices can be configured with different BWPs. The terminal device does not need to know the bandwidth of the entire network carrier; it only needs to support the BWP bandwidth configured for the terminal device by the network.

[0116] BWPs can be divided into four categories: Initial BWP, Dedicated BWP, Active BWP, and Default BWP. These will be briefly introduced below.

[0117] (1) Initial BWP: The BWP used by the terminal device during the initial random access phase. The initial BWP is divided into downlink initial BWP and uplink initial BWP.

[0118] The downlink initial BWP is used to transmit system information block type 1 (SIB1), message 2 (Msg2), or message 4 (Msg4) during the initial random access process. The downlink initial BWP is defined as the frequency domain location and bandwidth of the control resource set (CORESET) corresponding to SIB1. The frequency domain location and bandwidth of the downlink initial BWP are indicated in the master information block (MIB) of the synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0119] The uplink initial BWP is used to transmit the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) of message 3 (Msg3) and message 4 (Msg4) during the initial random access process. All physical random access channel (PRACH) resources during the initial access process must be transmitted within the uplink initial BWP.

[0120] (2) Dedicated BWP: A BWP configured by a terminal device in the radio resource control (RRC) connected state. The current protocol stipulates that a terminal device can configure a maximum of 4 dedicated BWPs through RRC signaling.

[0121] The location determination process for the dedicated BWP on the terminal device is shown in Figure 1, including:

[0122] The location of the dedicated BWP of all terminal devices in the cell (such as terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 shown in Figure 1) is based on the same common reference point (Point A); each terminal device (such as terminal device 1 and terminal device 2) determines the starting position of its dedicated BWP bandwidth by assigning itself an offset relative to Point A, as shown by offset 1 and offset 2 in Figure 1; knowing the starting position of the bandwidth, the terminal device obtains the ending position of the dedicated BWP bandwidth by combining it with the allocated dedicated BWP bandwidth; the terminal device finally completes the frequency domain position and size of its dedicated BWP.

[0123] (3) Activating BWP: The BWP activated by the terminal device at a certain moment while in the RRC connected state. The activated BWP is one of the dedicated BWPs. The current protocol stipulates that the terminal device can only activate one configured dedicated BWP as its active BWP at any given moment while in the RRC connected state. The terminal device only receives the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) in the activated downlink BWP, and transmits the sounding reference signal (SRS), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the activated uplink BWP.

[0124] (4) Default BWP: When the terminal device is in RRC connected state, the BWP that the terminal device operates on after its inactivity timer expires. The default BWP is also one of the dedicated BWPs. The network device indicates to the terminal device which configured dedicated BWP is the default BWP through RRC signaling.

[0125] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of switching between different types of BWPs during the RRC Connected procedure.

[0126] As shown in Figure 2, terminal equipment 1 (also referred to as user equipment 1 (UE1)) corresponds to 4 dedicated BWPs, and terminal equipment 2 (UE2) corresponds to 2 dedicated BWPs. One of the 4 dedicated BWPs for terminal equipment 1 is active, and one of the 2 dedicated BWPs for terminal equipment 2 is also active. When the BWP inactivity timer for terminal equipment 2 expires, terminal equipment 2 (UE2) switches from the active BWP to the default BWP. For terminal equipment 2, the network device can indicate to terminal equipment 2 via RRC signaling which configured dedicated BWP is the default BWP. The network device can also indicate the BWP inactivity timer via PDCCH (Personal Data Center Communication).

[0127] Currently, BWP has three main application scenarios:

[0128] Scenario 1: Applied to low-bandwidth terminals accessing high-bandwidth networks, such as low-end IoT terminals like smart water meters and electricity meters accessing 5G networks with carrier bandwidth of 100MHz or even 400MHz. These terminals may only need a bandwidth of tens of kHz.

[0129] Scenario 2: The terminal switches between large and small BWPs to save power. For example, at a certain moment, a user is watching an 8K high-definition video on their phone, which requires the support of 5G's high bandwidth. The network can allow the phone to access a large BWP. After watching the video, the user starts sending messages on WeChat. At this time, the network allocates a small BWP to the phone, and the phone and the network can communicate with lower transmission power, thus saving power.

[0130] Scenario 3: Different BWPs, configured with different system parameter numerics, support different services. In fact, because different BWPs can have different parameter sets, they can be used for completely different scenarios.

[0131] For example, Figure 3 illustrates a different BWP. As shown in Figure 3, the entire 5G carrier bandwidth is divided into three BWPs. Different BWPs use different sub-carrier spaces (SCS) and cyclic prefixes to provide users with different services in different time periods. For example, BWP1 (SCS = 30kHz) provides users with eMMB services that have higher rate requirements, BWP2 (SCS = 15kHz) provides users with mMTC services that have high coverage requirements but low rate requirements, and BWP3 (SCS = 60kHz) can provide users with ultra-low latency uRLLC services.

[0132] The larger the operating bandwidth of a terminal device, the higher its power consumption. The NR protocol allows terminal devices to operate using BWP (Bandwidth-Based Video Processing) mode. Terminal devices can operate on a portion of the total cell bandwidth. When transmitting low-speed services, the terminal device operates on a narrower bandwidth; when transmitting high-speed services, it operates on a wider bandwidth. Through the application of BWP, the power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0133] For example, two dedicated BWPs can be assigned to a terminal device. The terminal device can switch between the two BWPs. If the traffic is low, it switches to the low-bandwidth BWP, and vice versa.

[0134] For example, Figure 4 illustrates a terminal device switching between different BWPs. As shown in Figure 4, the terminal device is configured with two BWPs, BWP1 and BWP2, where BWP1 has a larger bandwidth than BWP2. When the terminal device transmits large, high-speed data packets, it operates on BWP1 to support this high-speed service. When the terminal device transmits low-speed, small-packet data packets, it switches from BWP1 to BWP2, operating on BWP2 to support this low-speed service and save power.

[0135] The following is a brief explanation of the uplink skip (UL Skip) feature of terminal devices.

[0136] Optionally, in this application, the uplink skip (UL Skip) feature may also be referred to as "uplink skip (UL Skip) capability," "uplink skip (UL Skip) function," or "skip uplink transmission function," etc. This application does not limit the specific name of "UL Skip."

[0137] One characteristic of 5G networks compared to 4G networks is their shorter data transmission latency, allowing for faster response times. Network devices can enable uplink pre-scheduling / intelligent pre-scheduling, granting terminal devices more uplink transmission authorization, thus enabling the terminal devices to send more uplink data to the network. If the network device continues to grant the terminal device more uplink authorization (UL Grant) even when the terminal device has no valid data or signaling data, the terminal device will forcibly send padding packets, which can also be described as empty packets, resulting in wasted power consumption for the terminal device.

[0138] For example, Figure 5 illustrates a scenario where a terminal device sends padding packets when uplink pre-scheduling is enabled. As shown in Figure 5, the network device has enabled uplink pre-scheduling / intelligent pre-scheduling, which grants uplink authorization (UL Grant) to the terminal device to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data. When the terminal device does not have valid data or signaling data, it needs to send padding packets, resulting in wasted power consumption.

[0139] To address the aforementioned issues, the protocol defines UL Skip: When a network device sends an uplink grant, if the terminal device has no valid data or signaling data to send, and UL Skip is enabled on the terminal device, the terminal device will not send padding data packets, thus saving energy. In other words, if the data to be transmitted by the terminal device is a padding data packet, and UL Skip is enabled on the terminal device, this padding data packet will not be sent to the network device, achieving energy conservation for the terminal device.

[0140] It should be understood that in this application, "valid data" can be interpreted as valid user data (or valid user data). Valid user data can be carried in the PUSCH. Optionally, in the embodiments of this application, "valid data" can also be referred to as "valid data packet".

[0141] For example, "signaling data" may include UCI and other signaling data.

[0142] The UCI can include at least one of the following: HARQ, scheduling request (SR), and channel state information (CSI). HARQ can include: acknowledgement (ACK) and negative acknowledgement (NACK). The UCI can be carried in either the PUSCH or the PUCCH.

[0143] For example, other signaling data may include: buffer status report (BSR), sounding reference signal (SRS), and other uplink signals. This application does not impose limitations on the embodiments herein. Other signaling data may be carried in the PUSCH or the PUCCH.

[0144] For example, Figure 6 illustrates a scenario where a terminal device sends data packets in a Skip-enabled scenario with uplink pre-scheduling enabled. As shown in Figure 6, the network device sends an uplink grant (UL Grant) to the terminal device through uplink pre-scheduling / intelligent pre-scheduling to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data. If the terminal device has no valid data or signaling data and UL Skip is enabled, the terminal device does not need to send padding packets, i.e., it skips (Skip) the padding packets.

[0145] Network devices need to obtain user channel information or other information. Sometimes, terminals need to send CSI information even when there is no data. However, once the terminal enables UL SKIP, it will be beyond the control of the system side. Therefore, UL SKIP Enhanced (enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic) adds a provision: when the terminal device needs to send uplink control information (UCI), the UCI cannot be skipped (i.e., the UCI cannot be skipped).

[0146] In summary, the ULSkip feature can be understood as follows: when the network device has configured uplink transmission authorization for the terminal device, if the terminal device does not have valid data or signaling data, then the terminal device will not send padding data packets. Of course, for valid data or signaling data, the terminal device cannot skip sending it (i.e., valid data packets cannot be skipped). In other words, for valid data or signaling data, the terminal device needs to send it normally.

[0147] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, UL Skip can also be expressed as "UL Skipping" or "Skip". Unless otherwise specified, the three expressions have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0148] If the terminal device supports UL Skip capability, it reports its support for UL Skip capability to the network device (e.g., reporting support for skipUplinkTxDynamic / enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic). Upon receiving this report, the network device can send a UL skipping configuration to the terminal device via RRC signaling. This configuration authorizes or instructs the terminal device to enable UL Skip. Once the terminal device receives the configuration, it can enable the UL Skip function. The network device can also send uplink authorization to the terminal device to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data.

[0149] For example, the uplink grant (or uplink transmission scheduling) sent by the network device to the terminal device may include dynamic grant (DG) and configured grant (CG). DG is usually used for uplink transmission scheduling through DCI, while CG can be used for uplink transmission scheduling through higher-layer configuration signaling.

[0150] Currently, when a terminal device performs a BWP handover, the network device can instruct (configure) the terminal device to perform the BWP handover through RRC or DCI.

[0151] First, let's explain the situation where network devices can use DCI to instruct (configure) terminal devices to perform BWP switching.

[0152] During BWP handover, the network device can instruct the terminal to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 via DCI. Afterward, the network device can send uplink authorization to the terminal on BWP2 to authorize or schedule the terminal to send uplink data. The following explanations illustrate the scenarios with and without Skip enabled on the terminal device.

[0153] Scenario 1: Skip is not enabled on the terminal device:

[0154] After receiving uplink authorization from the network device on BWP2, the terminal device sends data packets to the network device on BWP2. Upon receiving the data packets from the terminal on BWP2, the network device confirms that the terminal device has correctly switched to BWP2.

[0155] It is understandable that even if the terminal device does not have Skip enabled, it will still send padding packets to the network device even if it does not transmit valid data or signaling data. Therefore, in this case, the data packets sent by the terminal device to the network device on BWP2 can include at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding packets.

[0156] If the network device does not receive data packets from the terminal on BWP2, the network device assumes that the terminal has not switched to BWP2, and the network device notifies the terminal device to fall back to BWP1 via DCI on BWP2. The network device continues to monitor BWP1 and BWP2.

[0157] The process between the moment the terminal device receives the DCI instructing it to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 and the moment the terminal device completes the switch can be termed the "BWP handover process," "BWP handover interruption," or "BWP handover transmission interruption." During this process or time period, the terminal device may not send data to the network device (or may not require the terminal device to send data to the network device). Alternatively, the time interval between the moment the terminal device receives the DCI instructing it to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 and the moment the terminal device completes the switch can be termed the "BWP handover interruption time interval." During this time interval, the terminal device may not send uplink data to the network device.

[0158] The BWP handover failure rollback time (also known as the "BWP handover failure rollback length" or "BWP handover failure rollback period") is defined by the network device. The "BWP handover failure rollback time" can be understood as the length of time the network device waits from the moment it sends the DCI instructing the terminal device to switch from BWP1 to BWP2. If no data packet from the terminal is received on BWP2 before the end of the waiting time (or before its expiration), the network device considers the handover to have failed and will notify the terminal device on BWP2 to roll back to the original BWP1. If a data packet from the terminal is received on BWP2 before the end of the waiting time (or before its expiration), the network device confirms that the terminal device has correctly switched to BWP2.

[0159] For example, Figure 7 illustrates a scenario where a terminal device switches from BWP1 to BWP2 without Skip enabled. Before the switch, the terminal device sends uplink data (e.g., at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding packets) to the network device on BWP1. Then, the network device instructs the terminal to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 via DCI. After switching to BWP2, the terminal device sends uplink data (e.g., at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding packets) to the network device on BWP2. The process between the moment the terminal device receives the DCI instructing it to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 and the moment the terminal device completes the switch from BWP1 to BWP2 is called a "BWP handover interruption."

[0160] Scenario 2: When Skip is enabled on the terminal device:

[0161] After the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device on BWP2, if the terminal device does not have uplink data to schedule at this time, that is, if there is no valid data or signaling data, then the terminal device will not send a padding data packet to the network device on BWP2 under the Skip procedure.

[0162] If the network device does not receive valid data or signaling data sent by the terminal device on BWP2, the network device will consider the terminal device's switch to BWP2 to have failed. The reason for this may be at least one of the following four:

[0163] (1) The terminal device failed to detect the BWP handover command on BWP1;

[0164] (2) After the terminal device switches to BWP2, the uplink authorization sent by the network device is missed on BWP2;

[0165] (3) The terminal device received the authorization instruction on BWP2, but was unable to send data. For example, the terminal device currently has no valid data or signaling data to send, or it skipped sending the padding data packet, resulting in the terminal device not sending any data packets to the network device on BWP2.

[0166] (4) The terminal device sends valid data and / or signaling data to the network device on BWP2, but the network device does not receive the correct data packets (valid data and / or signaling data) sent by the terminal device on BWP2. That is, the network device fails to receive valid data and / or signaling data.

[0167] After the terminal device enables ULSkip, the phenomenon described above (3) becomes particularly prominent or occurs more frequently. The network device does not receive the data packets sent by the terminal device on BWP2, and the network device believes that the terminal device has not switched to BWP2. However, the terminal device may have actually switched to BWP2, but skipped the sending of the padding data packets. This leads to inconsistent behavior between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the terminal device may have successfully switched to BWP2 and is communicating with the network device on BWP2, while the network device believes that the terminal device has not switched to BWP2. As a result, the terminal device and the network device have different understandings of whether the BWP switch has been successful. This will cause communication problems between the terminal device and the network device, fail to guarantee normal communication, and reduce communication efficiency.

[0168] If a network device sends a fallback signal to the terminal device via DCI on BWP2, but BWP1 still only contains padding packets, the terminal device will still skip sending the padding packets. This means the network device won't receive the packets on BWP1 either, and will remain unclear about the terminal device's behavior. For example, even if the terminal device has successfully fallen back to BWP1, the network device might not be sure, leading to inconsistent behavior between the two devices. Furthermore, if the terminal device is communicating with the network device on BWP2 while the network device has fallen back to BWP1, the link between them might be broken, compromising communication efficiency.

[0169] For example, Figure 8 illustrates a scenario where a terminal device switches from BWP1 to BWP2 with Skip enabled. Before the switch, the terminal device sends at least one of data or signaling data to the network device on BWP1 and skips padding packets. Afterward, the network device instructs the terminal to switch from BWP1 to BWP2 via DCI. Once on BWP2, if the terminal device has no valid data and / or signaling data, it will not send padding packets, i.e., it will skip padding packets. The network device will not receive any uplink data packets from the terminal device on BWP2.

[0170] In summary, in scenarios where network devices instruct (configure) terminal devices to perform BWP handover via DCI, if the terminal device has Skip enabled and has no valid data and / or signaling data to send, the network device will not receive any uplink data sent by the terminal device in the new BWP2 because the padding data packets are skipped after the BWP handover. The network device will then be unsure whether the BWP handover was successful, leading to inconsistent behavior between the terminal device and the network device. This can cause the network device to revert to the original BWP, resulting in a decline in network quality, communication problems between the terminal device and the network device, and ultimately, reduced communication efficiency.

[0171] In scenarios where network devices instruct (configure) terminal devices to perform BWP handover via RRC, while the aforementioned problems can be avoided, this method increases RRC reconfiguration. Network devices need to send a large number of RRC signaling messages, triggering extensive RRC signaling configuration and increasing communication resource overhead. Furthermore, the large amount of RRC signaling configuration may also cause the link between the terminal device and the network device to be disconnected (broken link), reducing communication efficiency.

[0172] In view of this, this application provides an information transmission method and communication apparatus. When the terminal device enables Skip, after receiving the BWP handover instruction, the terminal device must transmit uplink data on the switched BWP. Even if there is no valid data and / or signaling data, the padding data packet will not be skipped; that is, the padding data packet is also transmitted normally. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of whether the terminal device's BWP handover has been successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the terminal device and the network device. This prevents the link between the terminal device and the network device from being disconnected, ensuring normal communication between the terminal device and the network device and improving communication efficiency.

[0173] It should be understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to scenarios where BWP switching is performed when Skip is enabled on the terminal device.

[0174] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced first with reference to FIG9.

[0175] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 90 applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the communication system 90 includes: a radio access network (RAN) 900, a core network (CN) 930, and an Internet 940. The RAN 900 includes at least one RAN node (nodes 910a and 910b in Figure 9, collectively referred to as 910) and at least one terminal (920a-920j in Figure 9, collectively referred to as 920). The RAN 900 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 9). Exemplarily, a "node" can also be referred to as a "network element," for example, nodes 910a and 910b can also be referred to as network elements 910a and 910b, and nodes 920a-920j can also be referred to as network elements 920a-920j.

[0176] Terminal 920 connects to RAN node 910 wirelessly or via wired connection. Different terminals communicate with each other wirelessly or via wired connection. RAN node 910 connects to core network 930 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 930 and RAN node 910 in RAN 900 can be different physical devices, or the functions of core network equipment and the logical functions of RAN node 910 can be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of core network equipment and some of the functions of RAN node 910.

[0177] RAN 900 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 4G and 5G mobile communication systems (including standalone and non-standalone networks), New Radio (NR), future-oriented evolution systems (e.g., 6G mobile communication systems), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or it can be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) system, or it can be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems. The embodiments in this application are not limited herein.

[0178] RAN node 910, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, radio access network equipment, network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 910 in communication system 90 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 910 and terminal 920 are relative. For example, network element 920i in Figure 9 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 920j accessing RAN 900 through network element 920i, network element 920i is a base station; but for base station 910a, network element 920i is a terminal. That is, base station 910a and terminal 920i communicate via a radio air interface protocol. Of course, base station 910a and network element 920i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, relative to 910a, network element 920i is also a base station. RAN node 910 and terminal 920 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 910a and 910b in Figure 9 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 920a-920j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0179] For example, in the example shown in Figure 9, when Skip is enabled on the terminal, the terminal device can use the information transmission method provided in this application when performing BWP switching.

[0180] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can 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 9th-generation (9G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 9, 910a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 9, 910b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0181] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0182] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0183] For example, RAN nodes and terminals can be fixed or mobile. RAN nodes and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of RAN nodes and terminals.

[0184] For example, in the embodiments of this application, RAN nodes and terminals, different RAN nodes (e.g., network element 910a and network element 910b), and terminals can communicate using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Furthermore, communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0185] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the RAN node can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the RAN node, or by a control subsystem that includes RAN node functions. For example, a control subsystem that includes RAN node functions can be a control center in application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminal can also be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0186] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as 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 grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0187] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "RAN node" can also be referred to in different ways, such as "RAN node" can also be called network device, access network device or wireless access network device, etc. Unless otherwise specified in this application, "network device" will be used as the term, where network device is the original term for access network device (such as base station).

[0188] It should be understood that the communication system shown in Figure 9 is merely exemplary and should not impose any limitations on the communication systems applicable to the embodiments of this application. For example, the communication system shown in Figure 9 may also include more or fewer network nodes, such as terminal devices or RAN nodes. The RAN nodes or terminal devices included in the communication system shown in Figure 9 can be the various forms of RAN nodes or terminal devices described above. The embodiments of this application are not shown one by one in the figures.

[0189] The following section uses specific examples to illustrate the information transmission method provided in this application.

[0190] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, network devices and terminal devices are used as examples to illustrate the method. This is not a limitation, but rather an example; the terminal device in this application can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method. Similarly, the network device in this application can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method, or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The embodiments of this application are not limited herein.

[0191] The method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the information transmission method of this application. This method 1000 can be applied to the scenario or communication architecture shown in Figure 9. Of course, it can also be applied to other communication scenarios or communication architectures that have the above-mentioned problems. The embodiments of this application are not limited here.

[0192] The technical solution in the example shown in Figure 10 is as follows: When the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, the network device configures the terminal device to perform BWP handover via DCI. After receiving the BWP handover signaling from the terminal device, within a certain period of time (e.g., a preset time length), the terminal device sends uplink transmission scheduling on the BWP after the network device's handover. During this period, the terminal device sends uplink data on the BWP after the handover, even if the terminal device has no valid data and / or signaling data to send to the network device, it still needs to send padding packets. In other words, during this period, the terminal device stops or disables Skip capability. The network device confirms successful BWP handover after receiving at least one of the valid data, signaling data, or padding packets sent by the terminal on the BWP after the handover. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in their behavior. After the period ends, the terminal device restores Skip capability, thereby saving energy consumption.

[0193] As shown in Figure 10, the method 1000 shown in Figure 10 may include steps S1001 to S1011. The steps of method 1000 are described in detail below with reference to Figure 10.

[0194] S1001, the terminal device sends the first information to the network device. The first information is used to report that the terminal device supports Skip capability.

[0195] Accordingly, the network device receives the first information.

[0196] For example, a terminal device can report to the network device that it supports the "skipUplinkTxDynamic" or "enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic" capabilities.

[0197] S1002, in response to the first information, the network device sends an instruction to the terminal device, which authorizes the terminal device to enable the Skip capability.

[0198] For example, this instruction can be a supported UL skipping configuration issued by the network device via RRC signaling. This supported UL skipping configuration is used to authorize or instruct terminal devices to enable UL Skip.

[0199] Optionally, the indication information in S1002 can also indicate a time length (referred to as the first time period) or the time length of a timer. For example, the timer could be called Skip Capability Disable (T). SkipDisable Timer.

[0200] S1003, responding to the instruction message, the terminal device enables Skip capability.

[0201] S1004, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data on BWP1.

[0202] For example, network devices can send uplink authorizations (or uplink transmission scheduling) to terminal devices on BWP1. These uplink authorizations can include dynamic authorizations and configuration authorizations.

[0203] It can be understood that BWP1 is the BWP currently used by the terminal device. For example, BWP1 can be the activated BWP or the default BWP, etc.

[0204] S1005, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP1.

[0205] It should be understood that if the terminal device has valid data and / or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP1. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, since the terminal device has enabled Skip capability, it will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP1, i.e., it will skip the sending of padding packets.

[0206] In other words, in S1005, the terminal device may have sent at least one of the following to the network: valid data or signaling data, or it may not have sent any data to the network device.

[0207] The above S1001 to S1005 can be understood as the process of the terminal device enabling Skip capability and sending data on BWP1 before the handover.

[0208] S1006, the network device sends a DCI to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to switch from BWP1 to BWP2.

[0209] Optionally, if the indication information in S1002 does not indicate the first time period, or does not indicate T...SkipDisable The duration of the timer can also be indicated by the DCI in S1006, which can indicate the duration of the first time period or the duration of T. SkipDisable The duration of the timer.

[0210] Optionally, in some possible implementations, after the network device sends the DCI to the terminal device, the network device can also start or activate the BWP handover confirmation timer. The BWP handover confirmation timer indicates the length of time the network device waits to receive uplink data on the BWP after the handover, i.e., the BWP handover failure rollback time. If the network device does not receive any data packets (including at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets) from the terminal on BWP2 before the BWP handover confirmation timer expires, the network device confirms that the BWP handover has failed and performs a BWP rollback. If the network device receives data packets from the terminal on BWP2 before the BWP handover confirmation timer expires, the network device confirms that the BWP handover has succeeded and stops the BWP handover confirmation timer.

[0211] Since terminal devices do not need to send data to network devices during BWP handover, setting a BWP handover confirmation timer on the network device side can avoid the network device waiting for a long time to confirm whether the BWP handover was successful. This reduces the duration of communication interruptions, i.e., the length of BWP handover interruptions, thereby effectively improving the communication efficiency between terminal devices and network devices.

[0212] Optional, first time period or indication T SkipDisable The timer duration can be shorter than the BWP handover confirmation timer duration, thereby increasing the probability that the network device will receive the data packet sent by the terminal on BWP2 before the BWP handover confirmation timer expires.

[0213] Of course, the first time period or indication T SkipDisable The duration of the timer can also be greater than or equal to the duration of the BWP switching confirmation timer; this embodiment of the application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0214] S1007, the terminal device responds to DCI, switches from BWP1 to BWP2, and starts T SkipDisable Set a timer or start timing.

[0215] Optionally, as one possible implementation, the terminal device initiates T. SkipDisable The timer's start time or the moment it begins counting can be the moment the DCI is received, that is, the timer starts immediately after receiving the switching command. SkipDisableThe timer's timing or start timer. For example, as shown in Figure 11a. In this implementation, the terminal device can disable the Skip capability as early as possible (the Skip capability is ineffective), thereby allowing the terminal device to send padding packets earlier and reducing the waiting time for network devices to receive packets.

[0216] Optionally, as another possible implementation, the terminal device starts T. SkipDisable The timer's start time or the start time can also be the time when the BWP switch is complete, that is, the T starts immediately after the switch from BWP1 to BWP2 is completed. SkipDisable A timer or start timing can be used, as shown in Figure 11b. This implementation allows the terminal device to send padding packets to BWP2 as early and correctly as possible, reducing the waiting time for the network device to receive packets on BWP2 and decreasing the latency required for both the network device and the terminal device to correctly understand the successful BWP handover.

[0217] S1008, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device on BWP2, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data on BWP2.

[0218] S1009, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP2, and, in T SkipDisable The padding data packet is also sent before the timer expires or before the first time period ends.

[0219] It should be understood that if the terminal device needs to send valid data and / or signaling data, it will normally send valid data and / or signaling data on BWP2. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, due to the T... SkipDisable If the terminal device disables Skip capability during the timer's operation or before the first time period expires, the terminal device will send padding packets to the network device via BWP2. For example, as shown in Figure 11.

[0220] In other words, in T SkipDisable During the timer's execution or the first time period, the terminal device disables the Skip capability (the Skip capability is ineffective). In T SkipDisable During the timer's operation or before the first time period ends, the uplink data sent by the terminal device to the network device on BWP2 includes at least one of the following: valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets.

[0221] S1010, the network device receives uplink data sent by the terminal device in BWP2 and confirms that BWP is successful.

[0222] In T SkipDisable During the timer's operation or before the first time period ends, the network device can receive at least one of the following on BWP2: valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets sent by the terminal device.

[0223] Optionally, if the network device enables or starts the BWP handover confirmation timer, the network device stops the BWP handover confirmation timer after BWP2 receives uplink data (at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets) sent by the terminal device.

[0224] The method provided in this application embodiment, when the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, allows the network device to configure the terminal device to perform BWP handover via DCI. After receiving the BWP handover signaling from the terminal device, within a certain time period or T... SkipDisable During the timer's execution, even if the terminal device has no valid data and / or signaling data to send to the network device, the terminal device still needs to send padding packets on the new BWP. In other words, during this time period or T... SkipDisable During the timer's operation, the terminal device disables Skip capability (Skip capability is ineffective). The network device confirms successful BWP handover upon receiving at least one of the following from the terminal: valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets. This ensures consistent understanding of BWP handover between the network device and the terminal device, preventing inconsistencies in their behavior and thus avoiding communication problems, guaranteeing normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0225] In addition, by within a time period or T SkipDisable By disabling the Skip capability during timer operation, the terminal device can send padding packets on the new BWP. This approach simplifies implementation and reduces complexity. Furthermore, it avoids prolonged or continuous padding packet sending by the terminal device, thus conserving its power.

[0226] Optionally, as shown in Figure 10, the method further includes: S1011:

[0227] S1011, in T SkipDisable The Skip capability will be reactivated on the terminal device after the timer expires or the first time period ends.

[0228] It is understandable that after the Skip capability is reactivated, if the terminal device has valid data and / or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP2. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, because the Skip capability is enabled, the terminal device will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., it skips the transmission of padding packets, as shown in Figure 11. The terminal device restores the Skip capability, thereby saving power consumption.

[0229] In method 1000, the duration of the first time period or T SkipDisable The duration of the timer is indicated to the terminal device by the network device through signaling, such as through DCI in S1006 or indication information in S1002.

[0230] Optionally, in other implementations of this application, the duration of the first time period or T... SkipDisable The duration of the timer can also be indicated to the terminal device by the network device through other signaling (such as RRC); or, the duration of the first time period or T. SkipDisable The duration of the timer can also be predefined by the protocol, meaning the network device does not need to use signaling to indicate the duration of the first time period or T to the terminal device. SkipDisable The duration of the timer; or it can be pre-configured (or configured). This application does not impose limitations on the embodiments herein.

[0231] For example, the unit for the duration of the first time segment or the duration of TSkipDisable can be a slot, symbol, subframe, frame, etc. Of course, the unit for the duration of the first time segment or T... SkipDisable The timer duration can also be measured in microseconds (μs), milliseconds (ms), etc. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0232] For example, the length of the first time period or T SkipDisable The duration of the timer can be at the cell level, carrier level, or BWP handover level.

[0233] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of another information transmission method provided in this application.

[0234] The technical solution in the example shown in Figure 12 is as follows: When the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, the network device configures the terminal device to perform BWP handover via DCI, and the terminal device switches to the new BWP according to the handover signaling. For the uplink transmission opportunities (or scheduling opportunities) authorized or scheduled by the network device on the new BWP, the terminal device sends uplink data during the first M transmission opportunities (i.e., scheduling opportunities) on the new BWP. Even if the terminal device has no valid data and / or signaling data to send to the network device, it still needs to send padding packets during the first M transmission opportunities. In other words, during the first M transmission opportunities on the new BWP, the terminal device stops or disables Skip capability (i.e., Skip capability is ineffective). The network device confirms successful BWP handover after receiving at least one of the valid data, signaling data, or padding packets sent by the terminal. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in their behavior. After the first M transmission opportunities, the terminal device restores Skip capability, thereby saving energy consumption.

[0235] As shown in Figure 12, method 1200 may include steps S1201 to S1211. The steps of method 1200 will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 12.

[0236] S1201, The terminal device sends the first information to the network device. The first information is used to report that the terminal device supports Skip capability.

[0237] S1202, in response to the first information, the network device sends an instruction to the terminal device, which authorizes the terminal device to enable the Skip capability.

[0238] Optionally, the indication information in S1202 can also indicate the value of the transmission timing M, or the indication information in S1202 can also indicate the counter M. The counter M can also be called the M counter, which is used to count from the initial value (e.g., 1 or 0) to the point where it stops. In other words, the effective time (or running time) of the counter M is the length of the time from the start of counting to the moment M.

[0239] The transmission timing M can be understood as: in the order of N transmission timings from early to late in time, the first M transmission timings among the N transmission timings, the value of M can be less than or equal to N.

[0240] It is understandable that the effective time (running time) of counter M increases as the value of M increases.

[0241] For example, M can be a positive integer, and this application does not impose any restrictions on the specific value of M.

[0242] Optionally, the transmission timing can also be called the scheduling timing or the authorization timing.

[0243] S1203, responding to the instruction message, the terminal device enables Skip capability.

[0244] S1204, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data on BWP1.

[0245] S1205, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP1.

[0246] It should be understood that if the terminal device has valid data and / or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP1. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, since the terminal device has enabled the Skip capability, it will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP1, i.e., it will skip the sending of padding packets.

[0247] For the specific descriptions of S1201 to S1205 above, please refer to the explanations of S1001 to S1005 in Method 1000. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0248] S1206, the network device sends a DCI to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to switch from BWP1 to BWP2.

[0249] Optionally, if the indication information in S1202 does not indicate the value of the transmission timing M or the counter M, then the DCI in S1206 may also indicate the value of the transmission timing M or the counter M.

[0250] Optionally, in some possible implementations, after the network device sends the DCI to the terminal device, the network device may also enable or start the BWP handover confirmation timer.

[0251] Optionally, the effective time (running time) of counter M or the time taken for the terminal device to count to M can be less than the time length of the BWP handover confirmation timer, thereby increasing the probability that the network device receives the data packet sent by the terminal on BWP2 before the BWP handover confirmation timer expires.

[0252] Of course, the effective time (running time) of counter M or the time taken for the terminal device to count to M can also be greater than or equal to the time length of the BWP switching confirmation timer. This application embodiment does not impose any restrictions here.

[0253] S1207, the terminal device responds to DCI, switches from BWP1 to BWP2, and starts counter M or begins counting.

[0254] Optionally, as a possible implementation, the terminal device can start or begin counting the counter M at the moment the BWP handover is completed, i.e., immediately after the handover from BWP1 to BWP2 is finished. For example, as shown in Figure 13a. In this implementation, the terminal device can send padding packets to BWP2 as early and correctly as possible, reducing the waiting time for the network device to receive packets on BWP2, and decreasing the latency required for both the network device and the terminal device to correctly understand the successful BWP handover.

[0255] Alternatively, as another possible implementation, the terminal device can start the counter M or begin counting at the moment it receives the DCI, that is, immediately after receiving the switching command, the counter M can be started or counting can begin. For example, as shown in Figure 13b.

[0256] S1208, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device in BWP2, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data in BWP2.

[0257] It can be understood that the uplink grant sent by the network device to the terminal device can indicate multiple uplink transmission opportunities (i.e., transmission opportunities) on BWP2. In other words, the network device schedules or grants N uplink transmission opportunities by sending uplink grants to the terminal device on BWP2. Each uplink transmission opportunity can be understood as a time-frequency resource, and different uplink transmission opportunities correspond to different time-domain resources. Each uplink transmission opportunity is used to transmit uplink data (valid data, signaling data, or padding packets).

[0258] S1209, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP2, and padding packets are also sent during or before the counter M is running.

[0259] It should be understood that if the terminal device has valid data and / or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP2. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, because the Skip capability is disabled (Skip capability is ineffective) during or before the counter M is reached, the terminal device will send padding packets to the network device on BWP2. For example, as shown in Figure 13, in the example shown in Figure 13, the value of M is 3.

[0260] For example, suppose in S1208, the network device schedules or authorizes N uplink transmission opportunities to the terminal device in BWP2. Each of the N uplink transmission opportunities corresponds to a different time, and the terminal device can send uplink data to the network device during each uplink transmission opportunity. The value of M can be less than or equal to N. Starting from the moment counter M is started, or the counting begins, the counter M increments by 1 after each uplink transmission opportunity, following the chronological order of the N uplink transmission opportunities from earliest to latest. The initial value of counter M can be 0 or 1. Alternatively, the terminal device increments its count by 1 after each uplink transmission opportunity, with the initial count also being 0 or 1. When the counter value reaches M, counter M stops running (i.e., its operation ends), or the terminal device stops counting when its count reaches M.

[0261] Assuming N equals 10 and M equals 4, the counter's initial value is 0. Starting from the moment the counter is started, following the N uplink transmission opportunities in ascending order of time, after the first uplink transmission opportunity, the counter's value is 1, or the terminal device counts 1; after the second uplink transmission opportunity, the counter's value is 2, or the terminal device counts 2; after the third uplink transmission opportunity, the counter's value is 3, or the terminal device counts 3; after the fourth uplink transmission opportunity, the counter's value is 4, or the terminal device counts 4. The counter stops running when its value reaches 4. The counter's running time is from the moment it is started until the counter reaches a value of 4. Alternatively, the terminal device stops counting when its count reaches 4.

[0262] In other words, during the operation of counter M or before it is counted to M, the uplink data sent by the terminal device to the network device on BWP2 includes at least one of the following: valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets.

[0263] Optionally, S1209 can also be described as follows: In response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP2, and padding data packets are also sent within M transmission times.

[0264] For example, the first transmission opportunity in M ​​transmission opportunities could be the first transmission opportunity on the second BWP.

[0265] Of course, the first transmission opportunity in the M transmission opportunities can be the second transmission opportunity on the second BWP or other transmission opportunities.

[0266] S1210, the network device receives uplink data sent by the terminal device in BWP2 and confirms that BWP is successful.

[0267] During the operation of counter M or before it reaches M, the network device may receive at least one of the following on BWP2: valid data, signaling data, or padding data packets sent by the terminal device.

[0268] Optionally, if the network device enables or starts the BWP handover confirmation timer, the network device will stop the BWP handover confirmation timer after BWP2 receives uplink data sent by the terminal device.

[0269] The method provided in this application embodiment, when the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, allows the network device to configure the terminal device for BWP handover via DCI. After the terminal device switches to the new BWP, for the multiple uplink transmission opportunities authorized (scheduled) by the network device on the new BWP, the terminal device sends uplink data during the first M uplink transmission opportunities on the new BWP, in chronological order from earliest to latest. Even if the terminal device has no valid data and / or signaling data to send to the network device, it still needs to send padding packets during the first M uplink transmission opportunities. In other words, the terminal device stops or disables Skip capability during the first M uplink transmission opportunities on the new BWP (i.e., Skip capability is ineffective). The network device confirms successful BWP handover upon receiving at least one of valid data, signaling data, or padding packets sent by the terminal. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the two devices, thus preventing communication problems between them, ensuring normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0270] Furthermore, by disabling the Skip capability on the terminal device during the M transmission times, during the operation of counter M, or before the count reaches M, the terminal device can send padding packets on the new BWP. This approach simplifies implementation and reduces complexity. It also avoids prolonged or continuous padding packet sending by the terminal device, thus saving energy.

[0271] Optionally, as shown in Figure 12, the method further includes: S1211:

[0272] S1211, After the counter M stops running or counts to M, the terminal device enables the Skip capability.

[0273] It is understandable that after the Skip capability is reactivated, if the terminal device has valid data and / or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP2. If the terminal device does not have valid data and / or signaling data to send, because the Skip capability is enabled, the terminal device will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., it skips the transmission of padding packets. For example, as shown in Figure 13, the terminal device restores the Skip capability, thereby saving power consumption.

[0274] Optionally, S1211 can also be described as: After M transmission times on BWP2, the terminal device enables Skip capability.

[0275] In method 1200, the value of M is indicated to the terminal device by the network device through signaling, such as DCI in S1206 or indication information in S1202. Optionally, in other implementations of this application, the value of M may also be indicated to the terminal device by the network device through other signaling (e.g., RRC); or it may be predefined by the protocol, i.e., the network device does not need to indicate to the terminal device using signaling; or it may be pre-configured (or configured). This application does not impose limitations on the embodiments herein.

[0276] Optionally, the value of M can be the number of times the terminal device transmits on all channels, or the total number of times the terminal device transmits on one or more channels.

[0277] For example, the value of M can be at the cell level, carrier level, or BWP handover level. This application does not impose any limitations on the embodiments described herein.

[0278] Figure 14 is a schematic flowchart of another information transmission method provided in this application.

[0279] The technical solution in the example shown in Figure 14 is as follows: When the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, the network device configures the terminal device to perform BWP handover via DCI. The terminal device switches to the new BWP according to the handover signaling. For uplink authorization or uplink scheduling on the new BWP, the terminal device can add indication information (i.e., first indication information) to the padding packet. This indication information indicates successful BWP handover, thus making the padding packet a non-empty data packet. Optionally, the terminal device can also add this indication information to valid data in unacknowledged mode or to signaling data. Upon receiving the padding packet carrying this indication information, valid data in unacknowledged mode carrying this indication information, or signaling data carrying this indication information, the network device confirms that the terminal device's BWP handover was successful. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the terminal device's BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in their behavior. After the network device receives a padding packet carrying the indication information, valid data in unacknowledged mode carrying the indication information, or signaling data carrying the indication information, it replies to the terminal device with confirmation information (i.e., the second indication information). Upon receiving the confirmation information, the terminal device stops adding the indication information to the padding packet, or stops adding the indication information to the valid data packet in unacknowledged mode and the signaling data. In other words, the terminal device restores its Skip capability and does not send padding packets, thereby saving power consumption.

[0280] As shown in Figure 14, method 1400 may include steps S1401 to S1412. The steps of method 1400 will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 14.

[0281] S1401, The terminal device sends the first information to the network device. The first information is used to report that the terminal device supports Skip capability.

[0282] S1402, in response to the first information, the network device sends an instruction to the terminal device, which authorizes the terminal device to enable the Skip capability.

[0283] S1403, responding to the instruction message, the terminal device enables Skip capability.

[0284] S1404, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data on BWP1.

[0285] S1405, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP1.

[0286] For the specific descriptions of S1401 to S1405 above, please refer to the explanations of S1001 to S1005 in Method 1000. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0287] S1406, the network device sends a DCI to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to switch from BWP1 to BWP2.

[0288] Optionally, in some possible implementations, after the network device sends the DCI to the terminal device, the network device may also enable or start the BWP handover confirmation timer.

[0289] S1407, the terminal device responds to DCI and switches from BWP1 to BWP2.

[0290] In S1407, the terminal device can add a first indication message (e.g., BWP-ACK message) to the padding data packet to indicate a successful BWP handover. After addition, the padding data packet carrying the BWP-ACK message will be a non-empty data packet. The terminal device cannot skip sending the padding data packet containing the BWP-ACK message. The first indication message is used to indicate a successful BWP handover.

[0291] In transparent mode (TM), the sending entity does not add any extra control protocol overhead to the higher-layer data; it only decides whether to perform segmentation based on the service type. If an error occurs in a received data packet, the receiving entity, according to the configuration, either submits it after marking the error or discards it directly and reports it to the higher layer. Therefore, after receiving a data packet in transparent mode, the receiving entity does not report back to the sending entity whether the data packet was successfully received; that is, it does not have automatic repeat request (ARQ) capability.

[0292] In unacknowledged mode (UM): the sending entity adds necessary control protocol overhead to the higher-layer data packet before transmission, but delivery to the peer is not guaranteed, and no retransmission protocol is used. The receiving entity marks any received erroneous data as an error and then delivers it, or discards it and reports it to the higher layer. In other words, it also lacks ARQ capability.

[0293] In acknowledged mode (AM): the transmitting side adds necessary control protocol overhead to the higher-layer data before transmission, ensuring delivery to the peer entity. It has ARQ capability; if the receiving side's radio link control (RLC) layer entity receives an erroneous data packet, it notifies the transmitting side's RLC to retransmit the packet. Because RLC packets contain sequence number information, it supports ordered / out-of-order delivery of data to higher layers. In other words, AM mode has ARQ capability.

[0294] Therefore, in this embodiment, for valid data packets in unacknowledged mode, the terminal device can also add BWP-ACK information to the data packets in unacknowledged mode. For valid data packets in unacknowledged mode carrying BWP-ACK information, the terminal device sends them normally.

[0295] It should be understood that in this application, "adding BWP-ACK information to a data packet in unacknowledged mode" can also be understood or expressed as: adding BWP-ACK to the channel carrying unacknowledged mode data packets.

[0296] For valid data packets in transparent mode, the terminal device can also add BWP-ACK information to the transparent mode data packets (adding BWP-ACK to the channel carrying the transparent mode data packets). For valid transparent mode data packets carrying BWP-ACK information, the terminal device will send them normally.

[0297] For valid data packets in acknowledgment mode, the terminal device can also add BWP-ACK information to the acknowledgment mode data packets (adding BWP-ACK to the channel carrying the acknowledgment mode data packets). Of course, since acknowledgment mode has ARQ capability, the terminal device may also choose not to add BWP-ACK information to the acknowledgment mode data packets (not adding BWP-ACK to the channel carrying the acknowledgment mode data packets). For valid acknowledgment mode data packets with or without BWP-ACK information, the terminal device transmits them normally.

[0298] Optionally, for signaling data, the terminal device can also add BWP-ACK to the signaling data. For example, BWP-ACK can be added to the channel carrying the signaling data.

[0299] S1408, the network device sends an uplink authorization to the terminal device in BWP2, which is used to authorize or schedule the terminal device to send uplink data in BWP2.

[0300] S1409, in response to uplink authorization, the terminal device sends uplink data to the network device on BWP2. The uplink data includes at least one of the following: a padding data packet carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in non-acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in transparent mode carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in acknowledgment mode without carrying BWP-ACK information, and signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information. The BWP-ACK information is used to indicate that the BWP handover was successful.

[0301] For padding packets carrying BWP-ACK information, the terminal device cannot skip sending the padding packets carrying BWP-ACK information; that is, the terminal device needs to send the padding packets carrying BWP-ACK information to the network device via BWP2.

[0302] For valid data packets in unacknowledged mode carrying BWP-ACK information (i.e., channels carrying valid data packets in unacknowledged mode carrying BWP-ACK information), the terminal device transmits them normally.

[0303] For valid data packets in transparent mode carrying BWP-ACK information (i.e., channels carrying valid data packets in transparent mode carrying BWP-ACK information), the terminal device transmits them normally.

[0304] For valid data packets in acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information (i.e., channels carrying valid data packets in acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information), the terminal device sends them normally.

[0305] For valid data packets in acknowledgment mode that do not carry BWP-ACK information (the channel carrying valid data packets in acknowledgment mode), the terminal device transmits them normally.

[0306] Terminal equipment transmits signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information (i.e., channels carrying BWP-ACK information and signaling data) normally.

[0307] S1410, the network device receives uplink data sent by the terminal device in BWP2 and confirms that BWP is successful.

[0308] The method provided in this application embodiment, when the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, allows the network device to configure the terminal device to perform BWP handover via DCI. The terminal device then switches to the new BWP according to the handover signaling. For uplink transmission scheduling authorized or scheduled by the network device on the new BWP, the terminal device adds indication information (e.g., BWP-ACK information) to the padding packet. This indication information indicates successful BWP handover, thus making the padding packet a non-empty data packet. Optionally, the terminal device can also add this indication information to valid data packets in unacknowledged mode or to signaling data. The terminal device can then send at least one of the following to the network device on the new BWP: a padding packet carrying the indication information, valid data in unacknowledged mode carrying the indication information, or signaling data carrying the indication information. Upon receiving the uplink data, the network device confirms that the terminal device's BWP handover was successful. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding whether the terminal device's BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the terminal device and the network device, preventing communication problems between the two devices, ensuring normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0309] Optionally, as shown in Figure 14, the method further includes: S1411 and S1412.

[0310] S1411 After receiving uplink data sent by the terminal device in BWP2, the network device replies to the terminal device with a second indication message. The second indication message is used to indicate that the network device has correctly or successfully received the uplink data.

[0311] For example, for padding packets carrying BWP-ACK information, valid packets in non-acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, valid packets in transparent mode carrying BWP-ACK information, valid packets in acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, and signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information, the network device can reply with BWP-ACK-CNF information to the terminal device. The BWP-ACK-CNF information (i.e., the second indication information) indicates that the network device has correctly or successfully received these packets.

[0312] For valid data packets in acknowledgment mode that do not carry BWP-ACK information, the network device can reply with ACK information to the terminal device. The ACK information (second indication information) indicates that the network device has correctly or successfully received these data packets.

[0313] In other words, the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device has confirmed or is aware that the BWP handover was successful.

[0314] S1412, after receiving the second instruction information, the terminal device stops sending data carrying BWP-ACK information to the network device and continues to have Skip capability active.

[0315] For example, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device stops adding indication information (such as BWP-ACK information) to the data (including padding packets, valid packets in unacknowledged mode, valid packets in transparent mode, valid packets in acknowledged mode, and signaling data) and stops sending packets carrying the indication information to the network device.

[0316] In other words, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device no longer includes the BWP-ACK information in the transmitted data (which includes: padding data packets, valid data packets in unacknowledged mode, valid data packets in transparent mode, valid data in acknowledged mode, and signaling data). The BWP-ACK information is no longer included in the transmission channel as a valid data packet identifier.

[0317] In this way, after receiving the second instruction information, the terminal device can stop sending at least one of the following to the network device: a padding data packet carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in non-acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in transparent mode carrying BWP-ACK information, a valid data packet in acknowledgment mode carrying BWP-ACK information, or signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information.

[0318] Furthermore, the terminal device continues to have Skip capability enabled. If the terminal device has valid data or signaling data to send, it will send it normally on BWP2. If the terminal device does not have valid data or signaling data to send, it will not send padding packets to the network device on BWP2, i.e., it skips the transmission of padding packets, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal device.

[0319] For example, Figure 15 illustrates a terminal device sending uplink data to a network device on BWP2. After the terminal device switches from BWP1 to BWP2, as shown in Figure 15a, for padding data packets carrying BWP-ACK information, the terminal device needs to send padding data packets carrying BWP-ACK information to the network device on BWP2. After receiving the BWP-ACK-CNF information from the network device, subsequent padding data packets do not include BWP-ACK information and are skipped. Valid data (including valid data packets in unacknowledged mode, transparent mode, and acknowledged mode) and signaling data are transmitted normally.

[0320] As shown in Figure 15b, for valid data packets in UM mode carrying BWP-ACK information, valid data packets in TM mode carrying BWP-ACK information, signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information, and valid data packets in AM mode without BWP-ACK information, the terminal device sends these data packets to the network device in BWP2. After receiving the BWP-ACK-CNF or ACK information from the network device, for subsequent padding data packets, no BWP-ACK information is added, and the transmission of padding data packets is skipped. Furthermore, valid data and signaling data are transmitted normally.

[0321] As shown in Figure 15c, for padding packets carrying BWP-ACK information, valid packets in UM mode carrying BWP-ACK information, valid packets in TM mode carrying BWP-ACK information, signaling data carrying BWP-ACK information, and valid packets in AM mode carrying BWP-ACK information, the terminal device sends these packets to the network device in BWP2. After receiving the BWP-ACK-CNF response from the network device, for subsequent padding packets, no BWP-ACK information is added, and the transmission of padding packets is skipped. Furthermore, valid data and signaling data are transmitted normally.

[0322] The information transmission method provided in this application, when the terminal device has Skip enabled, requires the terminal device to send uplink data within a certain period or during the first M transmission opportunities after switching to the new BWP, even if there is no valid data or signaling data. The padding data packet will not be skipped; it will be sent normally. Alternatively, indication information can be added to the padding data packet, making it a non-empty packet. The new BWP of the terminal device cannot skip this padding data packet. Upon receiving the data packet sent by the terminal device (e.g., including padding data packet with indication information, padding data packet, valid data, signaling data, valid data with indication information, or signaling data with indication information), the network device confirms that the BWP switchover of the terminal device was successful. This ensures consistent understanding between the network device and the terminal device regarding the success of the BWP switchover, avoiding inconsistencies in their behavior and preventing link breaks between the terminal device and the network device. This guarantees normal communication between the terminal device and the network device and improves communication efficiency.

[0323] If the network enables the UL skip feature and the network (i.e., the network device) sends an uplink scheduling DCI indicating BWP handover, the UE will not perform uplink transmission if certain conditions are met. In this case, the network will be unable to correctly receive the UE's uplink transmission on the new BWP. From the network's perspective, there are two possibilities for not correctly receiving the UE's uplink transmission on the new BWP: First, the UE may have already switched to the new BWP, but the UE meets certain conditions and therefore did not perform uplink transmission. Second, the UE may not have correctly received the DCI indicating BWP handover, and therefore did not switch to the new BWP. The network cannot distinguish between these two possibilities, resulting in a discrepancy between the network and the UE's understanding of which BWP is active, causing data transmission and reception problems and even affecting the enabling of the UL skip feature.

[0324] To address the aforementioned problems, this application also provides an information transmission method, which can be executed by a terminal, and includes:

[0325] The terminal receives first information, which is information used to instruct the terminal device to skip uplink transmission.

[0326] If the first information is set to true, the terminal can skip the uplink transmission.

[0327] The terminal receives first downlink control information, which is used to schedule a first uplink transmission. This DCI may indicate a change in the active BWP of a cell. An example of this DCI indicating a change in the active BWP of a cell is that the identifier (ID) of the active BWP carried in the first DCI is different from the ID of the currently active BWP. The terminal device responds to the first DCI, switches from the first BWP to the second BWP, and performs the first uplink transmission on the second BWP. An example is that the terminal device receives first downlink control information indicating a change in the active BWP of a cell; at this time, the UE applies the first information setting from true to false within a first time frame, or does not apply the first information configuration within a first time frame. The first uplink transmission may involve adding padding packets to the uplink transmission. An exemplary example is that the first transmission may be sent with all or part of the padding packets added to the PUSCH.

[0328] Furthermore, the first information can be skip uplink (skipUplinkTxDynamic), enhanced SkipUplink (enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic), or enhanced SkipUplink (enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured).

[0329] One example is as follows: When the first information is `skipUplinkTxDynamic`, the terminal device receives the first downlink control information (DCI), which indicates that the active BWP of a cell has changed. The UE applies the first information setting from `true` to `false` within a first time range. When the first information is `enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic` or `enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured`, the terminal device receives the first downlink control information, which indicates that the active BWP of a cell has changed. The UE does not apply the first information configuration within a first time range. The size of the first time range can be preset, configured by the network, or reported by the UE.

[0330] There are several ways to represent the size of the first time range. One example is a configuration based on a start point plus a duration (i.e., the size of the first time range). The first time range can start from the start time and continue until the end of the duration; the entire time range is considered the first time range. The start point of the first time range can be pre-defined or configured by the network. The start point of the first time range can be represented as the start or end time of the time slot containing the first DCI. The start of the time slot containing the first DCI can be understood as the start boundary of the time slot or the start boundary of the symbol containing the first DCI. The end time of the time slot containing the first DCI can be understood as the end boundary of the time slot or the end boundary of the symbol containing the first DCI. The start point of the first time range can also be a second time, with the interval between the second time and the end time of the time slot containing the first DCI being the second time range. For example, the size of the second time range can be the BWP handover delay specified in the current standard. The start point of the first time range can be pre-defined or configured by the network device. The unit of the size of the first time range can be ms, slot, symbol, etc. Furthermore, the value of the first time range can be a value greater than or equal to zero. When the size of the first time range is 0, it means that the UE will definitely perform uplink transmission only in the first uplink transmission.

[0331] The first DCI can be used to dynamically schedule uplink transmissions, or to schedule or configure uplink grant transmissions. The first uplink transmission can be a dynamically granted uplink transmission or a configured uplink transmission.

[0332] Furthermore, setting the first information setting from true to false within the first time frame, or making the first information configuration ineffective within the first time frame, can be understood as the terminal device not skipping uplink transmission within the first time frame.

[0333] Another example could be that the terminal device receives the first downlink control information and the DCI indicates that the active BWP of a cell has changed. When the UE meets the first condition, it performs the first uplink transmission. The first condition can be one or more of the following: the Medium Access Control (MAC) entity has not configured lch-based Prioritization; no uplink control information (UCI) is multiplexed on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); no aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI; the MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes a zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU); the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs and has no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes Padding Buffer Data Reports (BSRs). Multiple first conditions indicate that multiple conditions must be met simultaneously.

[0334] For example, the first information is to skip dynamic uplink transmission skipUplinkTxDynamic, and the first condition is:

[0335] There is no non-periodic Channel State Information (CSI) transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI, and the MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU includes only periodic BSRs, and there is no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG) or the MAC PDU includes only Padding Buffer Data Report (BSR).

[0336] For example, if the first piece of information is enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured, the first condition is:

[0337] The Media Access Control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization, and there is no uplink control information (UCI) multiplexed on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and no aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) transmitted on the DCI-scheduled PUSCH. The MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs. Furthermore, there is no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes Padding Buffer Data Reports (BSRs).

[0338] Or the first condition could also be:

[0339] There is no uplink control information (UCI) multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), no aperiodic channel state information (CSI) transmitted on the DCI-scheduled PUSCH, and the MAC protocol data unit (PDU) includes zero MAC service data unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs, and there is no available data for any logical channel group (LCG) or the MAC PDU only includes padding buffer data report (BSR).

[0340] For example, in this embodiment, the DCI is scrambled using the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

[0341] The above implementation ensures that the UE performs the first uplink transmission upon receiving the first DCI, eliminating the misalignment between the UE and the network's understanding of BWP activation caused by the network not receiving uplink transmissions on the new BWP. That is, if the network does not receive uplink transmissions on the new BWP, it is because the UE has not correctly switched to the new BWP or the UE's data transmission has been lost, not because the UE switched to the new BWP but the UE meets the first condition and does not perform uplink transmissions.

[0342] Furthermore, one implementation of the network involves continuously scheduling uplink data on the new BWP to further confirm whether the BWP handover was successful. If the UE does not perform uplink transmission at this time, the aforementioned problem of misalignment between the network and the UE's understanding of BWP activation will still occur. To solve this problem, this application provides a method, which includes:

[0343] The UE receives a second DCI, which is used to schedule a second uplink transmission and satisfies a first condition. When the transmission time of the second DCI is within a first time range, the UE sends a second uplink transmission. Correspondingly, if the UE receives a third DCI outside the first time range, this DCI is used to schedule a third uplink transmission, and the UE does not perform uplink transmission if the first condition is met. For example, after the terminal device receives the first DCI, it switches from BWP1 to BWP2. The network device sends the second DCI on BWP2. If the transmission time of the second DCI is within the first time range, the UE still needs to perform uplink transmission if the first condition is met. If the transmission time of the second DCI is outside the first time range, the UE may not perform uplink transmission if the first condition is met. The second uplink transmission may involve adding padding data packets to the uplink transmission. For example, the second transmission may involve adding all or part of the padding data packets to the PUSCH before transmission.

[0344] The second DCI can be used for dynamically scheduling uplink transmissions, or for scheduling or configuring uplink grant transmissions. The second uplink transmission can be either a dynamically granted uplink transmission or a configured uplink transmission.

[0345] Optionally, the network receives capability information reported by the UE. For example, the capability includes one or more of the following: 1. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the UE performs a first uplink transmission when a first condition is met. 2. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the terminal applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or does not activate the first information within a first time range. 3. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the UE receives the second DCI within the first time range, and the first condition is met, the UE performs uplink transmission. The above capabilities can be reported to the network individually or in combination. One example is that the network device receives first capability information, which indicates that the UE has the capability of terminal-enabled UL skip feature, and when the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the UE performs a first uplink transmission when a first condition is met. Another example is that the network receives third capability information, in one state indicating that the UE supports the above three capabilities, and in another state indicating that the UE does not support any of the above three capabilities.

[0346] To allow for flexible network configuration, the network can send a fourth indication message to enable or disable one or more of the following features. These features include: 1. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives the first downlink control information and the DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the UE meets a first condition, it performs the first uplink transmission feature. 2. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives the first downlink control information and the DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the terminal applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or disables the first information feature within a first time range. 3. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the network instructs the user equipment (UE) to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met, the UE performs the uplink transmission feature. An example: The network sends a fourth indication message. A value of 0 indicates that the above three features are enabled, and a value of 1 indicates that the above three features are disabled.

[0347] To address the problem addressed in this embodiment, another implementation method could be to disallow BWP handover after the UL skip feature is enabled. BWP handover could be based on scheduling uplink DCI, scheduling downlink DCI, or RRC reconfiguration. In one example, the network device sends first information, which instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission. Further, the network device sends a first DCI. If the value of the first information is true, it must be ensured that the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field in the first DCI is the same as the currently active BWP. That is, the network will not allow the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field in the first DCI to be different from the currently active BWP.

[0348] This application also provides a method for information transmission, which can be executed by a terminal, and the method includes:

[0349] The network device sends a first message, which is used to instruct the terminal device to skip the uplink transmission.

[0350] If the first information is set to true, the terminal can skip the uplink transmission.

[0351] The network device sends a first downlink control information (DCI) to schedule a first uplink transmission. This DCI may indicate a change in the active BWP of a cell. An example of this DCI indicating a change in the active BWP of a cell is that the ID of the active BWP carried in the first DCI is different from the ID of the currently active BWP. The network device switches from the first BWP to a second BWP and receives the first uplink transmission from the UE on the second BWP. An example is that the network device sends the first downlink control information, which indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell. At this time, the network device applies a first information setting from true to false within a first time frame, or does not apply the first information configuration within a first time frame. The first uplink transmission may include padding packets added to the uplink transmission. An exemplary case is that the first transmission may be sent with all or part of the padding packets added to the PUSCH.

[0352] Furthermore, the first information can be skip uplink (skipUplinkTxDynamic), or enhanced SkipUplink (enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic), or enhanced SkipUplink (enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured).

[0353] One example is as follows: When the first information is `skipUplinkTxDynamic`, the network device sends a first downlink control information (DCI) indicating a change in the active BWP of a cell. Within a first time frame, the network device applies the first information setting from `true` to `false`. When the first information is `enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic` or `enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured`, the network device sends the first downlink control information, indicating a change in the active BWP of a cell. Within a first time frame, the network device does not apply the first information configuration. The size of the first time frame can be preset, configured by the network, or reported by the UE.

[0354] There are several ways to represent the size of the first time range. One example is a configuration based on a start point plus a duration (i.e., the size of the first time range). The first time range can start from the start time and continue until the end of the duration; the entire time range is considered the first time range. The start point of the first time range can be pre-defined or configured by the network. The start point of the first time range can be represented as the start or end time of the time slot containing the first DCI. The start of the time slot containing the first DCI can be understood as the start boundary of the time slot or the start boundary of the symbol containing the first DCI. The end time of the time slot containing the first DCI can be understood as the end boundary of the time slot or the end boundary of the symbol containing the first DCI. The start point of the first time range can also be a second time, with the interval between the second time and the end time of the time slot containing the first DCI being the second time range. For example, the size of the second time range can be the BWP handover delay specified in the current standard. The start point of the first time range can be pre-defined or configured by the network device. The unit of the size of the first time range can be ms, slot, symbol, etc. Furthermore, the value of the first time range can be a value greater than or equal to zero. When the size of the first time range is 0, it means that the network device only receives the uplink transmission in the first uplink transmission.

[0355] Furthermore, setting the first information setting from true to false within the first time frame, or making the first information configuration ineffective within the first time frame, can be understood as the terminal device not skipping uplink transmission within the first time frame.

[0356] Another example could be that the network device sends a first downlink control message and the DCI indicates that the active BWP of a cell has changed. When the UE meets a first condition, it receives a first uplink transmission. The first condition can be one or more of the following: the Medium Access Control (MAC) entity has not configured lch-based Prioritization; no uplink control information (UCI) is multiplexed on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); no aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI; the MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes a zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU); the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs and has no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes Padding Buffer Data Reports (BSRs). Multiple first conditions indicate that multiple conditions must be met simultaneously.

[0357] For example, the first information is to skip dynamic uplink transmission skipUplinkTxDynamic, and the first condition is:

[0358] There is no non-periodic Channel State Information (CSI) transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI, and the MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU includes only periodic BSRs, and there is no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG) or the MAC PDU includes only Padding Buffer Data Report (BSR).

[0359] For example, if the first piece of information is enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured, the first condition is:

[0360] The Media Access Control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization, and there is no uplink control information (UCI) multiplexed on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and no aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) transmitted on the DCI-scheduled PUSCH. The MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs. Furthermore, there is no available data for any Logical Channel Group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes Padding Buffer Data Reports (BSRs).

[0361] Or the first condition could also be:

[0362] There is no uplink control information (UCI) multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), no aperiodic channel state information (CSI) transmitted on the DCI-scheduled PUSCH, and the MAC protocol data unit (PDU) includes zero MAC service data unit (SDU), and the MAC PDU only includes periodic BSRs, and there is no available data for any logical channel group (LCG) or the MAC PDU only includes padding buffer data report (BSR).

[0363] For example, in this embodiment, the DCI is scrambled using the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

[0364] The above implementation ensures that the UE performs the first uplink transmission upon receiving the first DCI, eliminating the misalignment between the UE and the network's understanding of BWP activation caused by the network not receiving uplink transmissions on the new BWP. That is, if the network does not receive uplink transmissions on the new BWP, it is because the UE has not correctly switched to the new BWP or the UE's data transmission has been lost, not because the UE switched to the new BWP but the UE meets the first condition and does not perform uplink transmissions.

[0365] Furthermore, one implementation of the network involves continuously scheduling uplink data on the new BWP to further confirm whether the BWP handover was successful. If the UE does not perform uplink transmission at this time, the aforementioned problem of misalignment between the network and the UE's understanding of BWP activation will still occur. To solve this problem, this application provides an embodiment:

[0366] The network device sends a second DCI, which is used to schedule a second uplink transmission and satisfies a first condition. When the transmission time of the second DCI is within a first time range, the network device receives the second uplink transmission. Correspondingly, if the network device sends a third DCI outside the first time range, this DCI is used to schedule a third uplink transmission, and the network device does not receive the uplink transmission if the UE meets the first condition. For example, after the network device sends the first DCI, it switches from BWP1 to BWP2. The network device sends the second DCI on BWP2. If the transmission time of the second DCI is within the first time range, the network device still needs to receive the uplink transmission if the UE meets the first condition. If the transmission time of the second DCI is outside the first time range, the network may not receive the uplink transmission if the UE meets the first condition. The second uplink transmission may involve adding padding packets to the uplink transmission. For example, the second transmission may involve adding all or part of the padding packets to the PUSCH before transmission.

[0367] Optionally, the UE needs to inform the network of its capabilities. For example, the capabilities may include one or more of the following: 1. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the UE performs a first uplink transmission when a first condition is met. 2. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the terminal applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or does not activate the first information within a first time range. 3. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the UE receives the second DCI within the first time range, and the first condition is met, the UE performs uplink transmission. The above capabilities can be reported to the network individually or in combination. One example is that the UE reports first capability information, which indicates that the UE has the capability to perform a first uplink transmission when the terminal device receives first downlink control information and DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the UE meets the first condition. Another example is that the terminal reports third capability information. One state of this capability information indicates that the UE supports the above three capabilities, and another state of this capability information indicates that the UE does not support any of the above three capabilities.

[0368] To allow for flexible network configuration, the network can send a fourth indication message to enable or disable one or more of the following features. These features include: 1. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives the first downlink control information and the DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the UE meets a first condition, it performs the first uplink transmission feature. 2. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the terminal device receives the first downlink control information and the DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the terminal applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or disables the first information feature within a first time range. 3. Terminal-enabled UL skip feature: When the network instructs the user equipment (UE) to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met, the UE performs the uplink transmission feature. An example: The network sends a fourth indication message. A value of 0 indicates that the above three features are enabled, and a value of 1 indicates that the above three features are disabled.

[0369] To address the problem addressed in this embodiment, another implementation method could be to disallow BWP handover after the UL skip feature is enabled. BWP handover could be based on scheduling uplink DCI, scheduling downlink DCI, or RRC reconfiguration. In one example, the UE receives first information instructing it to skip uplink transmission. Further, the UE receives a first DCI. If the value of the first information is true, it must be ensured that the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field in the first DCI is the same as the currently active BWP. That is, the UE does not expect the active BWP indicated by the BWP indication field in the first DCI to be different from the currently active BWP.

[0370] It should be understood that the above description is merely to help those skilled in the art better understand the embodiments of this application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. Based on the examples given above, those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes. For example, some steps in the above method embodiments may be unnecessary, or new steps may be added. Alternatively, any combination of two or more of the above embodiments may be used. Such modifications, changes, or combinations also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0371] It should also be understood that the methods, situations, categories, and classifications of embodiments in this application are for the convenience of description only and should not constitute a special limitation. Various methods, categories, situations, and features in embodiments can be combined without contradiction.

[0372] It should also be understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0373] It should also be understood that the above description of the embodiments of this application focuses on highlighting the differences between the various embodiments. Any similarities or differences not mentioned can be referred to each other. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0374] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 15. The communication devices of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 16 to 21.

[0375] This embodiment can divide the terminal device and network device into functional modules according to the above method. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware. It should be noted that the module division in this embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0376] It should be noted that the relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0377] The terminal device and network device provided in this application embodiment are used to execute any of the information transmission methods provided in the above method embodiments, and therefore can achieve the same effect as the above implementation method. When using integrated units, the terminal device or network device may include a processing module, and optionally a storage module and a communication module. The processing module can be used to control and manage the actions of the terminal device or network device. For example, it can be used to support the terminal device or network device in executing the steps executed by the processing unit. The storage module can be used to support the storage of program code and data, etc. The communication module can be used to support communication between the terminal device or network device and other devices.

[0378] The processing module can be a processor or a controller. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a microprocessor, etc. The storage module can be a memory. The communication module can specifically be a radio frequency circuit, a Bluetooth chip, or other devices that interact with other electronic devices.

[0379] For example, FIG16 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1600 may correspond to the terminal device described in the above methods, or it may be a chip or component applied to the terminal device. Furthermore, each module or unit in the communication device 1600 is used to execute the actions or processing procedures performed by the terminal device in any possible implementation of the above methods.

[0380] As shown in Figure 16, the communication device 1600 includes a transceiver unit 1610 and a processing unit 1620. The transceiver unit 1610 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the control of the processing unit 1620.

[0381] The transceiver unit 1610 is configured to: receive a DCI, which instructs the communication device to switch from a first BWP to a second BWP, wherein the communication device enables uplink skip capability.

[0382] The processing unit 1620 is configured to: switch from the first BWP to the second BWP in response to the DCI.

[0383] Transceiver unit 1610 is also configured to: transmit first uplink data on the second BWP, the first uplink data including padding data packets.

[0384] The communication device provided in this application, when Skip capability is enabled, must transmit uplink data on the switched BWP after receiving a BWP handover command. Even if there is no valid data and / or signaling data, it will not skip padding data packets; that is, padding data packets are also transmitted normally. This allows the network device to effectively confirm the successful BWP handover. It ensures consistency between the network device and the communication device's understanding of whether the BWP handover was successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the two devices, guaranteeing normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0385] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to: transmit first uplink data on the second BWP during the operation of the first timer or before the end of the first time period, wherein the first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data.

[0386] In some possible implementations, after the first timer expires or after the first time period ends, the transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to: transmit second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0387] For example, the start time of the first timer or the start time of the first time period is the moment when the DCI is received or the moment when the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP is completed.

[0388] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to: transmit first uplink data on the second BWP during M transmission opportunities, during the operation of counter M, or before the time when the count reaches M. The first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data. In this case, the value of counter M is incremented by one or the count value is incremented by one after each transmission opportunity. When the counter M counts to M, the counter M stops operating.

[0389] For example, the start time or the time when the counter M begins counting is: the time when the DCI is received or the time when the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP is completed.

[0390] After M transmission opportunities on the second BWP, during the period when the counter M stops running, or after the time when the count reaches M, the transceiver unit 1610 is also configured to: transmit second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0391] In some possible implementations, the padding data packet in the first uplink data carries a first indication message indicating that the BWP handover was successful.

[0392] In some possible implementations, the first uplink data further includes at least one of the following: valid data in non-acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in transparent mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode without carrying first indication information, or signaling data carrying first indication information.

[0393] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to: receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the first uplink data has been correctly received; and in response to the second indication information, transmit second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0394] In some possible implementations, the second uplink data includes at least one of: valid data that does not carry the first indication information or signaling data that does not carry the first indication information.

[0395] Furthermore, the communication device 1600 may also include a storage unit, and the transceiver unit 1610 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit is used to store instructions executed by the transceiver unit 1610 and the processing unit 1620. The transceiver unit 1610, the processing unit 1620, and the storage unit are coupled to each other. The storage unit stores instructions, the processing unit 1620 executes the instructions stored in the storage unit, and the transceiver unit 1610 performs specific signal transmission and reception under the control of the processing unit 1620.

[0396] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit in the communication device 1600 performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps is described in the previous description of the terminal device in conjunction with the relevant embodiments of each method. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0397] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1610 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit may be a memory. The processing unit 1620 may be implemented by a processor.

[0398] For example, as shown in FIG17, the communication device 1700 may include a processor 1710, a memory 1720, a transceiver 1730, and a bus system 1740. The various components of the communication device 1700 are coupled together via the bus system 1740, which may include, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus, etc. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 1740 in FIG17. FIG17 is only schematically illustrated for ease of representation.

[0399] The communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 or the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17 can implement the steps performed by the terminal device in the aforementioned methods 1000, 1200, or 1400. Similar descriptions can be found in the descriptions of the corresponding methods described above. To avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0400] It should also be understood that the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16 or the communication device 1700 shown in FIG. 17 can be a terminal device, or the terminal device can include the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16 or the communication device 1700 shown in FIG. 17.

[0401] For example, FIG18 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1800 may correspond to the network devices described above, or may be a chip or component applied to a network device. Furthermore, each module or unit in the communication device 1800 is used to execute the actions or processes performed by the network device in any possible implementation of the above methods.

[0402] As shown in Figure 18, the communication device 1800 may include a processing unit 1810 and a transceiver unit 1820. The transceiver unit 1820 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the control of the processing unit 1810. The processing unit may also be called a processing module, and the transceiver unit may also be called a communication unit or a communication module.

[0403] The processing unit 1810 is configured to: generate a DCI, which instructs the terminal device to switch from the first BWP to the second BWP, wherein the terminal device enables uplink skip capability;

[0404] Transceiver Unit 1820: Transmits DCI.

[0405] Transceiver unit 1820 is also configured to: receive first uplink data on the second BWP, the first uplink data including padding data packets.

[0406] The processing unit 1810 is also used to: determine that the BWP handover of the terminal device is successful based on the first uplink data received.

[0407] The communication device provided in this application, when the terminal device has Skip capability enabled, ensures that uplink data transmission can be received on the switched BWP after sending a BWP handover command to the terminal device. Even if no valid data and / or signaling data is received, padding data packets will be received, meaning the padding data packets are also transmitted normally. This improves the efficiency of network devices in confirming successful BWP handover. It ensures that the network device and the terminal device have consistent understanding of whether the BWP handover has been successful, avoiding inconsistencies in behavior between the terminal device and the network device, guaranteeing normal communication, and improving communication efficiency.

[0408] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1820 is also configured to: receive first uplink data on the second BWP during the operation of the first timer or before the end of the first time period, wherein the first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data.

[0409] In some possible implementations, after the first timer expires or the first time period ends, the transceiver unit 1820 is further configured to: receive second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0410] For example, the start time of the first timer or the start time of the first time period is the time when the data is sent to the DCI or the time when the terminal device completes the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP.

[0411] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1820 is further configured to: receive first uplink data on the second BWP during M transmission opportunities, during the operation of counter M, or before the time when it counts to M. The first uplink data further includes at least one of valid data or signaling data. In this case, the value of counter M is incremented by one or the count value is incremented by one after each transmission opportunity. When the counter M counts to M, the counter M stops operating.

[0412] For example, the start time or the time when the counter M begins counting is: the time when it is sent to the DCI or the time when the terminal device completes the switch from the first BWP to the second BWP.

[0413] After M transmission opportunities on the second BWP, during the period when the counter M stops running, or after the time when it counts to M, the transceiver unit 1820 is also configured to: receive second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding data packets.

[0414] In some possible implementations, the padding data packet in the first uplink data carries a first indication message indicating that the BWP handover was successful.

[0415] In some possible implementations, the first uplink data further includes at least one of the following: valid data in non-acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in transparent mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode carrying first indication information, valid data in acknowledgment mode without carrying first indication information, or signaling data carrying first indication information.

[0416] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1820 is further configured to: send a second indication message indicating that the first uplink data has been correctly received; and in response to the second indication message, receive second uplink data on the second BWP, the second uplink data not including padding packets.

[0417] In some possible implementations, the second uplink data includes at least one of: valid data that does not carry the first indication information or signaling data that does not carry the first indication information.

[0418] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit in the communication device 1800 performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps is described in the previous description of the network device in conjunction with the relevant embodiments of the various methods. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0419] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1820 may include a receiving unit (module) and a sending unit (module) for performing the steps of receiving and sending information by the network device in the aforementioned method 1000, method 1200 or method 1400 embodiments.

[0420] Furthermore, the communication device 1800 may also include a storage unit. The transceiver unit 1820 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit is used to store instructions executed by the transceiver unit 1820 and the processing unit 1810. The transceiver unit 1820, the processing unit 1810, and the storage unit are coupled to each other. The storage unit stores instructions, the processing unit 1810 executes the instructions stored in the storage unit, and the transceiver unit 1820 performs specific signal transmission and reception under the control of the processing unit 1810.

[0421] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1820 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit may be a memory. The processing unit 1810 may be implemented by a processor. As shown in FIG19, the communication device 1900 may include a processor 1910, a memory 1920, and a transceiver 1930.

[0422] The communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18 or the communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19 can implement the steps performed by the network device in the aforementioned methods. Similar descriptions can be found in the descriptions of the corresponding methods described above. To avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0423] It should also be understood that the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18 or the communication device 1900 shown in FIG19 can be a network device, or the network device may include the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18 or the communication device 1900 shown in FIG19.

[0424] It should also be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, and its function can be called and executed by a processing element within the device. Here, the processing element can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each of the above units can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0425] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more DSPs, or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a CPU or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0426] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device 2000 provided in this application. The aforementioned communication device 1600 or communication device 1700 can be configured in the terminal device 2000. Alternatively, the communication device 1600 or communication device 1700 itself can be the terminal device 2000. In other words, the terminal device 2000 can perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the aforementioned methods 1000, 1200, or 1400. Optionally, for ease of explanation, Figure 20 only shows the main components of the terminal device. As shown in Figure 20, the terminal device 2000 includes a processor, memory, control circuitry, antenna, and input / output devices.

[0427] The processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and data, control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process the data within those programs. For example, it supports the terminal device in performing the actions described in the aforementioned information transmission method embodiments. The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data, such as the configuration of the first timer and counter M described in the aforementioned embodiments, and various data packets carrying first indication information. The control circuit is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The control circuit and antenna together can also be called a transceiver, primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. For example, receiving DCI signals as described in the aforementioned embodiments. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0428] When the terminal device is powered on, the processor can read the software program from the storage unit, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When signaling (such as the aforementioned DCI, second indication information, etc.) is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0429] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 20 only shows one memory and processor. In actual terminal devices, multiple processors and memories may exist. Memory may also be referred to as storage medium or storage device, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0430] For example, a processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is mainly used for controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing the data in the software programs. The processor in Figure 20 integrates the functions of a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and a terminal device may include multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in a storage unit as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0431] For example, in this embodiment of the application, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit 2001 of the terminal device 2000, and the processor with processing functions can be regarded as the processing unit 2002 of the terminal device 2000. As shown in FIG20, the terminal device 2000 includes the transceiver unit 2001 and the processing unit 2002. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver device, transceiver apparatus, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 2001 used to implement the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 2001 used to implement the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver unit 2001 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit can also be referred to as a receiver, receiver circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0432] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a network device 2100 provided in an embodiment of this application, which can be used to implement the functions of the network device in the above method. The network device 2100 includes one or more radio frequency (RF) units, such as an RRU 2101 and one or more BBUs 2102. The RRU 2101 can be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, etc., and may include at least one antenna 21011 and an RF unit 21012. The RRU 2101 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals and converting RF signals to baseband signals, for example, for sending the first information in the above embodiment to a terminal device. The BBU 2102 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station, etc. The RRU 2101 and BBU 2102 can be physically arranged together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station.

[0433] The BBU 2102 is the control center of the base station, also known as the processing unit, and is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions, such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, spreading, etc. For example, the BBU (processing unit) 2102 can be used to control the base station to execute the operation procedures of the network equipment in the above method embodiments.

[0434] In one example, the BBU 2102 can be composed of one or more single boards. Multiple boards can collectively support a single access standard wireless access network (such as an LTE system or a 5G system), or they can each support wireless access networks with different access standards. The BBU 2102 also includes a memory 21021 and a processor 21022. The memory 21021 stores necessary instructions and data. For example, the memory 21021 stores the first uplink data, the start time of the first timer, and its duration, etc., as described in the above embodiments. The processor 21022 is used to control the base station to perform necessary actions, such as controlling the base station to execute the operation procedures related to the network device in the above method embodiments. The memory 21021 and processor 21022 can serve one or more single boards. That is, each single board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple single boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each single board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0435] In one possible implementation, with the development of system-on-chip (SoC) technology, all or part of the functions of parts 2102 and 2101 can be implemented by SoC technology, for example, by a base station function chip. This base station function chip integrates a processor, memory, antenna interface, and other devices. The program for base station-related functions is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the program to implement the relevant functions of the base station. Optionally, the base station function chip can also read external memory to implement the relevant functions of the base station.

[0436] It should be understood that the network device structure illustrated in Figure 21 is only one possible configuration and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of other base station structures in the future.

[0437] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the processor can be a CPU, but it can also be other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0438] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), EPROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0439] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned terminal device and network device.

[0440] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means.

[0441] This application also provides a computer-readable medium for storing computer program code, the computer program including instructions for performing any of the information transmission methods provided in the embodiments of this application. This readable medium may be the memory described in the examples above, and this application does not limit its use.

[0442] This application also provides a computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause a terminal device to perform operations corresponding to the terminal device operations described above, or cause a network device to perform operations corresponding to the network device operations described above.

[0443] This application also provides a chip comprising a processing unit and a communication unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit may be, for example, an input / output interface, pins, or circuitry. The processing unit can execute computer instructions to cause the chip within the communication device to perform any of the information transmission methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0444] Optionally, any of the communication devices provided in the above embodiments of this application may include the chip.

[0445] Optionally, the computer instructions are stored in a storage unit.

[0446] Optionally, the storage unit can be an internal storage unit within the chip, such as a register or cache. Alternatively, it can be an external storage unit within the communication device, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, like RAM. The processor mentioned above can be a CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits executing a program for controlling the aforementioned RRC signaling transmission method. The processing unit and storage unit can be decoupled and located on different physical devices, connected via wired or wireless means to implement their respective functions, thus supporting the chip in implementing the various functions described in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit and the memory can also be coupled to the same device.

[0447] In this paper, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. The term "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. Additionally, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0448] In this application, various objects such as messages / information / devices / systems / apparatus / actions / operations / processes may be named. It is understood that these specific names do not constitute a limitation on the relevant objects. The names may be changed depending on the scenario, context, or usage habits. The understanding of the technical meaning of the technical terms in this application should be mainly determined from their functions and technical effects embodied / performed in the technical solution.

[0449] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0450] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0451] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0452] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0453] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for information transmission, characterized in that, The method includes: The user equipment (UE) obtains a setting for first information, wherein the first information is set to true, and the first information is information used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission; Upon receiving first downlink control information (DCI), which is used to schedule a first uplink transmission, the first DCI includes a bandwidth portion BWP indicator field. When the BWP indicator field indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the UE applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or the UE does not apply the setting of the first information within the first time range, and the UE performs the first uplink transmission within the first time range; or... The UE receives first downlink control information (DCI), which is used to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indication field, which indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell. The UE performs the first uplink transmission when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: The Media Access Control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization; No uplink control information UCI is multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel PUSCH scheduled by the first DCI; No aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the first DCI. MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes Zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU); The MAC PDU only includes the periodic BSR and has no available data for any logical channel group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes the Padding buffer data report BSR.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the BWP indicator field in the first DCI indicates that the active BWP of a cell has not changed, and the first condition is met, the UE does not generate a MAC PDU.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The UE receives a second DCI, which is used to schedule a second uplink transmission. When the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the second DCI falls within the first time range, the UE sends a second uplink transmission; and / or, The UE receives a third DCI, which is used to schedule a third uplink transmission. After the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the third DCI is within the first time range, the UE does not generate a MAC PDU.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first time range is configured by the second information, or the first time range is preset, or the first time range is reported by the UE; and / or, The start time of the first time range is preset, or the start time of the first time range is configured by third information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The start time of the first time range is: the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located, or the first time after the end of the time slot where the first DCI is located, and the first time is separated from the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located by a second time range.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information is either skipUplinkTxDynamic (skipUplinkTxDynamic), enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic (enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic), or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured (enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The UE reports first capability information, which indicates whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field in the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The UE reports second capability information, which is used to indicate whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met. The second DCI is used to schedule the second uplink transmission.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or the first uplink transmission is a PUSCH transmission, or a PUCCH transmission, or a reference signal transmission.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Upon receiving the fourth information, when the network device instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field of the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met, the fourth information enables or disables the UE from performing uplink transmission.

11. A method for information transmission, characterized in that, The method includes: Configuration for obtaining first information, wherein the first information is used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission information; Receive first downlink control information (DCI), the first DCI is used to schedule a first uplink transmission, and the first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indication field. If the configuration of the first information is true, the active BWP indicated by the BWP indicator field is the same as the currently active BWP.

12. A method for information transmission, characterized in that, The method includes: The network device sends a first message, wherein the first message is set to true, and the first message is information used to instruct the UE to skip the uplink transmission; Sending first downlink control information (DCI), the first DCI is used to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion BWP indicator field. When the BWP indicator field indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, the network device applies the setting of the first information from true to false within a first time range, or does not take effect on the first information within a first time range, and the network device receives the first uplink transmission within the first time range; or... The network device sends a first downlink control information (DCI) to schedule a first uplink transmission. The first DCI includes a bandwidth portion (BWP) indicator field, which indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell. The network device receives the first uplink transmission when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is one or more of the following: The Media Access Control (MAC) entity is not configured with lch-based Prioritization; No uplink control information (UCI) is multiplexed on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); No aperiodic CSI is transmitted on the PUSCH scheduled by the DCI. MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) includes Zero MAC Service Data Unit (SDU); The MAC PDU only includes the periodic BSR and has no available data for any logical channel group (LCG), or the MAC PDU only includes the Padding buffer data report BSR.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a second DCI, which is used to schedule a second uplink transmission. When the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the second DCI is within the first time range, the network device receives the second uplink transmission. The network device sends a third DCI, which is used to schedule a third uplink transmission. After the first condition is met and the transmission timing of the third DCI is within the first time range, the network device does not receive the third uplink transmission.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first time range is configured by the second information, or the first time range is preset, or the first time range is reported by the UE; and / or, The start time of the first time range is preset, or the start time of the first time range is configured by third information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The start time of the first time range is: the start or end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located, or the first time after the end of the time slot where the first DCI is located, and the first time is separated from the end time of the time slot where the first DCI is located by a second time range.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The first information is either skipUplinkTxDynamic (skipUplinkTxDynamic), enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic (enhancedSkipUplinkTxDynamic), or enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured (enhancedSkipUplinkTxConfigured).

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first capability information, which is used to indicate whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field in the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second capability information is received, which indicates whether the UE supports uplink transmission when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the second DCI is received within the first time range, and the first condition is met.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, The first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or the first uplink transmission is a PUSCH transmission, or a PUCCH transmission, or a reference signal transmission.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fourth message is sent when the network instructs the UE to skip uplink transmission, and the BWP indication field of the first DCI indicates a change in the active BWP of a cell, and the first condition is met. The fourth message enables or disables the UE from performing uplink transmission.

21. A method for transmitting information, characterized in that, The method includes: Configuration for sending first information, wherein the first information is used to instruct the UE to skip uplink transmission; Send a first DCI, the first DCI being used to schedule a first uplink transmission, the first DCI including a bandwidth portion BWP indication field; If the configuration of the first information is true, the active BWP indicated by the BWP indicator field is the same as the currently active BWP.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor and interface circuitry, the at least one processor being configured to perform: the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 21.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform: the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 21.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, the computer program including program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform: the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 21.

26. A chip, characterized in that, Includes: a processor for retrieving and running a computer program from memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is mounted to perform: the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 21.

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