Communication method and apparatus, and storage medium and program product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, and a storage medium and a program product. In the present application, first information is determined, wherein the first information is used for indicating a first energy requirement, and the first energy requirement is associated with a first configuration. On this basis, communication is performed on the basis of the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement. It can be seen therefrom that the present application can configure, on the basis of an energy requirement, a communication apparatus to perform communication, thereby realizing control of the power consumption of the communication apparatus.

Description

Communication methods, devices, storage media and software products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410709078.4, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on May 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, the industry is actively researching future communication technologies. Compared to 5G, future communication technologies have more complex application scenarios and requirements, and therefore face greater challenges. One of these challenges is solving the power consumption problem of devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product for controlling the power consumption of a communication device.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device. The first device can be a wireless access network (WLAN) device, a component of the WLAN device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the WLAN device's functions. The method includes: determining first information, the first information indicating a first energy requirement, and the first energy requirement being associated with a first configuration; and communicating according to the first configuration.

[0007] The first configuration can be a configuration that meets the first energy requirement.

[0008] In this application, first information is used to indicate a first energy requirement, and the first energy requirement is associated with a first configuration. Based on this, the first information is determined, and then communication is performed according to the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement indicated by the first information. Therefore, the embodiments of this application can configure the communication device for communication based on the first energy requirement, thereby achieving control over the power consumption of the communication device.

[0009] Optionally, the first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

[0010] Optionally, the one or more parameters include at least one of the following: bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) entities, number of radio link control (RLC) entities, number of packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entities, number of service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) entities, number of radio bearers (RB), scheduling delay, wake-up delay, sleep delay, frequency band, band set, band combination / aggregation, carrier set, carrier combination / aggregation (CC / CA), subcarrier (or component carrier), partial bandwidth set (BWP set), partial bandwidth aggregation (BWP). Combination / aggregation, sub-BWP (or component BWP), resource block group (RBG), resource block (RB), resource element (RE), and control channel element (CCE).

[0011] For example, if the RE is a spatial domain unit, then the RE can specifically be a port, antenna port, channel, RF chain, antenna, transmitting unit, receiving unit, spatial precoding, spatial filter, RF unit, reference signal, reference signal block, antenna panel, transmission point, beam, etc. For example, if the RE is a code domain unit, then the RE can specifically be a coding resource, such as a root sequence, cyclic shift, orthogonal mask, etc. For example, if the RE is a power domain unit, then the RE can specifically be a power parameter, such as transmit power, etc. As described above, the RE can also be a time domain unit, frequency domain unit, spatial domain unit, code domain unit, or a combination of multiple power domain units. For example, the RE can also be a time-frequency domain resource, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain; examples are not provided here.

[0012] Optionally, the one or more features include at least one of the following: discontinuous reception (DRX), bandwidth part (BWP), cross-timeslot scheduling, sparse monitoring occasion (MO) configuration, wake-up signal (WUS), uplink (UL) skip-no-monitoring, search space set group (SSSG), power-saving auxiliary information reporting, radio resource control (RRC) connection fast release, secondary cell (SCell) hibernation, paging early indication (PEI), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power-saving model.

[0013] In this application, the first configuration can be one of one or more configuration sets, or a subset of parameters and / or characteristics included in one of the configuration sets. Alternatively, the first configuration may include multiple configuration sets. Therefore, the energy demand-related configuration in this application can be various types of parameters or energy-saving characteristics, thus allowing for flexible control of the power consumption of the communication device based on energy demand.

[0014] It should be noted that, in this application, the first configuration can be a configuration for one or more transmission and receiving points (TRPs). For example, when the first configuration includes multiple configuration sets, each configuration set can be used for one TRP; when the first configuration includes one configuration set, that configuration set can be used for all TRPs; or, when the first configuration includes N configuration sets, the N configuration sets can be used for M TRPs, where N and M can be unequal.

[0015] Alternatively, the first configuration is a configuration for one or more cells. When the first configuration is a configuration for multiple cells, the multiple cells can refer to neighboring cells and serving cells for cooperative transmission, or cells in a CA transmission scenario, or cells in a dual connectivity (DC) transmission scenario.

[0016] Alternatively, the first configuration can be a configuration for multiple panels in a multi-pane transmission scenario.

[0017] Alternatively, the first configuration can be a configuration for multiple terminals, multiple signals, or multiple reference signals.

[0018] Optionally, there exists a correspondence between one or more energy requirements and one or more configuration sets, wherein the one or more energy requirements include the first energy requirement.

[0019] In this application, there exists a correspondence between one or more energy requirements and one or more configuration sets. In this correspondence, different energy requirements may correspond to the same configuration set. In this case, the configuration set is one that can simultaneously satisfy different energy requirements. Of course, different configuration sets may also correspond to the same energy requirement. In this case, multiple different configuration sets can be determined based on the energy requirement, providing more options for determining the final first configuration.

[0020] In addition, in this application, the correspondence between energy demand and configuration set can also be a correspondence for one or more TRPs.

[0021] Optionally, the process of determining the first information may include: receiving first quality of service (QoS) information, wherein the first information is indicated by the first QoS information.

[0022] Optionally, the first QoS information includes the first information.

[0023] Optionally, the first QoS information includes first QoS indication information, which is used to indicate the QoS characteristic parameters of at least one service flow, and the QoS characteristic parameters of the at least one service flow include the first information.

[0024] Optionally, the first QoS indication information is a QoS class identifier (QCI) or a QoS indicator (5G QoS identifier, 5QI).

[0025] Currently, energy saving in 5G communication systems can be achieved through optimized energy-saving features. However, due to potential issues such as increased operator costs, decreased network key performance indicators, and uncertain market prospects, most energy-saving features have not been commercially viable. Therefore, in this application, the first information can be indicated through first QoS information. Since QoS control based on QoS information is a native function provided by the communication system to ensure service quality, indicating energy demand-related information through QoS information makes energy-demand-based energy-saving control a native function of the communication system, enabling native energy saving. "Native" can be understood as something that a particular generation of communication system has had since its inception, such as supporting native energy saving in future communication systems, meaning future communication systems will have energy-saving features from the beginning. This approach, compared to achieving energy saving through optimized energy-saving features in 5G communication systems, solves the problem of the difficulty in commercializing energy-saving control and improves energy-saving effectiveness.

[0026] Optionally, the process of determining the first information may include: obtaining a first service level agreement (SLA), wherein the first SLA includes the first information.

[0027] In this application, the first SLA can also be used to carry the first information, so that the user and the service provider can negotiate to include energy demand as a part of the service level agreement, thereby ensuring that the power consumption of the device can be effectively controlled.

[0028] Optionally, the first information includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

[0029] The energy indicators included in the first information above, such as energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance, may refer to the energy indicators of one or more components. These components may include: modem, radio frequency (RF), power amplifier (PA), filter, low noise amplifier (LNA), radio frequency front-end (RFFE), radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), interface (SERDE), antenna panel, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), neural processing unit (NPU), application processor (AP), communication processor (CP), application (APP), service, peripherals, screen, sensor, speaker, microphone, and camera.

[0030] Optionally, the process of communicating according to the first configuration may include: sending configuration information according to the first configuration, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate sending and / or receiving a first signal based on the configuration information.

[0031] In this application, configuration information is sent to the peer device according to a first configuration, thereby instructing the peer device to send and / or receive signals based on the configuration information, thus realizing the configuration of the peer device based on energy demand to control the power consumption of the peer device.

[0032] Optionally, the configuration information includes the first configuration, or the configuration information includes first indication information for indicating the first configuration, or the configuration information includes a second configuration, or the configuration information includes second indication information for indicating the second configuration, wherein the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration.

[0033] In this application, configuration information can be used to indicate a first configuration, enabling the peer device to send and / or receive a first signal based on this first configuration. Alternatively, configuration information can be used to indicate a second configuration, which is no more than the first configuration. This second configuration not exceeding the first configuration may mean that the energy requirement corresponding to the second configuration is no more than the energy requirement corresponding to the first configuration. In other words, in this application, the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement can be flexibly modified to obtain the second configuration according to actual needs, as long as the configuration ultimately indicated to the peer device can meet the first energy requirement.

[0034] Optionally, the first configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

[0035] In this application, the first service flow can refer to one of at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information, and the at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information means that the first QoS information is set for the at least one service flow. Based on this, when the first information used to indicate the first energy requirement is indicated through the first QoS information, the first energy requirement is actually the energy requirement associated with the at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information. Correspondingly, the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement is the configuration associated with the at least one service flow; that is, the first configuration is the configuration used for the transmission of the at least one service flow.

[0036] Optionally, at least one service flow indicated by the first QoS information can be referred to as a QoS flow, in which case the first configuration is the configuration associated with the QoS flow indicated by the first QoS information.

[0037] Optionally, when the first SLA includes first information, the first SLA can be used to indicate an SLA flow, and correspondingly, the first coordination associated with the first energy demand indicated by the first information is the configuration associated with the SLA flow indicated by the first SLA.

[0038] Optionally, the first information can also be information for a business slice, and correspondingly, the first configuration is the configuration associated with the business slice to which the first information is applied.

[0039] Optionally, the first configuration is associated with a first data radio bearer (DRB), and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

[0040] In this application, first QoS information is associated with a first DRB, and at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information can be carried through the first DRB; that is, all at least one service flow is associated with the first DRB. Based on this, a first configuration associated with the at least one service flow is associated with the first DRB. In other words, the first configuration can be a configuration associated with the first DRB.

[0041] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving a configuration request, the configuration request being used to request configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow.

[0042] In this application, the local device can receive a configuration request sent by the remote device, determine a first configuration based on the configuration request and first information, and then send configuration information to the remote device based on the first configuration. That is, in this application, the remote device can actively request a configuration that meets its energy requirements according to its own needs.

[0043] Alternatively, in this application, the first energy requirement in the above-mentioned schemes can also be replaced with a requirement related to perception or positioning, or an AI-related requirement.

[0044] Sensing or positioning can be used for ranging, speed measurement, angle measurement, orientation measurement, imaging, gesture recognition, etc. Sensing waveforms can include at least one of OFDM, orthogonal time-frequency space modulation (OTFS), linear frequency modulation (LFM), and single carrier. Requirements related to sensing or positioning can be characterized by metrics such as accuracy, error, sharpness, error rate, and precision.

[0045] AI-related needs refer to requirements related to AI models, which mainly include three aspects: training methods, AI model applications, and model parameters. Training methods include online training, offline training, hybrid online / offline training, edge training, network-side training, edge-network combined training, and edge-side training. AI model applications mainly include communication, applications, and systems. Model parameters mainly include weights, biases, learning rate, batch size, number of iterations, regularization parameters, and prediction confidence intervals.

[0046] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second device. The second device can be a terminal device, a component of the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information indicating a first configuration or a second configuration, the first configuration being associated with a first energy requirement, and the second configuration not exceeding the first configuration; and receiving and / or transmitting a first signal based on the configuration information.

[0047] Optionally, the first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

[0048] Optionally, the one or more parameters include at least one of the following: bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) entities, number of Radio Link Control (RLC) entities, number of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entities, number of Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) entities, number of Radio Bearer (RB) entities, scheduling delay, wake-up delay, and sleep delay.

[0049] Optionally, the one or more features include at least one of the following: discontinuous reception (DRX), power-saving partial bandwidth (BWP), cross-timeslot scheduling, sparse monitoring timing (MO) configuration, wake-up signal (WUS), uplink UL skip-no-monitoring, search space grouping (SSSG), power-saving auxiliary information reporting, radio resource control (RRC) connection fast release, secondary cell (SCell) sleep, paging advance indication (PEI), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power-saving model. Mobility measurement relaxation can refer to radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxation or beam management (BM) measurement relaxation.

[0050] Optionally, the first configuration or the second configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

[0051] Optionally, the first configuration or the second configuration is associated with the first data radio bearer (DRB), and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

[0052] Optionally, the first energy demand is indicated by first information, which includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

[0053] Optionally, both the first configuration and the second configuration are configurations that meet the first energy requirement.

[0054] Optionally, before receiving the configuration information, the method further includes: sending a configuration request, wherein the configuration request is used to request the configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow.

[0055] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, the communication device comprising at least one module, the at least one module being configured to perform the communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0056] The communication device can be either the first device or the second device described above.

[0057] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a processor, the processor being configured to execute at least one program instruction or code to implement the communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0058] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory that stores at least one of the above-mentioned program instructions or code.

[0059] The communication device can be either the first device or the second device described above.

[0060] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, a system is provided, comprising a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to implement the communication method described in the first aspect, and the second device being configured to implement the communication method described in the second aspect.

[0063] The technical effects achieved by the second to seventh aspects mentioned above are similar to those achieved by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the functions of various network elements and the division of protocol layers in an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of determining a first configuration based on energy demand and other QoS parameters according to an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of determining the first configuration corresponding to the first QoS information according to an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 10 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0076] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] Before providing a detailed explanation of the embodiments of this application, let's first introduce the application scenarios involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0078] Currently, the industry is actively researching future communication technologies. Compared to 5G, future communication technologies have broader application scenarios and more complex requirements, demanding that network devices or terminals in future communication systems possess greater bandwidth, faster processing speeds, and more antennas. These characteristics will lead to higher power consumption for network devices and / or terminals. For network devices, high power consumption will increase operating costs; for terminals, with limitations on size, area, and battery capacity, high power consumption will cause numerous problems such as heat dissipation, severely impacting user experience. Therefore, power consumption of network devices and / or terminals will be a major challenge for future communication technologies. Based on this, this application provides a communication method applicable to future communication systems, including 5G and LTE systems. In this method, first information is determined, indicating a first energy requirement, which is associated with a first configuration. Based on this, communication is performed according to the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement. Thus, this application can configure a communication device for communication based on energy requirements, thereby controlling the power consumption of the communication device.

[0079] The implementation architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described next.

[0080] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system to which the communication method provided in this application is applied. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. The communication system 10 may also include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or via wired means. The network elements in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network elements and the logical functions of the RAN node. The communication system 10 may also include an external data network (DN) 300, for example, the external data network 300 may be the Internet.

[0081] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0082] RAN node 110, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, is used to help terminal 120 access the communication system wirelessly.

[0083] In one application scenario, RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, or a node or base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN node 110 can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), or a relay node or donor node.

[0084] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, RAN node 110 can be a newly added functional unit in the base station specifically for energy management. Alternatively, RAN node 110 can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU).

[0085] It should be noted that CU, DU, and RU may have different names in different systems. For example, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. In an O-RAN system, CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). O-CU and O-DU can be integrated in the same RAN node, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). O-CU and O-DU can communicate via a midhaul link, BBU can communicate with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link, and RU can communicate with at least one terminal via an air interface. BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link. BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0086] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the functions and protocol layer division of various network elements in an O-RAN system as shown in an embodiment of this application.

[0087] As shown in Figure 3, the O-CU is a logical node that carries the RRC layer, SDAP layer, PDCP layer, and other control functions. The O-CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the O-CU may have some core network functions. The O-CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the O-DU (e.g., the radio link control (RLC) layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as F1 interfaces. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions, such as interface management, system information management, UE context management, and RRC message transmission.

[0088] In some examples, the O-CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. AMF network elements are responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, used to handle data forwarding and reception in terminal devices.

[0089] An O-DU is a logical node that carries the RLC layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, an O-DU can control at least one O-RU. The O-DU connects to the O-RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes PHY layer processing functions such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0090] The above configurations of O-CU and O-DU are merely examples; the functions of O-CU and O-DU can be configured as needed. For instance, O-CU or O-DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the O-CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the O-DU. Furthermore, the functions of O-CU or O-DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the O-DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the O-CU.

[0091] An O-RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar entities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more terminals via a wireless link.

[0092] O-DU and O-RU can be co-located or separate. They can be connected via an open fronthaul interface. Both O-DU and O-RU can include a control-user-synchronous-plane (CUS-plane) and a management-plane (M-plane). Based on this, the open fronthaul interface can include a lower-layer split control-user-synchronous (LLS-CUS) interface to facilitate the exchange of CUS-plane information between the O-DU and O-RU; for example, control plane information and user plane information can be exchanged. The LLS-CUS can include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces, respectively providing the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane). In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to the real-time control between the O-DU and O-RU. In addition, the open fronthaul interface can also include an LLS-M interface for facilitating the exchange of management plane information between the O-DU and O-RU. The management plane refers to the non-real-time management operations between the O-DU and O-RU. Optionally, in some examples, the O-RU can also be connected to the management system via the LLS-M interface.

[0093] O-DU and O-RU can work together to implement the functions of the PHY layer. One O-DU can be connected to one or more O-RUs. The functions of the O-DU and O-RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the O-DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and the O-RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that the O-DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the O-RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0094] It is worth noting that the RAN node in this application embodiment can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, the RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. This application embodiment does not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN node. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0095] Terminal 120 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. A terminal can 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. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. In this embodiment, the device used to implement the terminal's functions can be called a terminal. Alternatively, a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing its functions can be installed within the terminal; for example, this device can be a chip system. The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0096] The core network 200 may include multiple core network elements. These multiple core network elements can be used to implement functions such as access and mobility management, session management, user plane management, policy control, and unified data management.

[0097] In some examples, referring to Figure 4, the core network 200 may include access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, and policy control function (PCF) network elements.

[0098] The AMF network element is mainly used to implement functions such as mobility management, access authentication, and authorization. In addition, the AMF network element can also provide a session management message transmission channel for the terminal and the SMF network element, as well as transmit user policies between the terminal and the PCF network element.

[0099] The SMF network element is primarily responsible for tunnel maintenance, IP address allocation and management, user plane function selection, policy enforcement and QoS control, and billing data collection. For example, in QoS, the SMF network element can send QoS control information to the UPF network element and send QoS configuration to the RAN node through the AMF network element. Optionally, the SMF network element can also send QoS rules to the terminal through the AMF network element.

[0100] UPF network elements are interfaces with the data network, used to implement functions such as user plane data forwarding, session- or flow-level billing statistics, bandwidth limiting, and QoS processing. For example, in QoS management, UPF network elements can perform QoS control on downlink data and QoS verification on uplink data based on QoS control information provided by SMF network elements.

[0101] PCF network elements are used to provide policy rules for control plane functions. For example, in QoS management, PCF network elements can be used to provide SMF with policy and charging control (PCC) rules for service data flow (SDF), so that SMF can generate QoS information for SDF based on the PCC rule.

[0102] Optionally, in one possible scenario, a dedicated functional network element for energy management can be added to the core network 200. In this case, the functional network element can be used to control the signal transmission of the RAN and / or terminals based on energy demand, thereby achieving energy consumption control.

[0103] Optionally, the core network 200 may include more or fewer network elements, wherein each core network element may be an independent hardware device, or two or more core network elements may be integrated into the same hardware device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned functional network elements are merely names, and the names themselves do not constitute a limitation on the network elements. For example, in different communication systems, the names of the network elements used to implement the above functions may differ.

[0104] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Terminals, RAN nodes, or core network elements in the above-described communication system can all be implemented using the communication device shown in Figure 5. For example, referring to Figure 5, the communication device 500 may include a processor 501, and optionally, a memory 502 and / or a transceiver 503. The transceiver 503 includes a transmitter 5031, a receiver 5032, and an antenna 5033. The device structure shown in Figure 5 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements; this embodiment of the application does not limit this. The various components of the communication device will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5.

[0105] Processor 501 is the control center of the communication device and can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, processor 501 can be a general-purpose CPU, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of programs according to this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Processor 501 can perform various functions of the communication device by running or executing computer programs stored in memory 502 and by calling data stored in memory 502. For example, in the various embodiments described below, the actions of the terminal, RAN node, or core network element can be executed by the processor of the communication device calling data in memory.

[0106] As one embodiment, processor 501 may include one or more CPUs.

[0107] As one embodiment, the communication device may include multiple processors. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, "processor" can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0108] The memory 502 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or it may be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 502 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 501 via a communication bus. The memory 502 may also be integrated with the processor 501. The memory 502 is used to store software programs that execute the scheme provided in the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 501.

[0109] Transceiver 503 is used to transmit and receive signals. Receiver 5032 can receive information from other communication devices via antenna 5033. For example, when communication device 500 is a terminal, receiver 5032 can receive information sent by the base station via antenna 5033, such as downlink service data and transmission control information; when communication device 500 is a base station, receiver 5032 can receive information sent by the terminal via antenna 5033, such as uplink service data and transmission feedback information. Transmitter 5031 can transmit information to other communication devices via antenna 5033. For example, when communication device 500 is a terminal, transmitter 5031 can transmit information to the base station via antenna 5033, such as uplink service data and transmission feedback information; when communication device 500 is a base station, transmitter 5031 can transmit information to the terminal via antenna 5033, such as downlink service data and transmission control information.

[0110] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be explained in detail below.

[0111] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method can be applied to the communication system described above. Referring to Figure 6, the process may include the following steps:

[0112] S601: The RAN node determines first information, which is used to indicate a first energy demand and is associated with a first configuration.

[0113] In this embodiment, energy demand can refer to energy-related requirements or energy conditions that need to be met. The first information can be relevant information that reflects the first energy demand.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first information may include a first energy requirement, which includes one or more energy indicators. These energy indicators can refer to metrics capable of evaluating energy usage; for example, energy indicators may include one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, power efficiency, and energy performance. Energy consumption may refer to the total amount of energy consumed over a period of time. Energy efficiency may refer to the ratio between the amount of useful energy consumed for service over a period of time and the total amount of energy consumed during that period. Power consumption may refer to energy consumption per unit time. Power efficiency may refer to the ratio between the output power and input power of a device. Energy performance may refer to other measurable metrics related to energy efficiency, energy use, and energy consumption.

[0115] It should be noted that the energy indicators mentioned above may refer to the energy indicators of the components in the device. The components in the device may include at least one of the following: modem, radio frequency, power amplifier, filter, low noise amplifier, radio frequency front end, radio frequency integrated circuit, interface, antenna panel, CPU, GPU, NPU, AP, CP, APP, service or business, peripheral, screen, sensor, speaker, microphone and camera.

[0116] Optionally, the first information may also include a reference value for an energy index, which can be used to indicate the energy index value to be met.

[0117] Specifically, the reference value for this indicator can be a specific numerical value. For example, the first information may include an energy consumption reference value, an energy efficiency reference value, etc. Optionally, the reference value can also be an indicator level value, which can be used to indicate a certain range of indicator values. For example, the first information may include an energy consumption level value, an energy efficiency level value, a power consumption level value, an effectiveness level value, etc. For energy efficiency level values ​​and effectiveness level values, a smaller level value indicates a higher corresponding indicator value, and a larger level value indicates a lower corresponding indicator value. For energy consumption level values ​​and power consumption level values, a smaller level value indicates a lower corresponding indicator value, and a larger level value indicates a higher corresponding indicator value.

[0118] In other embodiments, the first information may include a first energy identifier, which identifies a first energy requirement. Specifically, a correspondence between energy identifiers and energy requirements can be predefined through a protocol, where the energy identifier can be a scalar, and different energy identifiers correspond to different energy requirements. Based on this, the first energy identifier can be one of the energy identifiers in this correspondence. For example, the energy identifier in the above correspondence may range from 0 to 7, with each energy identifier corresponding to a specific energy requirement, and the first energy identifier can be one of 0 to 7.

[0119] In this embodiment of the application, the RAN node can determine the first information in the following three ways.

[0120] In the first implementation, the RAN node can receive first QoS information from the core network element. In this case, the first information can be indicated by the first QoS information.

[0121] The core network element providing the first QoS information can be a network element in a 5G core network, such as an SMF network element. Alternatively, the core network element can be a network element in a 4G core network, such as a PCRF network element, or it can be a network element in the core network of a future communication system. Furthermore, the first QoS information can be associated with one or more TRPs, wherein the TRP associated with the first QoS information includes the RAN node performing this step.

[0122] Furthermore, the first QoS information can be QoS information corresponding to at least one service flow, that is, information set for at least one service flow to guarantee the quality of service of the at least one service flow, wherein the at least one service flow may include the first service flow. In this case, the first information indicated by the first QoS information refers to the energy requirement information set for the at least one service flow, used to indicate the energy requirement for transmitting the at least one service flow. Based on this, the first information can be RAN-side energy requirement information, used to indicate the energy requirement of the RAN for transmitting the at least one service flow; or, the first information can be terminal-side energy requirement information, used to indicate the energy requirement of the terminal for transmitting the at least one service flow; or, the first information can be core network-side energy requirement information, used to indicate the energy requirement of the core network for transmitting the at least one service flow; or, the first information can also be system energy requirement information, used to indicate the overall energy requirement of the terminal, RAN, and core network during the transmission of the at least one service flow.

[0123] Optionally, when the first information is RAN-side energy demand information, the first energy demand indicated by the first information can be the energy demand associated with one or more TRPs. In other words, different TRPs can be associated with different energy demands, or all TRPs can be associated with the same energy demand, or some TRPs can be associated with the same energy demand, while others can be associated with different energy demands.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first QoS information may include first information.

[0125] It should be noted that service flows with the same QoS information can be referred to as a QoS flow. Based on this, in the embodiments of this application, at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information can be referred to as the first QoS flow, and the first information is the energy demand information corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0126] Optionally, the first QoS information may further include first QoS indication information. The first QoS indication information is used to indicate the QoS characteristic parameters of the first QoS flow indicated by the first QoS information. For example, the first QoS indication information may be QCI or 5QI.

[0127] It should be noted that QCI or 5QI is a scalar that can be used to identify a set of QoS characteristic parameters. Each set of QoS characteristic parameters may include resource type, priority, packet delay budget, and packet error loss rate.

[0128] Resource types can be either guaranteed bit rate (GBR) or non-GBR. GBR indicates that the bit rate required by the bearer corresponding to the QoS flow is guaranteed. That is, even under conditions of limited network resources, the required bit rate of the bearer corresponding to the QoS flow can be maintained. Non-GBR indicates that the bit rate of the bearer corresponding to the QoS flow cannot be guaranteed; for example, under conditions of limited network resources, the bit rate of the bearer corresponding to the QoS flow may be reduced. Optionally, when the QoS indication information is 5QI, the resource type may also be delay-critical GBR. Delay-critical GBR indicates that the bit rate required by the bearer corresponding to the QoS flow is guaranteed, but with higher latency requirements. Priority refers to the forwarding priority of the QoS flow. The smaller the priority value, the higher the forwarding priority of the QoS flow; the larger the priority value, the lower the forwarding priority of the QoS flow. Packet delay budget refers to the latency requirement of the QoS flow. Packet error rate refers to the packet loss rate or packet error rate requirement of the QoS flow.

[0129] Optionally, the first QoS information may further include allocation and retention priority (ARP), which indicates the priority at which the RAN accepts resource requests corresponding to the first QoS flow. The smaller the ARP value, the higher the priority at which the RAN accepts the resource requests corresponding to the first QoS flow. Conversely, the larger the ARP value, the lower the priority at which the RAN accepts the resource requests corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0130] Optionally, if the resource type in the QoS characteristic parameters of the first QoS flow indicated by the first QoS indication information is GBR, the first QoS information may further include the maximum bit rate (MBR) and the guaranteed bit rate (GBR), or it may include the maximum flow bit rate (MFBR) and the guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR). Here, MBR or MFBR represents the maximum bit rate expected by the bearer corresponding to the first QoS flow. GBR or GFBR represents the minimum bit rate required by the bearer corresponding to the first QoS flow within the average time window.

[0131] In addition, the first QoS information may also include other parameters, such as a reflective QoS attribute (RQA), which indicates that the terminal can use the reflective QoS mechanism to determine the bearer and QoS information corresponding to a certain service flow included in the first QoS flow. When the resource type in the QoS characteristic parameters of the first QoS flow indicated by the first QoS indication information is non-GBR, the first QoS information may also include the aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR). The AMBR may include the session AMBR and the UE AMBR. The session AMBR represents the maximum aggregate rate of the first QoS flow corresponding to a protocol data unit (PDU) session. The UE AMBR represents the maximum aggregate rate of the first QoS flow transmitted by a certain UE.

[0132] For example, the first QoS information can be as shown in Table 1, where the first QoS indication information is 5QI, the value of 5QI is 1, and the resource type in the corresponding QoS feature parameter is GBR. Therefore, the first QoS information also includes GFBR and MFBR, where the GFBR of uplink data is n1, the GFBR of downlink data is n2, the MFBR of uplink data is m1, and the MFBR of downlink data is m2. In addition, the first QoS information also includes ARP and energy efficiency level values, where ARP is 2 and the energy efficiency level value is p1, which is the first information.

[0133] Table 1 First QoS Information

[0134] In other embodiments, the first QoS information includes first QoS indication information, which can indicate the QoS characteristic parameters of a first QoS flow, and the QoS characteristic parameters of the first QoS flow include first information. Based on this, after receiving the first QoS information, the RAN node can obtain the first QoS indication information from the first QoS information, determine the corresponding QoS characteristic parameters based on the first QoS indication information, and then obtain the first information from the QoS characteristic parameters.

[0135] In this embodiment, QoS indication information can be used to indicate a set of QoS characteristic parameters. Different associations between QoS indication information and the indicated QoS characteristic parameters can be pre-configured in the RAN node. Each QoS indication information may include energy demand information among the QoS characteristic parameters it indicates. Based on this, after receiving the first QoS information, the RAN node can use the pre-configured associations between the QoS indication information and the QoS characteristic parameters to determine the QoS characteristic parameters associated with the first QoS indication information.

[0136] It should be noted that the energy requirement information in the QoS characteristic parameters indicated by different QoS indication information may be the same or different. Optionally, the QoS characteristic parameters indicated by each QoS indication information may also include resource type, priority, packet delay budget, and packet error / loss rate, etc.

[0137] As an example, the pre-configured QoS indication information and QoS feature parameters in the RAN node can be represented by a mapping table between QoS indication information and QoS feature parameters. The RAN node can look up the first QoS indication information from this mapping table and obtain the energy demand information from the QoS feature parameters corresponding to the found first QoS indication information. The obtained energy demand information is the first information.

[0138] For example, taking QoS indication information as 5QI as an example, Table 2 shows a mapping relationship table between QoS indication information and QoS feature parameters according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Table 2, different values ​​of 5QI correspond to different QoS feature parameters, and different QoS feature parameters include the same energy index, and the reference values ​​of the energy index may be the same or different. Based on this, assuming that the first QoS indication information is 5QI equal to 1, the RAN node can obtain the QoS feature parameters corresponding to 5QI being 1 from the mapping relationship table. As shown in Table 2, the energy demand information in this QoS feature parameter includes an energy efficiency level value and an energy consumption level value, where the energy efficiency level value is 0 and the energy consumption level value is 7. At this time, the first information includes the energy efficiency level value and the energy consumption level value.

[0139] Table 2. Mapping Relationship between QoS Indication Information and QoS Feature Parameters

[0140] It should be noted that the values ​​of 5QI in Table 2 above, as well as the values ​​of QoS feature parameters corresponding to different 5QI values, are merely examples and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0141] In the second implementation, the RAN node can receive a first SLA, which includes first information.

[0142] In some examples, RAN nodes may receive the first SLA from the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server.

[0143] In other examples, the RAN node may receive the first SLA from a core network element. For example, this core network element could be an authentication server function (AUSF) element, or it could be an element used in a future communication system to manage or store SLAs.

[0144] It should be noted that an SLA is a pre-agreed Service Level Agreement between a service provider and a terminal user, used to indicate the services required and the expected service level by the user. In this embodiment, the SLA may also include energy requirement information. In this case, the energy requirement information is the energy requirement information agreed upon between the service provider and the terminal user for transmitting various service data corresponding to the terminal. The SLA can be associated with an SLA stream. Based on this, when the first SLA contains first information, the first energy requirement indicated by the first information can be the energy requirement associated with the first SLA and the first SLA stream.

[0145] Optionally, in some possible cases, the SLA can also be associated with one or more TRPs, on which the RAN node can obtain its associated SLA as the first SLA.

[0146] Specifically, this energy requirement information can be terminal-side energy requirement information, RAN-side energy requirement information, core network-side energy requirement information, or system energy requirement information. Terminal-side energy requirement information indicates the energy requirement for the terminal to transmit service data corresponding to the SLA; RAN-side energy requirement information indicates the energy requirement for the RAN to transmit the service data of the terminal corresponding to the SLA; core network-side energy requirement information indicates the energy requirement for the core network to transmit the service data of the terminal corresponding to the SLA; and system energy requirement information indicates the total energy requirement of the terminal, RAN, and core network during the transmission of the service data of the terminal corresponding to the SLA.

[0147] In the third implementation, the RAN node can be statically configured with the first information. In this case, the RAN node can directly obtain the first information stored within itself.

[0148] The first information can be energy requirement information configured for various service data of a certain terminal. Alternatively, the first information can also be energy requirement information configured for the first QoS flow indicated by the first QoS information, used to indicate the energy requirement when transmitting at least one service flow belonging to the first QoS flow. Specifically, the first information can also be terminal-side energy requirement information, RAN-side energy requirement information, core network-side energy requirement information, or system energy requirement information; relevant descriptions can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0149] S602: The RAN node determines the first configuration associated with the first energy demand.

[0150] After determining the first information, the RAN node can determine the first energy requirement based on the first information, and then determine the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement. This first configuration is the configuration that satisfies the first energy requirement.

[0151] If the first information includes a first energy requirement, the RAN node acquires that first energy requirement. If the first information includes a first energy identifier, the RAN node can determine the first energy requirement based on the first energy identifier.

[0152] In one possible implementation, a mapping exists between energy requirements and configuration sets within the RAN node. One energy requirement can correspond to one or more configuration sets, and vice versa. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more configuration sets corresponding to a first energy requirement based on the mapping between energy requirements and configuration sets. Then, it determines a first configuration based on the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first energy requirement. The first configuration includes at least one of the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first energy requirement, or it includes a portion of the configurations from a certain configuration set corresponding to the first energy requirement.

[0153] The mapping between the energy demand and the configuration set can be a mapping associated with one or more TRPs. That is, the mapping can be applied to one or more TRPs, where the TRPs associated with the mapping include the RAN node performing this step. For example, in one example, different TRPs use different mappings, or some TRPs use different mappings while others use the same mapping. Alternatively, all TRPs may use the same mapping.

[0154] Furthermore, as described above, the first energy demand may include energy indicators but not indicator reference values. In this case, taking the first energy demand including a first energy indicator as an example, the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first energy demand can be configuration sets whose corresponding first energy indicator values ​​satisfy preset conditions. These preset conditions are preset indicator conditions for the first energy indicator; for example, the preset condition could be a preset threshold for the first energy indicator, or the maximum or minimum value of the first energy indicator. For instance, if the first energy demand includes energy efficiency as an energy indicator but does not include an energy efficiency reference value, then the configuration set corresponding to the first energy demand can be the configuration set with the largest corresponding energy efficiency value among one or more configuration sets. As another example, if the first energy demand includes energy consumption as an energy indicator but does not include an energy consumption reference value, then the configuration set corresponding to the first energy demand can be the configuration set with the smallest corresponding energy consumption value among one or more configuration sets.

[0155] Optionally, the first energy demand may also include a reference value for an energy indicator. In this case, one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first energy demand may be configuration sets that correspond to the energy indicators included in the first energy demand, and where the value or value range of the corresponding energy indicator satisfies the reference value of the energy indicator. Here, "the value of the energy indicator satisfies the reference value" can mean that the value of the energy indicator is equal to, less than, or greater than the reference value, and "the value range of the energy indicator satisfies the reference value" can mean that the value range of the energy indicator includes the reference value.

[0156] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, the first configuration can be a configuration for one or more TRPs. For example, when the first configuration includes multiple configuration sets, each configuration set can be used for one TRP; when the first configuration includes one configuration set, the configuration set can be used for all TRPs; or, when the first configuration includes N configuration sets, the N configuration sets can be used for M TRPs, where N and M can be unequal.

[0157] Alternatively, the first configuration is a configuration for one or more cells. When the first configuration is a configuration for multiple cells, the multiple cells can refer to neighboring cells and serving cells for cooperative transmission, or cells in a CA transmission scenario, or cells in a dual connectivity (DC) transmission scenario.

[0158] Alternatively, the first configuration can be a configuration for multiple panels in a multi-pane transmission scenario.

[0159] Alternatively, the first configuration can be a configuration for multiple terminals, multiple signals, or multiple reference signals.

[0160] In the first example, each configuration set includes one or more parameters. Correspondingly, the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets can include a correspondence between energy requirements and parameter sets, where each parameter set includes one or more parameters. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more first parameter sets corresponding to a first energy requirement from the correspondence between energy requirements and parameter sets. The first configuration includes at least one parameter from one or more first parameter sets. Alternatively, the first configuration may include a subset of parameters from a first parameter set.

[0161] It should be noted that different energy demands may correspond to the same or different parameter sets. Different parameter sets can refer to different parameter types or the same parameter types but different parameter values.

[0162] Specifically, each parameter set may include one or more parameters that may include at least one of the following: bandwidth, sub-carrier space (SCS), number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of MAC-CE entities, number of RLC entities, number of PDCP entities, number of SDAP entities, number of radio bearers (RBs), scheduling delay, wake-up delay, sleep delay, frequency band, frequency band set, frequency band aggregation, carrier set, carrier aggregation, subcarrier, partial bandwidth set, partial bandwidth aggregation, sub-partial bandwidth, resource block group, resource block, resource unit, and control channel unit.

[0163] Among them, bandwidth can refer to the terminal's operating bandwidth. The larger the terminal's operating bandwidth, the higher the power consumption or energy consumption; the smaller the terminal's operating bandwidth, the lower the power consumption or energy consumption.

[0164] SCS (Subcarrier Spacing) affects the number of symbols contained in a subframe. Currently, optional SCS can include 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, etc. A larger subcarrier spacing results in more symbols in a subframe, shorter processing time for a single symbol, and therefore higher requirements for the device's processing capabilities, potentially leading to higher power consumption.

[0165] The number of symbols can refer to the number of symbols transmitted by a device. The fewer the number of symbols, the lower the power consumption or energy consumption of the device may be.

[0166] Antenna configuration can include the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers and the number of transmit and receive antennas. The number of MIMO layers refers to the number of data streams that can be transmitted simultaneously in space under a multi-antenna system; that is, the number of independent channels capable of signal transmission and reception. Generally, reducing the number of MIMO layers can reduce the device's power consumption or energy consumption. The number of transmit and receive antennas includes the number of receive antennas and the number of transmit antennas. For example, a device typically has 1T1R, 2T4R, etc., where T represents the transmit antenna and R represents the receive antenna. Taking 2T4R as an example, it means the device has 2 transmit antennas and 4 receive antennas enabled. Generally, reducing the number of transmit and receive antennas, i.e., turning off some transmit and receive antennas, can reduce the device's power consumption or energy consumption.

[0167] Data processing capability can be characterized by one or more of the following: the amount of data a device can process simultaneously, subcarrier spacing, processing latency, the number of CPUs used for processing, processing speed, and the measurement quantities that can be processed simultaneously. Generally, the stronger the data processing capability of a device, the higher its power consumption or energy consumption.

[0168] Processing latency can characterize the processing speed of a device. The greater the processing latency, the slower the processing speed, and correspondingly, the lower the processing capacity required by the device, and the lower the power consumption or energy consumption of the device.

[0169] Partial bandwidth refers to a portion of the bandwidth dynamically configured for a terminal; it is a subset of the total bandwidth. By dynamically configuring partial bandwidth for a terminal, the terminal does not have to operate on the entire bandwidth. Instead, it can dynamically adjust its operation to a specific portion of the bandwidth based on service requirements, thereby reducing the terminal's power consumption.

[0170] A carrier can also be called a cell. The carrier configured for a terminal can refer to the serving cell configured for the terminal. The serving cell can include a primary cell and one or more secondary cells. The more cells included in the serving cell, the greater the power consumption or energy consumption of the terminal may be.

[0171] Modulation coding schemes can include modulation methods, such as 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM), 256QAM, 1024QAM, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, etc. Alternatively, modulation coding schemes can refer to MCS, including modulation order, target code rate, and spectral efficiency.

[0172] A codeword refers to the number of encoded blocks processed by the physical layer of a device. The larger the codeword, the greater the processing load and the higher the power consumption of the device.

[0173] Waveform refers to physical layer waveforms, such as OFDM, OTFS, low-papr wave, etc.; different waveforms correspond to different power consumption.

[0174] Scheduling latency refers to the time interval between scheduling control and data transmission. A longer scheduling latency results in higher power consumption.

[0175] Wake-up latency refers to the transition latency of a terminal from an inactive state to an active state and / or from an active state to an inactive state; the greater the wake-up latency, the greater the power consumption of the terminal.

[0176] Sleep duration refers to the amount of time a device can remain in a sleep state. The longer the sleep duration, the lower the power consumption of the device.

[0177] The number of RBs can include the number of DRBs and the number of SRBs. Generally, the more RBs there are, the higher the power consumption or energy consumption of the device.

[0178] Furthermore, if the resource unit is a spatial domain unit, then the resource unit can specifically be a port, antenna port, channel, RF chain, antenna, transmitting unit, receiving unit, spatial precoding, spatial filter, RF unit, reference signal, reference signal block, antenna panel, transmission point, beam, etc. If the resource unit is a code domain unit, then the resource unit can specifically be a coding resource, such as a root sequence, cyclic shift, orthogonal mask, etc. If the resource unit is a power domain unit, then the resource unit can specifically be a power parameter, such as transmit power, etc. Optionally, the resource unit can also be a time domain unit, frequency domain unit, spatial domain unit, code domain unit, or a combination of multiple power domain units. For example, a resource unit can also be a time-frequency domain resource, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. Examples of each are not provided here.

[0179] For example, taking the parameter set as MCS, the correspondence between energy demand and configuration set can include the correspondence between energy demand and MCS. MCS can be identified by an MCS index, and an MCS includes modulation order, target code rate, and spectral efficiency. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more MCS corresponding to a first energy demand from the correspondence between energy demand and MCS, and determine the first MCS from these one or more MCS. The first configuration includes the first MCS.

[0180] It should be noted that in the correspondence between energy demand and MCS, the energy demand corresponding to each MCS can be the same or different. Different energy demand can mean that the energy indicators included in the energy demand are different, or it can mean that the energy indicators included in the energy demand are the same but the reference values ​​of the energy indicators are different.

[0181] For example, Table 3 shows a correspondence between energy requirements and MCSs. As shown in Table 3, each MCS index identifies an MCS, and each MCS includes modulation order, target code rate, and spectral efficiency. Each MCS corresponds to an energy requirement, which includes an energy efficiency value and an energy consumption value. The energy efficiency values ​​and energy consumption values ​​for each MCS may be the same or different. For example, assuming the energy efficiency reference value in the first energy requirement is 5 bits / joule (bit / J) and the energy consumption reference value is 100 milliwatts (mW), then Table 3 shows that the first energy requirement corresponds to the MCS with MCS index 0. In this case, the MCS with MCS index 0 is the first MCS. As another example, assuming the first energy requirement includes the energy efficiency indicator but does not include its reference value, the RAN node can determine the minimum energy efficiency value from Table 3 and use the MCS corresponding to the minimum energy efficiency value as the first MCS.

[0182] Table 3. Correspondence between Energy Demand and MCS

[0183] It should be noted that the energy efficiency and energy consumption values ​​included in the energy requirements corresponding to various MCSs in Table 3 above are merely examples and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In some possible implementations, the MCS corresponding to the correspondence between energy requirements and MCSs in the correspondence table can also be a range of energy index values, such as a range of energy efficiency values ​​and a range of energy consumption values. Based on this, the RAN node can look up the value range of the reference value of the energy index in the first energy requirement from the correspondence table and determine the MCS corresponding to the found value range as the first MCS. In other possible implementations, if there is no energy index value in the correspondence table between MCSs and energy requirements that is equal to the reference value of the energy index in the first energy requirement, the RAN node can determine the index value that is closest to the reference value from the correspondence table and take the MCS corresponding to that index value as the first MCS. For example, taking Table 3 above as an example, when the energy efficiency reference value in the first energy demand is 6 bits / J and the energy consumption reference value is 90mw, the energy efficiency value and energy consumption value corresponding to the MCS with MCS index 0 are closest to the above two reference values, then the MCS with MCS index 0 can be determined as the first MCS.

[0184] For example, taking a physical layer parameter set that includes one or more physical layer parameters as an example, the correspondence between energy demand and configuration set can be a correspondence between energy demand and physical layer parameter set. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more first physical layer parameter sets corresponding to the first energy demand from the correspondence between energy demand and physical layer parameter set, wherein the first configuration includes at least one of the one or more first physical layer parameter sets. Alternatively, the first configuration includes a portion of the physical layer parameters in the first physical layer parameter set.

[0185] It should be noted that physical layer parameters may include at least one of time-domain parameters, spatial-domain parameters, frequency-domain parameters, and code-domain parameters.

[0186] For example, time-domain parameters may include the PDCCH MO interval. The PDCCH MO interval indicates the time interval during which the terminal monitors the PDCCH transmitted by the RAN. A smaller PDCCH MO interval results in more frequent PDCCH monitoring by the terminal within a given time period, leading to higher energy consumption. Conversely, a larger PDCCH MO interval results in fewer PDCCH monitoring sessions within a given time period, leading to lower energy consumption. Spatial-domain parameters may include antenna configuration. Frequency-domain parameters may include bandwidth, sub-carrier space (SCS), and carrier scheduling type. Carrier scheduling type may include self-scheduling and cross-carrier scheduling. Self-scheduling refers to PDCCH transmitted on a specific carrier scheduling radio resources on that carrier, while cross-carrier scheduling refers to PDCCH transmitted on a specific carrier scheduling radio resources on other carriers. Code-domain parameters include modulation scheme and codeword. Modulation schemes may include 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64QAM), 256QAM, 1024QAM, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, etc.

[0187] For example, Table 4 shows a correspondence between energy requirements and physical layer parameter sets. As shown in Table 4, energy requirements may include energy efficiency values, and physical layer parameter sets may include bandwidth, antenna configuration, subcarrier spacing, and modulation scheme. Assuming that the energy efficiency reference value included in the first energy requirement is 15 bits / J, then Table 4 can be used to determine that the first physical layer parameter set corresponding to an energy efficiency value of 15 bits / J includes: a bandwidth of 100 MHz, an antenna configuration of 2T4R, a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz, and a modulation scheme of 256QAM.

[0188] It should be noted that the energy efficiency values ​​corresponding to the physical layer parameter sets in Table 4 below are merely examples and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In some possible implementations, the physical layer parameter sets in the correspondence table between energy demand and physical layer parameter sets can also correspond to energy index value ranges, such as energy efficiency value ranges. Based on this, the RAN node can look up the value range of the reference value of the energy index in the first energy demand from the correspondence table, and determine the physical layer parameter set corresponding to the found value range as the first physical layer parameter set.

[0189] Table 4. Correspondence between Energy Demand and Physical Layer Parameter Set

[0190] In the second example, each configuration set includes one or more features. Correspondingly, the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets can include a correspondence between energy requirements and feature sets, where each feature set includes one or more features. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more first feature sets corresponding to a first energy requirement from the correspondence between energy requirements and feature sets. The first configuration includes at least one feature from these one or more first feature sets. Alternatively, the first configuration includes a subset of features from the first feature sets.

[0191] It should be noted that different energy demands may correspond to the same or different characteristic sets. Specifically, two different characteristic sets may refer to the different characteristics included in the two sets.

[0192] Specifically, the feature set may include one or more features including at least one of the following: DRX, BWP Adaptive, Cross-Slot Scheduling, Sparse MO Configuration, WUS, UL Skip-No Monitoring, SSSG, Energy Saving Assist Information Reporting, RRC Connection Fast Release, SCell Hibernation, PEI, PDCCH Skip-No Monitoring, Mobility Measurement Relaxation, and Unified Energy Saving Model.

[0193] DRX refers to configuring the DRX period and its active and sleep periods. During the active period of the DRX period, the terminal wakes up to monitor the PDCCH and sends and receives data based on the PDCCH's indication. During the sleep period of the DRX period, the terminal is in sleep mode, neither monitoring the PDCCH nor sending or receiving data.

[0194] BWP Adaptive refers to configuring multiple BWPs for the terminal. Based on this, the terminal can be instructed to dynamically adjust its working bandwidth according to the amount of service data. When the amount of data is small, the terminal is instructed to work on a narrower bandwidth to reduce power consumption. When the amount of data is large, the terminal is instructed to switch to a larger bandwidth.

[0195] Cross-timeslot scheduling means that the PDCCH and its scheduled PDSCH are in different time slots. After receiving the PDCCH, the terminal does not need to buffer subsequent downlink signals and can directly turn off the radio frequency receiving part to save energy until the next time slot.

[0196] Sparse MO configuration means that the terminal does not need to monitor PDCCH in every time slot, but can monitor PDCCH once every n time slots based on the configured monitoring period.

[0197] WUS is used in DRX mode of RRC connection state. When the terminal is in sleep state, it can temporarily receive WUS to determine whether to wake up in the next activation period.

[0198] UL Skip - No Monitoring means that a terminal can skip unnecessary data transmission on the uplink based on instructions from network devices or network conditions. For example, a terminal can choose to transmit partial data or stop transmitting data altogether when instructed by network devices.

[0199] An SSSG can be configured with one SS for dense PDCCH monitoring as SSSG#0 and another SS for sparse PDCCH monitoring as SSSG#1. These two SSSGs can be switched dynamically via signaling.

[0200] Energy-saving auxiliary information reporting refers to a terminal reporting energy-saving auxiliary information to the network, enabling the network to configure corresponding resources for the terminal based on this information, thereby achieving energy saving. For example, energy-saving auxiliary information may include auxiliary information for DRX configuration, auxiliary information for reducing the number of MIMO layers, auxiliary information for reducing secondary carriers, etc.

[0201] RRC connection quick release refers to a terminal's ability to proactively report information to the network to request entry into an inactive or idle state even without data.

[0202] SCell sleep mode refers to the process where an active SCell can enter a sleep state when the terminal has data to transmit or receive. The terminal can determine whether an SCell needs to enter sleep mode based on downlink control information (DCI) received on the PCell. In sleep mode, the terminal does not receive the SCell's PDCCH and only performs channel state information (CSI) measurements. When data transmission is needed, the terminal can quickly switch the SCell from sleep mode to active mode.

[0203] PEI is primarily used in RRC idle mode. Before a paging opportunity, the terminal can receive PEI to determine whether it needs to be woken up to receive the paging message at the next paging opportunity.

[0204] PDCCH skip-no-monitoring means that the RAN node can instruct the terminal through DCI to not monitor the PDCCH for n consecutive time slots after the DCI (abbreviated as skipped duration), thereby achieving the purpose of energy saving.

[0205] Mobility measurement relaxation can include Restricted Retention Registry (RRM) measurement relaxation. RRM measurement relaxation refers to reducing terminal power consumption during RRM measurements by relaxing measurement conditions for neighboring cells in idle or inactive states. For example, relaxing measurement conditions can include increasing the measurement cycle or reducing the number of cells measured.

[0206] A unified energy-saving model refers to a set of predefined energy-saving patterns that can achieve equivalent energy-saving effects of the aforementioned energy-saving characteristics. Furthermore, different energy-saving patterns can be instructed via signaling for terminal energy saving.

[0207] In the third example, each configuration set includes one or more physical layer operating modes. Correspondingly, the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets can include the correspondence between energy requirements and physical layer operating modes. Each physical layer operating mode can correspond to a physical layer parameter set, which can include one or more physical layer parameters. Based on this, in this embodiment, the RAN node can determine one or more first physical layer operating modes corresponding to a first energy requirement from the correspondence between energy requirements and physical layer operating modes, wherein the first configuration includes at least one of the one or more first physical layer operating modes.

[0208] It should be noted that different energy requirements may correspond to the same or different physical layer operating modes. In some examples, the physical layer operating modes may include an energy-saving mode and a normal mode. Compared to a physical layer configured using the physical layer parameter set corresponding to the normal mode, a physical layer configured using the physical layer parameter set corresponding to the energy-saving mode is more energy-efficient when transmitting signals. "More energy-efficient" can refer to higher energy efficiency or lower energy consumption.

[0209] For example, the physical layer parameter set corresponding to the energy-saving mode has a bandwidth of 30MHz, 1 MIMO layer, a PDCCH MO interval of 50 milliseconds (ms), and cross-carrier scheduling. The physical layer parameter set corresponding to the normal mode has a bandwidth of 100MHz, 4 MIMO layers, a PDCCH MO interval of 10ms, and cross-carrier scheduling.

[0210] Table 5 shows a correspondence between energy demand and physical layer operating modes. As shown in Table 5, energy demand can include energy consumption values, and physical layer operating modes include energy-saving mode and normal mode. The energy-saving mode corresponds to an energy consumption value range of [C1, C2], and the normal mode corresponds to an energy consumption value range of (C2, C3). Based on this, when the energy consumption reference value in the first energy demand is within [C1, C2], the first physical layer operating mode is the energy-saving mode; when the energy consumption reference value in the first energy demand is within (C2, C3), the first physical layer operating mode is the normal mode.

[0211] Table 5. Correspondence between Energy Demand and Physical Layer Operating Mode

[0212] It should be noted that Table 5 above only uses the physical layer operating modes, including energy-saving mode and normal mode, as an example for illustration. In some possible cases, the physical layer operating modes can be divided in other ways. For example, in addition to energy-saving mode and normal mode, other modes can be included. Alternatively, for energy-saving mode, it can be divided into multiple energy-saving modes with different energy-saving levels, etc.

[0213] Furthermore, the three examples described above are merely exemplary implementations of the correspondence between energy demand and configuration sets provided in the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. For example, in some possible implementations, the correspondence between energy demand and configuration sets may also include a correspondence between energy demand and set identifiers of configuration sets, wherein each set identifier can index a configuration set. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more set identifiers corresponding to the first energy demand from the correspondence, and determine one or more first configuration sets corresponding to the first energy demand based on the one or more set identifiers, wherein the first configuration may include at least one of the one or more first configuration sets.

[0214] In some possible cases, as described above, the first configuration is a configuration capable of satisfying the first energy requirement indicated by the first information. Based on this, in the various examples described above of determining the first configuration associated with the first energy requirement based on the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets, if the first information is indicated by first QoS information, then the first configuration is not only a configuration capable of satisfying the first energy requirement indicated by the first information, but can also be a configuration capable of satisfying other parameter conditions in the first QoS information. That is, the first configuration can be the configuration associated with the first QoS information.

[0215] Specifically, when the first information is indicated by the first QoS information and the first QoS information also includes other parameters besides the first information, the RAN node can determine the first configuration based on the first energy requirement indicated by the first information and the other parameters included in the first QoS information.

[0216] In one example, the RAN node can determine a set of candidate configurations based on other parameters in the first QoS information, and then determine the first configuration based on the first energy requirement and the set of candidate configurations.

[0217] When the first QoS information includes first information and other QoS parameters, a correspondence between QoS parameter sets and configuration sets may exist in the RAN node. Each QoS parameter set may include at least one QoS parameter, which may include at least one of QoS indication information or QoS feature parameters indicated by the QoS indication information, and may also include MBR and / or GBR, or MFBR and / or GFBR. The configuration set corresponding to each QoS parameter set can satisfy each QoS parameter in that QoS parameter set, and there may be one or more configuration sets corresponding to each QoS parameter set; different QoS parameter sets may have the same or different configuration sets. Based on this, the RAN node can determine at least one candidate configuration set associated with the QoS parameters included in the first QoS information. Then, from the at least one candidate configuration set, one or more first configuration sets that satisfy the first energy requirement are determined, wherein the first configuration includes at least one first configuration set, or the first configuration includes a portion of the configurations in a certain first configuration set.

[0218] Specifically, for each configuration set corresponding to the QoS parameter set, there exists a correspondence between these configuration sets and energy requirements. Based on this, after determining at least one candidate configuration set, the RAN node can determine one or more first configuration sets that satisfy the first energy requirement based on the energy requirements corresponding to the at least one candidate configuration set.

[0219] Specifically, when the first energy requirement includes an energy indicator but not a reference value, taking the inclusion of a first energy indicator as an example, the RAN node can determine the first configuration set from the at least one candidate configuration set that corresponds to the first energy indicator and whose value satisfies a preset condition. The preset condition can be a preset threshold for the first energy indicator, or the maximum or minimum value of the first energy indicator, etc. For example, if the first energy indicator is energy efficiency, the RAN node can select the configuration set with the highest corresponding energy efficiency value from the at least one candidate configuration set as the first configuration set.

[0220] When the first energy requirement includes a reference value for an energy indicator, taking the inclusion of the reference value as an example, the RAN node can determine, from the at least one candidate configuration set, the configuration set corresponding to the first energy indicator, and whose value satisfies the reference value of the first energy indicator, as the first configuration set. For example, if the first energy indicator includes an energy efficiency reference value, the RAN node can select, from the at least one candidate configuration set, the configuration set whose energy efficiency value equals the energy efficiency reference value as the first configuration set. Optionally, if no configuration set exists whose energy efficiency value equals the energy efficiency reference value, the configuration set whose energy efficiency value is greater than the energy efficiency reference value can be selected as the first configuration set. Optionally, if no configuration set exists whose energy efficiency value is equal to or greater than the energy efficiency reference value, the configuration set with the largest corresponding energy efficiency value can be selected as the first configuration set. Alternatively, the RAN node can also select, from the at least one candidate configuration set, the configuration set whose energy efficiency value range includes the energy efficiency reference value as the first configuration set.

[0221] For example, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of determining a first configuration based on energy demand and other QoS parameters according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the GFBR in QoS parameter set A is 20 Mbps, the packet delay budget is 50 ms, and the corresponding configuration set can include two physical layer operating modes: energy-saving mode and normal mode; the GFBR in QoS parameter set B is 50 Mbps, the packet delay budget is 100 ms, and the corresponding configuration set can also include two physical layer operating modes: energy-saving mode and normal mode; the GFBR in QoS parameter set C is 100 Mbps, the packet delay budget is 50 ms, and the corresponding configuration set can include one physical layer operating mode, which is normal mode; the GFBR in QoS parameter set D is 1.6 Gbps, the packet delay budget is 10 ms, and the corresponding configuration set can also include one physical layer operating mode, which is normal mode. Assuming the GFBR in the first QoS information is 50Mbps and the packet delay budget indicated by the first QoS indication information is 50ms, based on the configuration sets corresponding to each QoS parameter set in Figure 7, the candidate configuration set corresponding to the GFBR and indicated packet delay budget in the first QoS information can include two physical layer operating modes: energy-saving mode and normal mode. Based on this, if the first energy requirement includes energy consumption indicators but does not include the reference value of the energy consumption indicators, then the energy-saving mode with lower energy consumption can be selected from these two physical layer operating modes based on the first energy requirement. In this case, the first configuration is the energy-saving mode. If the first energy requirement includes the reference value of the energy consumption indicators, and this reference value can be met in normal mode, then the normal mode can be selected from the two physical layer operating modes based on the first energy requirement. If the reference value cannot be met in normal mode, then the energy-saving mode can be selected from the two physical layer operating modes based on the first energy requirement.

[0222] Optionally, when the first QoS information includes first QoS indication information, and the QoS characteristic parameters indicated by the first QoS indication information include first information, the correspondence between energy demand and configuration sets can be achieved through the correspondence between QoS indication information and configuration sets. Based on this, the RAN node can determine one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first QoS indication information based on this correspondence. These configuration sets are the configuration sets that satisfy the first energy demand, and the first configuration includes at least one of the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first QoS indication information. Alternatively, the first configuration includes a portion of the configurations in a certain configuration set corresponding to the first QoS indication information.

[0223] In another example, as described above, the first QoS information is the QoS information corresponding to at least one service flow. Service flows with the same QoS information can be called a QoS flow, which can be indicated by a flow identifier, such as a QoS flow identifier (QFI) or QCI. Correspondingly, the QoS information can be associated with the flow identifier of the QoS flow it indicates. In this case, the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets can be achieved through the correspondence between flow identifiers and configuration sets. Accordingly, the RAN node can obtain the flow identifier of the first QoS flow associated with the first QoS information, and then, based on the correspondence between the flow identifier and the configuration set, determine one or more configuration sets corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow. This configuration set is the configuration set that satisfies the first energy requirement, and the first configuration includes at least one of the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow. Alternatively, the first configuration includes a portion of the configurations in a certain configuration set corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow. The first QoS flow includes at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information.

[0224] It should be noted that the configuration set corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow is the configuration set associated with the first QoS flow. Since the first QoS flow includes at least one service flow with corresponding first QoS information, the first configuration is actually the configuration associated with the at least one service flow.

[0225] Optionally, a QoS flow can also be associated with a DRB, which is used to transmit the service flows included in the QoS flow. Based on this, the correspondence between energy requirements and configuration sets in this embodiment can be achieved through a first correspondence between flow identifiers and DRB identifiers, and a second correspondence between DRB identifiers and configuration sets. Accordingly, after obtaining the flow identifier of the first QoS flow associated with the first QoS information, the RAN node can determine the first DRB identifier corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow based on the first correspondence, and then determine one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first DRB identifier based on the second correspondence. The first configuration includes at least one of the one or more configuration sets corresponding to the first DRB identifier, or the first configuration includes a portion of the configurations in a certain configuration set corresponding to the first DRB identifier.

[0226] For example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of this application for determining a first configuration corresponding to first QoS information. As shown in Figure 8, QFI1 is associated with DRB1, and DRB1 is associated with configuration set 1; QFI2 is associated with DRB2, and DRB2 is associated with configuration set 2; QFI k With DRB kRelated, DRB k It is associated with configuration set k. Assuming that the QFI associated with the first QoS information is QFI2, then the associated DRB2 is determined based on QFI2, and the corresponding configuration set 2 can be determined based on DRB2. At this time, the first configuration can be configuration set 2.

[0227] In other possible cases, if the first information mentioned above is information contained in the first SLA, since the first SLA can be associated with an SLA flow, the first energy demand indicated by the first information can be the energy demand associated with the SLA flow indicated by the first SLA, and correspondingly, the first configuration will be the configuration associated with the SLA flow indicated by the first SLA.

[0228] In another possible implementation, the RAN node can determine the radio resource configuration based on a first energy requirement, the first configuration including the radio resource configuration.

[0229] As described above, the first information can be energy requirement information configured for at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information. This at least one service flow can be referred to as the first QoS flow, and the first QoS flow can be associated with the first DRB. Based on this, the first energy requirement indicated by the first information is the energy requirement associated with the first DRB. In this case, the RAN node can allocate first radio resources to the first DRB based on the first energy requirement, thereby generating a first radio resource configuration to indicate the first radio resource.

[0230] Specifically, in one example, the RAN node can allocate first radio resources to the first DRB based on the QoS parameters in the first QoS information and the first energy requirement using a resource scheduling algorithm. The first radio resources may include time-domain and frequency-domain resources allocated to the first DRB. Furthermore, using these first radio resources to transmit the first QoS stream through the first DRB can satisfy the QoS parameters in the first QoS information and the first energy requirement.

[0231] For example, for multiple services with downlink data transmission requests, including the service indicated by the first QoS information, the RAN node can obtain the QoS parameters and energy requirements in the QoS information corresponding to each service to calculate the priority of each service. Then, resources are scheduled for each service in order of priority from high to low.

[0232] Optionally, when determining the priority of each service, the RAN node may consider one or more of the following factors in addition to QoS information and energy requirements: scheduling content, channel quality, historical rate of the terminal or service, scheduling priority-related information, and packet buffering information. The scheduling content can be data or control information, and the packet buffering information may include buffer size, buffer latency, etc.

[0233] Optionally, the RAN node can also directly allocate the first radio resources to the first DRB based on the first energy requirement. For example, for multiple services with downlink data transmission requests, including the service indicated by the first QoS information, the RAN node can directly determine the priority of each service according to the order of energy efficiency or effectiveness from largest to smallest or energy consumption or power consumption from smallest to largest.

[0234] In another example, the RAN node can also determine multiple candidate radio resources for the first DRB based on the QoS parameters in the first QoS information. Then, for the energy indicators included in the first energy requirement, a predicted value for that energy indicator is determined for each candidate radio resource. From these multiple candidate radio resources, the radio resource whose predicted value for that energy indicator meets the first energy requirement is selected as the first radio resource.

[0235] Optionally, the first information can also be energy requirement information configured for a specific terminal. Accordingly, the first energy requirement is the energy requirement for a specific terminal to transmit service data. In this case, the RAN node can allocate second radio resources to the corresponding terminal based on the first energy requirement, thereby generating a first radio resource configuration to indicate the second radio resources.

[0236] Specifically, in one example, the RAN node can allocate second radio resources to the terminal based on parameters such as the priority of the terminal corresponding to the first energy requirement, the transmission rate that the terminal can achieve, and the first energy requirement, using a resource scheduling algorithm.

[0237] In another example, the RAN node can also determine multiple candidate radio resources based on parameters such as the priority of the terminal corresponding to the first energy requirement and the transmission rate that the terminal can achieve. Then, for the energy indicators included in the first energy requirement, a predicted value for the energy indicator corresponding to each candidate radio resource is determined, and the radio resource whose predicted value for the energy indicator meets the first energy requirement is selected as the second radio resource from among the multiple candidate radio resources.

[0238] S603: RAN nodes communicate based on the first configuration.

[0239] In this application implementation, the RAN node can communicate with the terminal based on the first configuration. The specific implementation process can include the two steps S6031 and S6032 shown in Figure 9, as follows:

[0240] S6031: The RAN node sends configuration information to the terminal based on the first configuration. The terminal then receives this configuration information.

[0241] The configuration information can be used to indicate the first configuration. Specifically, the configuration information may include the first configuration or first indication information for indicating the first configuration. For example, when the first configuration includes one or more first parameter sets, the configuration information may include the one or more first parameter sets or the identifiers of each first parameter set; in this case, the identifiers of each first parameter set are the first indication information. As another example, when the first configuration includes a first radio resource configuration, the configuration information may include the first radio resource configuration. As yet another example, when the first configuration includes one or more first feature sets, the configuration information may include the identifiers of one or more first feature sets; wherein, the identifiers of the one or more first feature sets are the first indication information. As yet another example, when the first configuration includes one or more first physical layer operating modes, the configuration information may include the identifiers of one or more first physical layer operating modes.

[0242] Optionally, this configuration information can be used to indicate a second configuration. This second configuration does not exceed the first configuration. The phrase "the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration" can mean that the energy demand of the second configuration does not exceed that of the first configuration. For example, when the energy demand is an energy consumption demand or power consumption demand, "the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration" can mean that the energy consumption or power consumption resulting from the second configuration does not exceed that resulting from the first configuration. As another example, when the energy demand is an energy efficiency demand or effectiveness demand, "the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration" can mean that the energy efficiency or effectiveness corresponding to the second configuration is not lower than that corresponding to the first configuration.

[0243] Specifically, the second configuration may include at least one of a second parameter set, a second feature set, a second physical layer operating mode, and a second radio resource configuration. The second parameter set may be determined based on one or more first parameter sets, the second feature set may be determined based on one or more first feature sets, the second physical layer operating mode may be determined based on one or more first physical layer operating modes, and the second radio resource configuration may be obtained based on a first radio resource configuration. Based on this, the configuration information may include the second configuration or second indication information for indicating the second configuration.

[0244] In some embodiments, if the first energy requirement is configured for at least one service flow corresponding to first QoS information, then the first configuration or second configuration indicated by the configuration information is the configuration associated with the at least one service flow. Based on this, the RAN node can send the configuration information to a terminal transmitting any of the at least one service flow. For example, if the at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information includes the first service flow, the RAN node can send the configuration information to a terminal transmitting the first service flow. In this case, the configuration information can also be used to indicate at least one service flow associated with the first configuration or second configuration indicated by the configuration information.

[0245] For example, at least one service flow corresponding to the first QoS information can be called the first QoS flow. Based on this, the configuration information may also include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow to indicate that the first configuration or the second configuration indicated by the configuration information is the configuration associated with the first QoS flow.

[0246] Optionally, the first QoS flow may also be associated with a first DRB. In this case, the first configuration or the second configuration is the configuration associated with the first DRB. Based on this, the configuration information may also be used to indicate that the first configuration or the second configuration is the configuration associated with the first DRB. For example, the configuration information may also include the identifier of the first DRB.

[0247] In other embodiments, if the first energy requirement is configured for a first SLA flow indicated by a first SLA, then the first or second configuration indicated by the configuration information is the configuration associated with the first SLA flow. In this case, the RAN node can send configuration information indicating the first or second configuration to the terminal transmitting the first SLA flow. There may be one or more terminals transmitting the first SLA flow. Optionally, the configuration information may also include indication information indicating the first SLA flow.

[0248] S6032: The terminal receives and / or sends a first signal based on configuration information.

[0249] After receiving the configuration information, the terminal can determine a first configuration or a second configuration based on the configuration information, and then receive and / or send a first signal according to the first configuration or the second configuration.

[0250] In the first scenario, the configuration information includes a first configuration or a second configuration. The terminal can obtain the first configuration or the second configuration and then send and / or receive a first signal according to the first configuration or the second configuration.

[0251] Specifically, the first configuration or the second configuration includes a parameter set. The terminal can determine the target parameter set based on the parameter set included in the first configuration or the parameter set included in the second configuration, and then send and / or receive the first signal based on the parameters in the target parameter set.

[0252] It should be noted that when the first configuration or the second configuration includes a parameter set, that parameter set is the target parameter set. When the first configuration or the second configuration includes multiple parameter sets, the terminal can select one parameter set from the multiple parameter sets as the target parameter set.

[0253] Specifically, the terminal can randomly select a parameter set, or it can select a parameter set according to a preset strategy. For example, if the aforementioned first information is not terminal-side energy demand information, the terminal can also be configured with second information, which is terminal-side energy demand information, used to indicate the second energy demand. Based on this, the terminal can select a parameter set that can meet the second energy demand from multiple parameter sets as the target parameter set.

[0254] After the target parameter set is determined, the terminal can send and / or receive information based on the target parameter set.

[0255] In the first example, the target parameter set includes a first MCS. The physical layer of the terminal can modulate and encode the first signal to be transmitted based on the first MCS, and transmit the modulated and encoded first signal; and / or, demodulate the received first signal based on the first MCS.

[0256] If the configuration information also includes a flow identifier for the first QoS flow, the terminal's physical layer can use the first MCS to modulate and encode the first signal to be transmitted and belonging to the first QoS flow, and then transmit the modulated and encoded first signal. And / or, after receiving the first signal belonging to the first QoS flow, the terminal's physical layer can demodulate the first signal based on the first MCS. In this case, the first signal may include service data from any service flow belonging to the first QoS flow.

[0257] Specifically, the terminal can determine the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow. Then, the terminal can use the physical layer entity corresponding to the first DRB to modulate and encode the first signal carried by the first DRB, and / or demodulate it using the first MCS.

[0258] If the configuration information includes the identifier of the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow, the terminal can determine the first DRB based on the identifier of the first DRB. If the configuration information does not include the identifier of the first DRB, the terminal can be configured with a mapping relationship between flow identifiers and DRB identifiers. Based on this, the terminal can determine the DRB identifier corresponding to the flow identifier of the first QoS flow based on the mapping relationship, and the DRB indicated by the DRB identifier is the first DRB.

[0259] Optionally, if the configuration information includes indication information for indicating the first SLA stream, the physical layer of the terminal can use the first MCS to modulate and encode the first signal to be transmitted, and transmit the modulated and encoded first signal; and / or, the physical layer of the terminal can demodulate the received first signal based on the first MCS. The first signal may be service data of the first SLA stream, or it may be control information corresponding to the first SLA stream.

[0260] If the configuration information does not include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow or the indication information of the first SLA flow, the physical layer of the terminal can use the first MCS to modulate and encode the first signal to be transmitted, and transmit the modulated and encoded first signal; and / or, the physical layer of the terminal can demodulate the received first signal based on the first MCS. The first signal can be service data of any service flow, or it can be control information.

[0261] In the second example, the target parameter set includes a first physical layer parameter set. In this case, the terminal can directly receive and / or transmit the first signal based on this first physical layer parameter set.

[0262] If the configuration information does not include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow, the terminal's physical layer can receive and / or send the first signal based on parameters in the first physical layer parameter set. The first signal can be service data from any service flow, or it can be control information.

[0263] For example, when the first physical layer parameter set includes a PDCCH MO interval, the physical layer of the terminal can monitor the PDCCH according to the PDCCH MO interval, and then receive and / or transmit the first signal on the radio resources indicated by the PDCCH.

[0264] For example, when the first physical layer parameter set includes the number of transmit and receive antennas, the physical layer of the terminal can activate the corresponding number of receive and transmit antennas to receive and / or transmit the first signal.

[0265] For example, when the first physical layer parameter set includes bandwidth, the terminal's physical layer can operate on the corresponding bandwidth to receive and / or send the first signal.

[0266] For example, when the first physical layer parameters include a modulation scheme, the physical layer of the terminal can modulate the first signal to be transmitted according to the modulation scheme, and / or demodulate the received first signal according to the modulation scheme.

[0267] If the configuration information includes indication information for indicating the first SLA stream, the physical layer of the terminal can use the first MCS to modulate and encode the first signal to be transmitted, and transmit the modulated and encoded first signal; and / or, the physical layer of the terminal can demodulate the received first signal based on the first MCS. The first signal may be service data of the first SLA stream, or it may be control information corresponding to the first SLA stream.

[0268] If the configuration information includes a flow identifier for a first QoS flow, the terminal's physical layer can receive and / or transmit a first signal belonging to the first QoS flow based on the first physical layer parameter set. In this case, the first signal may include service data from any service flow belonging to the first QoS flow.

[0269] It should be noted that the terminal can determine the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow. Subsequently, the physical layer entity corresponding to the first DRB in the terminal can send or receive the first signal carried by the first DRB based on the first physical layer parameters. The implementation method for determining the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow can be referred to the foregoing description, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] Optionally, the first configuration or the second configuration may also include a radio resource configuration. In this case, the terminal can utilize the radio resources indicated by the radio resource configuration in the first configuration or the second configuration to receive and / or transmit the first signal.

[0271] In one example, if the radio resource configuration indicates radio resources allocated for a first QoS flow, the terminal can utilize those radio resources to receive and / or transmit a first signal belonging to the first QoS flow. This first signal may include service data belonging to any service flow of the first QoS flow.

[0272] Specifically, the terminal can determine the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow, and then use the first radio resource to receive or transmit the first signal on the first DRB.

[0273] The implementation method for determining the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow can be found in the previous text.

[0274] Additionally, the first radio resource may include time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources. Based on this, the terminal can utilize the time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources to receive or transmit a first signal on the first DRB.

[0275] In another example, if the radio resource configuration indicates radio resources allocated to the terminal, the terminal can use those radio resources to receive or transmit a first signal. This first signal can be service data from any service flow, or it can be control information.

[0276] In the second scenario, the configuration information includes either first indication information or second indication information. The terminal can determine a first configuration based on the first indication information or a second configuration based on the second indication information, and then send and / or receive a first signal according to the first or second configuration. The following detailed explanation uses the example of configuration information including first indication information. For implementation methods including second indication information, please refer to the implementation methods when first indication information is included.

[0277] In the first example, the first indication information may include identifiers of one or more first characteristic sets. Based on this, the terminal can determine one or more first characteristic sets based on the identifiers of the one or more first characteristic sets, and then determine the target characteristic set based on the one or more first characteristic sets, and then send and / or receive the first signal based on the characteristics in the target characteristic set. The implementation method for determining the target characteristic set can refer to the implementation method for determining the target parameter set, and will not be repeated here.

[0278] In addition, the target feature set may include one or more features. For any feature, the terminal can determine the relevant parameters of the corresponding feature, and then send and / or receive the first signal based on the determined parameters.

[0279] For example, if the target feature set includes DRX, the terminal can determine the relevant parameters of DRX, such as the active period and sleep period within the DRX cycle. Then, the terminal wakes up during the active period within the DRX cycle, monitors the PDCCH, and sends and / or receives data according to the PDCCH instructions. During the sleep period within the DRX cycle, the terminal enters a sleep state, no longer monitoring the PDCCH, and no longer sending or receiving data. The first signal may include the PDCCH and / or the data being sent and received.

[0280] In the second example, the first indication information may include identifiers of one or more first physical layer operating modes. The terminal may be configured with a mapping relationship between the identifiers of physical layer operating modes and their corresponding physical layer parameter sets. Based on this, the terminal can use this mapping relationship to determine one or more physical layer parameter sets corresponding to the identifiers of one or more first physical layer operating modes in the first indication information, and then receive or transmit a first signal based on those one or more physical layer parameter sets.

[0281] The terminal can determine a target physical layer parameter set based on the one or more physical layer parameter sets, and then receive and / or send a first signal based on the target physical layer parameter set. The method for determining the target physical layer parameter set can be referred to the previously described method for determining the target parameter set, and will not be repeated here.

[0282] In addition, the process of the terminal receiving and / or sending the first signal based on the target physical layer parameter set can refer to the method of the terminal sending and / or receiving the first signal based on the first physical layer parameter set, and will not be repeated here.

[0283] It should be noted that the above embodiments mainly describe the process by which the RAN node sends configuration information to the terminal based on the first configuration, thereby enabling the terminal to send and receive signals according to the configuration information. In some possible cases, the first configuration may also include RAN-side configuration, which can be used to configure the RAN node. Based on this, the RAN node can also configure itself based on the first configuration to communicate with other communication devices, including terminals and core network elements.

[0284] In this embodiment, the RAN node can determine first information, which indicates a first energy requirement, and this first energy requirement is associated with a first configuration. Based on this, the first configuration is determined based on the first energy requirement, and configuration information is sent based on the first configuration to instruct the terminal receiving the configuration information to send or receive a first signal based on the configuration indicated by the configuration information. Therefore, this embodiment can configure the terminal to transmit and receive signals based on energy requirements, thereby controlling the power consumption of the communication system.

[0285] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first information can be indicated by the first QoS information. Since QoS control based on QoS information is a native function provided by the communication system to ensure the quality of service, indicating energy demand information through QoS information can also make energy-saving control based on energy demand information a native function of the communication system, that is, enabling native energy saving of the communication system.

[0286] Based on the communication method described in the above embodiments, this application also provides an exemplary flow of another communication method, as shown in Figure 10. This process includes the following steps:

[0287] S1001: The terminal sends a configuration request to the RAN node, which requests configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow. The RAN node receives the configuration request accordingly.

[0288] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine second information indicating a second energy requirement, and the second energy requirement is associated with a third configuration. The terminal may then send a configuration request to the RAN node based on the third configuration.

[0289] The second information can be the same as or different from the first information. When the second information is different from the first information, the second energy requirement is different from the first energy requirement. This difference can refer to the inclusion of different energy indicators. Alternatively, if both the second and first energy requirements include reference values ​​for energy indicators, the reference values ​​for the same energy indicators can be different. For a detailed explanation of energy indicators and their reference values, please refer to section S601 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0290] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal can also determine the second information in the following three ways.

[0291] In the first implementation, the terminal can receive first QoS information from the core network element. Second information can be indicated by this first QoS information. The method by which the first QoS information indicates the second information can refer to the method described in S601 above, where the first QoS information indicates the first information.

[0292] It should be noted that when both the second and first information are indicated by the first QoS information, the second and first information can be different types of energy demand information. For example, the second information can be terminal-side energy demand information, and the first information can be RAN-side energy demand information. Alternatively, the second information can be terminal-side energy demand information, and the first information can be system-level energy demand information.

[0293] Optionally, the second information and the first information can be the same. In this case, the second information and the first information can be terminal-side energy demand information, RAN-side energy demand information, core network-side energy demand information, or system-level energy demand information.

[0294] In the second implementation, the terminal can obtain its own corresponding first SLA, which includes second information.

[0295] Specifically, the terminal can obtain its corresponding first SLA from the AAA server or a core network element. This core network element can be an AUSF element, or it can be a network element used in future communication systems to manage or store SLAs.

[0296] It should be noted that the second information and the first information can be different types of energy demand information. For example, the second information can be terminal-side energy demand information, and the first information can be RAN-side energy demand information. Alternatively, the second information can be terminal-side energy demand information, and the first information can be system-level energy demand information.

[0297] Optionally, the second information and the first information can be the same. In this case, the second information and the first information can be terminal-side energy demand information, RAN-side energy demand information, core network-side energy demand information, or system-level energy demand information.

[0298] In the third implementation, the terminal can be statically configured with the second information. In this case, the terminal can directly obtain the second information.

[0299] The relationship between the second information and the first information can be found in the descriptions of the two implementation methods mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0300] After obtaining the second information, the terminal can determine the third configuration associated with the second information, and then send a configuration request to the RAN node based on the third configuration. This configuration request is used to request the transmission and / or reception of the first signal according to the third configuration.

[0301] The implementation method of the terminal determining the third configuration associated with the second information can refer to the implementation method of the RAN node determining the first configuration associated with the first information, which was described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] Additionally, the configuration request may include a third configuration or third instruction information for indicating the third configuration.

[0303] For example, a third configuration may include one or more third parameter sets, and correspondingly, the configuration request may include one or more third parameter sets or identifiers of each third parameter set. As another example, a third configuration may include one or more third feature sets, and the configuration request may include identifiers of one or more third feature sets. Yet another example, a third configuration may include one or more third physical layer operating modes, and the configuration request may include identifiers of one or more third physical layer operating modes.

[0304] Optionally, the third configuration may also include a desired third radio resource configuration, and the configuration request may accordingly include the third radio resource configuration.

[0305] It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, the second information may be energy demand information configured for various service data of the terminal, and correspondingly, the third configuration is the configuration for various service data of the terminal. In this case, the configuration request is used to request the configuration for various service data of the terminal.

[0306] Alternatively, the second information may be energy requirement information configured for the first QoS flow indicated by the first QoS information. In this case, the third configuration is a configuration for the first QoS flow. The configuration request may also include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow to indicate that the configuration request is for requesting configuration for the first QoS flow. Optionally, the configuration request may also include the identifier of the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow.

[0307] In other embodiments, the terminal may not need to determine the second information and may instead directly send a configuration request. In this case, the configuration request may not include the third configuration or third indication information used to indicate the third configuration. In this case, the configuration request is used to request configuration related to the terminal.

[0308] For example, the configuration request may include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow, and optionally, it may also include the identifier of the first DRB associated with the first QoS flow, thereby indicating that the configuration request is used to request the configuration associated with each service flow belonging to the first QoS flow.

[0309] For example, the configuration request may include a terminal identifier to indicate the configuration associated with various service data requested by the configuration request for the terminal.

[0310] S1002: The RAN node determines the first configuration based on the first information and the configuration request.

[0311] The first information in the RAN node can be obtained in advance by referring to the implementation method in S601 above. Based on this, after receiving the configuration request, the RAN node can determine the first information based on the configuration request.

[0312] If the configuration request includes a flow identifier for a first QoS flow, the RAN node can determine first QoS information based on the flow identifier of the first QoS flow, and then determine first information based on the first QoS information.

[0313] If the configuration request does not include the flow identifier of the first QoS flow, the RAN node can obtain the first information based on the terminal's relevant information. For example, the terminal's first SLA includes the first information, and the first SLA may also include the terminal's relevant information. In this way, the RAN node can find the first SLA based on the terminal's relevant information, and then obtain the first information from the first SLA.

[0314] If the configuration request does not include a third configuration or third indication information for indicating the third configuration, the RAN node, after determining the first information, can determine the first energy requirement based on the first information, and then determine the first configuration based on the first energy requirement. The relevant implementation methods are described in S602 and S603 above.

[0315] If the configuration request includes third configuration or third indication information, the RAN node can also determine the third configuration based on the configuration request. The first energy requirement is determined based on the first information, and then the first configuration is determined based on the first energy requirement and the third configuration.

[0316] The RAN node can directly obtain the third configuration carried in the configuration request or determine the third configuration based on the third indication information in the configuration request. The detailed implementation method is similar to the relevant implementation method of the terminal determining the first configuration based on the configuration information in S6032 of the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here. In addition, the implementation method of the RAN node determining the first energy demand indicated by the first information is the same as that in S601 above.

[0317] After determining the third configuration and the first energy requirement, for the energy indicators included in the first energy requirement, if the value of the energy indicator corresponding to the third configuration can meet the first energy requirement, then the RAN node can use the third configuration as the first configuration. In this case, the first configuration is a configuration that simultaneously meets the first and second energy requirements.

[0318] Optionally, if the value of the energy index corresponding to the third configuration does not meet the first energy requirement, the RAN node can refer to the method described in S602 of the foregoing embodiment to determine the first configuration based on the first energy requirement.

[0319] S1003: The RAN node sends configuration information to the terminal based on the first configuration, which indicates either the first configuration or the second configuration. The terminal then receives this configuration information.

[0320] The implementation of this step can be referred to S6031 in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0321] S1004: Based on this configuration information, the terminal receives and / or sends a first signal.

[0322] This step can be implemented by referring to S6032 in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0323] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal can actively request the configuration it desires from the RAN node based on the second information it obtains. The RAN node can then send configuration information to the terminal based on the configuration it desires, thereby enabling the terminal to control power consumption when transmitting signals using the configuration it desires.

[0324] The embodiments described above primarily illustrate how the RAN side and the terminal side perform signal transmission based on energy demand to achieve power consumption control. In some possible implementations, the core network can also control the RAN and terminal signal transmission based on energy demand to achieve power consumption control. That is, the network elements in the core network can also execute the above S601 to S603.

[0325] For example, in some embodiments, first information can be determined in a first network element in the core network. Based on this, the first network element can determine a first configuration based on the first information, and then send configuration information to one or more of other core network elements, RAN nodes and terminals based on the first configuration, so as to control the power consumption of at least one of the core network, RAN and terminals.

[0326] The first network element can be an existing network element in the core network or a newly added network element specifically designed for energy management. Specifically, the first network element can collect initial information from other core network elements and operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

[0327] In addition, in this scenario, the first network element can collect primary information from core network elements at a granularity such as per UE, per service of each UE, per PDU session, or per QoS level. For example, it can collect the number of registered terminals from the AMF network element; for each registered terminal, it can collect the terminal's specific DRX value, paging time window, paging area, etc. Another example is collecting the number of PDU sessions and the QoS parameters of each PDU session from the SMF network element. Yet another example is collecting the data volume and bit rate from the UPF network element.

[0328] Alternatively, the first network element can collect first information from OAM at the granularity of each network function (NF) or each single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). For example, the amount of data can be collected from RAN through OAM.

[0329] After collecting the first piece of information, the first network element can perform calculations based on that information to determine the first energy requirement. For example, the energy consumption of a certain service can be obtained by calculating the ratio of the data volume of the PDU session corresponding to that service to the total data volume of the entire network slice, and then multiplying that ratio by the energy consumption of that network slice.

[0330] After determining the first energy requirement, the first network element can determine the associated first configuration based on the first energy requirement. The first configuration can be a strategy for managing terminals, RAN nodes, and other core network elements. Then, the first network element can send configuration information to terminals, RAN nodes, and other core network elements based on the first configuration. The relevant implementation process can be referred to the above description.

[0331] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102.

[0332] The processing module 1101 is used to execute S601 and S602 in the aforementioned embodiments; the communication module 1102 is used to execute S603 in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0333] Optionally, the first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

[0334] Optionally, one or more parameters include at least one of the following: bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of MAC-CE entities, number of RLC entities, number of PDCP entities, number of SDAP entities, number of RBs, scheduling delay, wake-up delay, and sleep delay.

[0335] Optionally, one or more features include at least one of the following: DRX, power saving BWP, cross-slot scheduling, sparse MO configuration, WUS, UL skip-no-monitoring, SSSG, power saving auxiliary information reporting, RRC connection fast release, SCell hibernation, PEI, PDCCH skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power saving model.

[0336] Optionally, there exists a correspondence between one or more energy requirements and one or more configuration sets, wherein the one or more energy requirements include a first energy requirement.

[0337] Optionally, the processing module 1101 is specifically used to: receive first Quality of Service (QoS) information, wherein the first information is indicated by the first QoS information.

[0338] Optionally, the first QoS information includes first information.

[0339] Optionally, the first QoS information includes first QoS indication information, which is used to indicate the QoS characteristic parameters of at least one service flow, and the QoS characteristic parameters of at least one service flow include the first information.

[0340] Optionally, the first QoS indication information is QCI or 5QI.

[0341] Optionally, the processing module 1101 is specifically used to: obtain a first SLA, the first SLA including first information.

[0342] Optionally, the first information includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

[0343] Optionally, the communication module 1102 is specifically used to: send configuration information according to a first configuration, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate sending and / or receiving a first signal based on the configuration information.

[0344] Optionally, the configuration information includes a first configuration, or the configuration information includes a first indication information for indicating the first configuration, or the configuration information includes a second configuration, or the configuration information includes a second indication information for indicating the second configuration, wherein the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration.

[0345] Optionally, the first configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

[0346] Optionally, the first configuration is associated with the first DRB, and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

[0347] Optionally, the first configuration is one that meets the first energy requirement.

[0348] Optionally, the communication module 1102 is further configured to: receive a configuration request, the configuration request being used to request configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow.

[0349] In this embodiment, the communication device can determine first information, which indicates a first energy requirement, and this first energy requirement is associated with a first configuration. Based on this, the first configuration is determined based on the first energy requirement, and communication is performed based on the first configuration. Therefore, this embodiment can configure the communication device for signal transmission and reception based on energy requirements, thereby controlling the power consumption of the communication device.

[0350] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a receiving module 1201 and a transmitting module 1202.

[0351] The receiving module 1201 can be used to execute the step of receiving configuration information in S6031 of the aforementioned embodiment; the sending module 1202 is used to execute S6032 of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0352] Optionally, the first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

[0353] Optionally, one or more parameters include at least one of the following: bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of MAC-CE entities, number of RLC entities, number of PDCP entities, number of SDAP entities, number of RBs, scheduling delay, wake-up delay, and sleep delay.

[0354] Optionally, one or more features include at least one of the following: DRX, power saving BWP, cross-slot scheduling, sparse MO configuration, WUS, UL skip-no-monitoring, SSSG, power saving auxiliary information reporting, RRC connection fast release, SCell hibernation, PEI, PDCCH skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power saving model.

[0355] Optionally, the first configuration or the second configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

[0356] Optionally, the first configuration or the second configuration is associated with the first DRB, and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

[0357] Optionally, the first information includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

[0358] Optionally, both the first configuration and the second configuration are configurations that meet the first energy requirement.

[0359] Optionally, the sending module 1202 is further configured to: send a configuration request, the configuration request being used to request configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow.

[0360] In this application, the communication device can receive configuration information sent by other communication devices and transmit and receive signals based on the configuration indicated by the configuration information. The configuration indicated by the configuration information is associated with energy demand. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be configured based on energy demand to control the power consumption of the communication device.

[0361] It should be noted that the module division in the communication device provided in the above embodiments is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may also be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0362] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially, or the parts that contribute to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be an electronic device or a server, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0363] Furthermore, the communication device and communication method embodiments provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and their specific implementation process can be found in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0364] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in 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 via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital versatile discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0365] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association 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, or B existing alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of the embodiments of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. In this application, "first," "second," and various numerical designations are only for ease of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they are used to distinguish different messages, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0366] It is 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 does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0367] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope 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 communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: First information is determined, which is used to indicate a first energy demand and is associated with a first configuration; Communication is based on the first configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The one or more parameters include at least one of the following: Bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of Media Access Control-Control Elements (MAC-CE) entities, number of Radio Link Control (RLC) entities, number of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entities, number of Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) entities, number of Radio Bearers (RBs), scheduling delay, wake-up delay, and sleep delay.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The one or more characteristics include at least one of the following: Discontinuous reception (DRX), power-saving portion bandwidth (BWP), cross-timeslot scheduling, sparse monitoring timing (MO) configuration, wake-up signal (WUS), uplink UL skip-no-monitoring, search space group (SSSG), power-saving auxiliary information reporting, radio resource control (RRC) connection fast release, secondary cell (SCell) sleep, paging advance indication (PEI), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power-saving model.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, There exists a correspondence between one or more energy requirements and one or more configuration sets, wherein the one or more energy requirements include the first energy requirement.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The determination of the first information includes: Receive first Quality of Service (QoS) information, the first information being indicated by the first QoS information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first QoS information includes the first information.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first QoS information includes first QoS indication information, which is used to indicate the QoS characteristic parameters of at least one service flow, and the QoS characteristic parameters of the at least one service flow include the first information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first QoS indication information is the QoS level identifier QCI or the QoS indicator 5QI.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The determination of the first information includes: Obtain a first Service Level Agreement (SLA), the first SLA including the first information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first information includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The communication based on the first configuration includes: Based on the first configuration, configuration information is sent, which is used to instruct the sending and / or receiving of a first signal based on the configuration information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The configuration information includes the first configuration, or the configuration information includes first indication information for indicating the first configuration, or the configuration information includes a second configuration, or the configuration information includes second indication information for indicating the second configuration, wherein the second configuration does not exceed the first configuration.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first configuration is associated with the first data radio bearer (DRB), and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The first configuration is the configuration that meets the first energy requirement.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: A configuration request is received, which is used to request configuration associated with a first signal or a first service flow.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive configuration information, the configuration information being used to indicate a first configuration or a second configuration, the first configuration being associated with a first energy requirement, and the second configuration not exceeding the first configuration; Based on the configuration information, receive and / or send a first signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first configuration belongs to one of one or more configuration sets, each configuration set including at least one or more parameters, and / or one or more features.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The one or more parameters include at least one of the following: Bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, number of symbols, antenna configuration, data processing capability, processing delay, partial bandwidth, carrier, modulation and coding scheme, codeword, antenna port, waveform, signal measurement configuration, baseband storage, baseband computing capability, number of channels, number of antennas, number of panels, number of Media Access Control-Control Elements (MAC-CE) entities, number of Radio Link Control (RLC) entities, number of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entities, number of Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) entities, number of Radio Bearers (RBs), scheduling delay, wake-up delay, and sleep delay.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The one or more characteristics include at least one of the following: Discontinuous reception (DRX), power-saving portion bandwidth (BWP), cross-timeslot scheduling, sparse monitoring timing (MO) configuration, wake-up signal (WUS), uplink UL skip-no-monitoring, search space group (SSSG), power-saving auxiliary information reporting, radio resource control (RRC) connection fast release, secondary cell (SCell) sleep, paging advance indication (PEI), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skip-no-monitoring, mobility measurement relaxation, and unified power-saving model.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that, The first configuration or the second configuration is associated with the first service flow, QoS flow, SLA flow, or service slice to which the first signal belongs.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The first configuration or the second configuration is associated with a first data radio bearer (DRB), and the first DRB is associated with the first service flow.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that, The first energy requirement is indicated by first information, which includes one or more of energy consumption, energy efficiency, power consumption, effectiveness, and energy performance.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that, Both the first configuration and the second configuration are configurations that meet the first energy requirement.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that, Before receiving the configuration information, the process also includes: Send a configuration request, which is used to request the configuration associated with the first signal or the first service flow.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one module, which is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor for executing at least one program instruction or code to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed by the communication device, the communication device performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

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