Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, used for reducing the power consumption of a terminal device. In the method, a first apparatus can measure at least one reference signal and / or measure at least one measurement function only in a measurement area, and does not measure the at least one reference signal and / or does not measure the at least one measurement function outside the measurement area. In this way, centralized measurement or aggregated measurement can be performed on the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function in the measurement area, thereby avoiding the problem that the first apparatus is always woken up for measurement because the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function needs to be measured on different resources, and thus reducing the power consumption of the first apparatus (which can be referred to as a terminal device).

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410868407.X filed on June 28, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] At present, many energy saving features of terminal devices are standardized in the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication network, but the energy saving features belong to optimization features. Due to various reasons, such as, operator cost increase, network key performance indication (key performance indication, KPI) will decrease, market prospect is unclear, etc., most of the energy saving features are not opened for commercial use. At the same time, there are many measurement features defined in the 5G communication network, which may cause different measurement resources or different reporting resources to be distributed on different resources, so that the terminal device is always woken up for measurement and / or reporting, and cannot enter sleep or hibernate state, thereby causing high power consumption of the terminal device.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device. The first device can be a terminal device, a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method comprises: obtaining a measurement area and performing measurement in the measurement area. The measurement area is used for the first device to measure at least one reference signal and / or at least one measurement function only in the measurement area. Any one of the at least one reference signal is used for measurement of one or more measurement functions.

[0008] Based on the method in the first aspect, the first device can measure the at least one reference signal and / or the at least one measurement function only in the measurement area, and not measure the at least one reference signal and / or the at least one measurement function outside the measurement area. In this way, the measurement of the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function can be concentrated or aggregated in the measurement area, so as to avoid the problem that the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function needs to be measured on different resources, and the first device is always woken up for measurement, thereby reducing the power consumption of the first device (which can be a terminal device).

[0009] In a possible design, the measurement in the measurement area includes: receiving the first reference signal in the measurement area, and / or sending a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal in the measurement area. The at least one reference signal includes the first reference signal. That is, the measurement of the first device in the measurement area includes: in the measurement area, the first device receives the first reference signal, measures the first reference signal, and reports a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal, so that subsequent operations of other devices (such as the second device) can be performed according to the measurement result, without limitation.

[0010] In a possible design, the method in the first aspect further includes: performing communication in the measurement area. That is, the first device can perform measurement in the measurement area, and also perform communication. In other words, the measurement area can be a range for limiting measurement behavior, and communication behavior can not be limited. In this way, the communication can not be affected.

[0011] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a second device, which can be a network device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device functions. The method includes: obtaining a measurement area, and sending a first reference signal in the measurement area. The measurement area is used for the first device to measure at least one reference signal and / or at least one measurement function only in the measurement area. Any reference signal in the at least one reference signal is used for measurement of one or more measurement functions, and the at least one reference signal includes the first reference signal.

[0012] In a possible design, the method in the second aspect further includes: receiving a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal in the measurement area.

[0013] In a possible design of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the measurement region includes a first measurement region and a second measurement region. The first measurement region is at least one of a periodic region, a semi-persistent region, a region with a bandwidth less than or equal to a first bandwidth, a region with a port number less than or equal to a first port number, a region with power consumption less than a first power consumption, or a region with power less than a first power. The second measurement region is at least one of a non-periodic region, a region with a bandwidth greater than or equal to a second bandwidth, a region with a port number greater than or equal to a second port number, a region with power consumption greater than or equal to a second power consumption, or a region with power greater than or equal to a second power. The second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth, the second port number is greater than the first port number, the second power consumption is greater than the first power consumption, and the second power is greater than the first power. In this way, the method can meet the requirements of different scenarios and services. The first bandwidth, the first port number, the first power consumption, the first power, the second bandwidth, the second port number, the second power consumption, and the second power are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0014] In a possible design of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the configuration parameter of the measurement region is determined according to at least one reference signal or at least one measurement function, that is, implicitly indicated, without the need to indicate the configuration parameter of the measurement region by signaling, to save overhead. It can be understood that the configuration parameter of the measurement region can also be pre-configured, pre-defined, or explicitly indicated (for example, the second device sends the configuration parameter of the measurement region to the first device by indication information or configuration information), and the like, without limitation. Optionally, the bandwidth of the measurement region is determined according to at least one of the bandwidth of the first device, the bandwidth of a physical channel, or the bandwidth of a reference signal. That is, the bandwidth of the measurement region can be dynamically changed to meet the requirements of different scenarios and services. It can be understood that other configuration parameters of the measurement region, such as time domain configuration parameters, space domain configuration parameters, code domain measurement region configuration parameters, and power domain configuration parameters, can also be dynamically changed, and details are not described herein.

[0015] In a possible design of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the configuration resource corresponding to the at least one reference signal is in the measurement region. In this way, the first device can be ensured to perform centralized measurement on the at least one reference signal in the measurement region.

[0016] In a possible design of the method based on the first aspect and the second aspect, the at least one reference signal includes at least one of the following: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a cell reference signal (CRS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS). That is, the existing reference signal is multiplexed to reduce the implementation difficulty, or a new reference signal can also be used to improve the implementation flexibility, without limitation.

[0017] In a possible design of the method based on the first aspect and the second aspect, the at least one measurement function includes at least one of the following: cell measurement, channel measurement, time-frequency measurement, phase measurement, beam measurement, transmit power (TRP) measurement, sensing measurement, artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, timing advance measurement, or any other possible measurement function, without limitation. In this way, the needs of different scenarios and services can be met.

[0018] In addition, other technical effects of the method of the second aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0019] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first device. The first device can be a terminal device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions. The method includes: obtaining a first reference signal, and performing measurement based on the first reference signal. The first part of the first reference signal is used for a first measurement function, and the second part of the second reference signal is used for a second measurement function.

[0020] According to the method of the third aspect, different parts of the first reference signal can be used for different measurement functions, or in other words, the first device can perform different measurement functions by multiplexing different parts of the first reference signal, such as different resources. In this way, resource consumption and power consumption of the first device can be reduced, and resource overhead can be saved.

[0021] In a possible design, the method of the third aspect can further include: obtaining configuration information of the first reference signal, wherein the configuration information includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration is used to indicate the first part, and the second configuration is used to indicate the second part. That is, the first device can determine the first measurement function and the second measurement function corresponding to the parts of the first reference signal by using the configuration information of the first reference signal, so as to perform different measurement functions by using different parts of the first reference signal in the future, and achieve flexibility.

[0022] In a possible design, the measurement according to the first reference signal includes: receiving indication information, and performing measurement on the first reference signal by using the first part of the first reference signal according to the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate measurement of the first measurement function. That is, the first device can trigger measurement on the first reference signal by using the first part of the first reference signal according to the received indication information and configuration information, to obtain a measurement result corresponding to the first measurement function, to implement on-demand indication, and to implement flexibility. It can be understood that the first device can also perform measurement (such as the second measurement function) of the corresponding measurement function (such as the second measurement function) on the first reference signal by using the corresponding part (such as the second part) according to the received indication information (such as indication of measurement of the second measurement function) and the configuration information. The implementation principle is similar, and can be understood by reference, and will not be described herein.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a second device. The second device can be a network device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. The method includes: sending configuration information of a first reference signal, and sending the first reference signal. The configuration information includes a first configuration and a second configuration. The first configuration is used to indicate a first part, and the second configuration is used to indicate a second part. The first part of the first reference signal is used for a first measurement function, and the second part of the second reference signal is used for a second measurement function.

[0024] In a possible design, the method in the fourth aspect can further include: sending indication information. The indication information is used to indicate measurement of the first measurement function.

[0025] Based on the method in the third aspect and the fourth aspect, in a possible design, the first part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to a first resource, and the second part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to a second resource. That is, different resources of the same reference signal can be used to perform different measurement functions, to implement flexibility.

[0026] It can be understood that the first part or the second part of the first reference signal can be all of the first reference signal or a part of the first reference signal. The first part and the second part of the first reference signal are different.

[0027] In addition, other technical effects of the method in the fourth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the method in the third aspect, which will not be described herein.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first apparatus of the first aspect. The communication apparatus comprises: means for performing the method of the first aspect. For example, the transceiver and the processing means.

[0029] The processing means is configured to obtain a measurement region, and perform measurement in the measurement region. The measurement region is used for the communication apparatus of the fourth aspect to perform measurement on the at least one reference signal and / or perform measurement on the at least one measurement function only in the measurement region. Any one of the at least one reference signal is used for measurement of the one or more measurement functions.

[0030] In a possible design, the measurement region comprises a first measurement region and a second measurement region. The first measurement region is at least one of: a periodic region, a semi-persistent region, a region with a bandwidth less than or equal to a first bandwidth, a region with a port number less than or equal to a first port number, a region with a power consumption less than or equal to a first power consumption, or a region with a power less than or equal to a first power. The second measurement region is at least one of: a non-periodic region, a region with a bandwidth greater than or equal to a second bandwidth, a region with a port number greater than or equal to a second port number, a region with a power consumption greater than or equal to a second power consumption, or a region with a power greater than or equal to a second power. The second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth, the second port number is greater than the first port number, the second power consumption is greater than the first power consumption, and the second power is greater than the first power.

[0031] In a possible design, the configuration parameter of the measurement region is determined according to the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function.

[0032] Optionally, the bandwidth of the measurement region is determined according to at least one of: a bandwidth of the communication apparatus, a bandwidth of a physical channel, or a bandwidth of a reference signal.

[0033] In a possible design, the transceiver is configured to receive the first reference signal in the measurement region, and / or transmit a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal in the measurement region. The at least one reference signal comprises the first reference signal.

[0034] In a possible design, the configuration resource corresponding to the at least one reference signal is in the measurement region.

[0035] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to perform communication in the measurement region.

[0036] In a possible design, the at least one reference signal includes at least one of the following: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a cell reference signal (CRS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0037] In a possible design, the at least one measurement function includes at least one of the following: a cell measurement, a channel measurement, a time-frequency measurement, a phase measurement, a beam measurement, a transmit power (TRP) measurement, a sensing measurement, an artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, or a timing advance measurement.

[0038] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect.

[0039] Optionally, the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect can further include a storage module that stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the communication apparatus can execute the communication method in the first aspect.

[0040] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect can refer to those of the communication method in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0041] In the sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be the second apparatus in the second aspect. The communication apparatus includes modules for performing the method in the second aspect. For example, a transceiver module and a processing module.

[0042] The processing module is configured to obtain a measurement region. The transceiver module is configured to send a first reference signal in the measurement region. The measurement region is used for the first apparatus to measure at least one reference signal and / or at least one measurement function only in the measurement region, any one of the at least one reference signal is used for measurement of one or more measurement functions, and the at least one reference signal includes the first reference signal.

[0043] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal in the measurement region.

[0044] In a possible design, the measurement region includes a first measurement region and a second measurement region. The first measurement region is at least one of a periodic region, a semi-persistent region, a region with a bandwidth less than or equal to a first bandwidth, a region with a port number less than or equal to a first port number, a region with a power consumption less than a first power consumption, or a region with a power less than a first power. The second measurement region is at least one of an aperiodic region, a region with a bandwidth greater than or equal to a second bandwidth, a region with a port number greater than or equal to a second port number, a region with a power consumption greater than or equal to a second power consumption, or a region with a power greater than or equal to a second power. The second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth, the second port number is greater than the first port number, the second power consumption is greater than the first power consumption, and the second power is greater than the first power.

[0045] In a possible design, the configuration parameter of the measurement region is determined according to at least one reference signal or at least one measurement function.

[0046] Optionally, the bandwidth of the measurement region is determined according to at least one of a bandwidth of the first device, a bandwidth of the physical channel, or a bandwidth of the reference signal.

[0047] In a possible design, the configuration resource corresponding to the at least one reference signal is within the measurement region.

[0048] In a possible design, the at least one reference signal includes at least one of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a cell reference signal (CRS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0049] In a possible design, the at least one measurement function includes at least one of a cell measurement, a channel measurement, a time-frequency measurement, a phase measurement, a beam measurement, a transmit power (TRP) measurement, a sensing measurement, an artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, or a timing advance measurement.

[0050] Optionally, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication device in the sixth aspect, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication device in the sixth aspect.

[0051] Optionally, the communication device in the sixth aspect further includes a storage module that stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the communication device can execute the method in the second aspect.

[0052] In addition, the technical effect of the communication device in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effect of the method in the second aspect, which is not described herein again.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be the first apparatus of the third aspect. The communication apparatus comprises modules for performing the method of the third aspect. For example, the transceiver module and the processing module.

[0054] The processing module is configured to obtain the first reference signal and perform measurement based on the first reference signal. The first part of the first reference signal is used for the first measurement function, and the second part of the second reference signal is used for the second measurement function.

[0055] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to obtain configuration information of the first reference signal. The configuration information comprises a first configuration and a second configuration. The first configuration is used to indicate the first part, and the second configuration is used to indicate the second part.

[0056] In a possible design, the first part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the first resource, and the second part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the second resource.

[0057] In a possible design, the transceiver module is configured to receive indication information. The processing module is further configured to perform measurement on the first reference signal using the first part of the first reference signal based on the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate measurement of the first measurement function.

[0058] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect.

[0059] Optionally, the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect can further include a storage module, which stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the communication apparatus can perform the method of the third aspect.

[0060] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be the first apparatus of the fourth aspect. The communication apparatus comprises modules for performing the method of the fourth aspect. For example, the transceiver module and the processing module.

[0062] The processing module is configured to control the transceiver module to send configuration information of the first reference signal, and to send the first reference signal. The configuration information includes a first configuration and a second configuration. The first configuration is used to indicate the first part, and the second configuration is used to indicate the second part. The first part of the first reference signal is used for the first measurement function, and the second part of the second reference signal is used for the second measurement function.

[0063] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver module to send indication information. The indication information is used to indicate the measurement of the first measurement function.

[0064] In a possible design, the first part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the first resource, and the second part of the first reference signal is a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the second resource.

[0065] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus in the eighth aspect, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus in the eighth aspect.

[0066] Optionally, the communication apparatus in the eighth aspect can further include a storage module. The storage module stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the communication apparatus can execute the method in the fourth aspect.

[0067] In addition, the technical effect of the communication apparatus in the eighth aspect can refer to the technical effect of the method in the fourth aspect, which will not be described here.

[0068] In the ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor configured to execute the communication method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0069] In a possible design, the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect and other communication apparatuses.

[0070] In a possible design, the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect can further include a memory. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or can be separately arranged. The memory can be used to store a computer program and / or data related to the communication method in the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect can be the first apparatus in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect; or the communication apparatus can be the second apparatus in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0072] Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] In a possible design, the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect can be the first apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect; or the communication apparatus can be the second apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0075] Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] In a possible design, the communication apparatus of the eleventh aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the eleventh aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus of the eleventh aspect can be the first apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect; or the communication apparatus can be the second apparatus of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0079] Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the eleventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0080] Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the eleventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0081] In a possible design, the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0082] In a possible design, the communication apparatus in the twelfth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus in the twelfth aspect to communicate with another communication apparatus.

[0083] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus in the twelfth aspect can be the first apparatus in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect; or the communication apparatus can be the second apparatus in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0084] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus in the twelfth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the communication method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be described herein again.

[0085] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes the first apparatus in the first aspect and the second apparatus in the second aspect.

[0086] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes the first apparatus in the third aspect and the second apparatus in the fourth aspect.

[0087] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication chip is provided. The communication chip stores a computer program or instructions. When the chip is run on a communication device, the communication method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0088] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the communication method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0089] In a seventeenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the communication method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0090] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of distribution of various measurement resources;

[0091] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of an O-RAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network element function division and a protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a measurement region according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a measurement region according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a measurement region according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a measurement region according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a measurement region according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0104] For the convenience of understanding, the following first introduces technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0105] 1. Reference signal (RS)

[0106] A reference signal can also be referred to as a "pilot" signal, which is a known signal provided by a sending end to a receiving end for channel estimation or channel sounding. A reference signal is divided into an uplink reference signal and a downlink reference signal. The uplink reference signal can be a signal sent by a terminal device to a network device, i.e., the sending end is the terminal device and the receiving end is the network device. The downlink reference signal can be a signal sent by the network device to the terminal device, i.e., the sending end is the network device and the receiving end is the terminal device. The uplink reference signal can be used for uplink channel estimation (such as used for coherent demodulation and detection of the network device or used for calculating precoding), or uplink channel quality measurement, etc. The downlink reference signal can be used for downlink channel estimation (such as used for coherent detection and demodulation of the terminal device), downlink channel quality measurement, or cell search, etc.

[0107] The uplink reference signal can include a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a phase noise tracking signal (PTRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), and the like, without limitation. The downlink reference signal can include a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a DMRS, a cell reference signal (CRS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a phase noise tracking reference signal (PT-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), and the like, without limitation.

[0108] For example, radio resource management (RRM), radio link monitoring (RLM), or beam failure recovery (BFR) measurements can be measured by SSB or CSI-RS; time domain synchronization or time-frequency offset estimation measurements can be measured by SSB or TRS; beam measurements can be measured by SSB or CSI-RS; initial access measurements can be measured by SSB; phase tracking measurements can be measured by PTRS; and the like, without limitation.

[0109] 2. Resource

[0110] In a communication protocol, a reference signal is usually configured in the form of a resource, and the reference signal can occupy the resource, which can be referred to as a reference signal resource. The network device configures each reference signal in the form of a resource to the terminal device, and one resource is one configuration information unit, which usually includes a parameter related to the reference signal, such as a time-frequency resource position of the reference signal, a port number, a time domain type (periodic / semi-static / non-periodic), and the like. The resource can be an uplink signal resource or a downlink signal resource.

[0111] The resource can be configured by a radio resource control (RRC) message. In terms of configuration structure, one resource is a data structure including parameters related to the corresponding uplink / downlink signal. For example, the type of the uplink / downlink signal, the resource granularity carrying the uplink / downlink signal, the transmission time and period of the uplink / downlink signal, the number of ports used for transmitting the uplink / downlink signal, and the like. Each uplink / downlink signal resource has a unique identifier to identify the uplink / downlink signal resource. It can be understood that the identifier of the resource can also be referred to as the identifier of the signal, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard.

[0112] 3. Semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) scheduling

[0113] The SPS scheduling can also be referred to as semi-persistent transmission, which can refer to that the network device uses a scrambled physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to specify the wireless resource (hereinafter referred to as SPS resource) used by the terminal device in a certain transmission time interval (TTI), and the terminal device can use the SPS resource to receive or transmit data every period. The network device does not need to issue a PDCCH to specify the allocated resource in each scheduling time slot. Compared with dynamic scheduling, the scheduling parameters are relatively fixed, and are not dynamically adjusted, which reduces the number of blind detections of downlink control information (DCI), and can reduce the latency and power consumption of the terminal device.

[0114] The SPS scheduling can include downlink semi-persistent scheduling (DL SPS), uplink configured grant type 1 (type 1), and uplink configured grant type 2 (type 2).

[0115] Among them, (1) DL SPS: the network device configures periodic downlink resources for the terminal device; activated (the resource becomes a valid resource) / deactivated (the resource becomes an invalid resource) by a DCI; the terminal device can only perform downlink transmission when the resource is valid. (2) Uplink configured grant type 1: the network device configures uplink periodic resources for the terminal device; once configured, the resource is valid, and the validity and invalidity of the resource do not need to be activated / deactivated by DCI, and can only be changed by RRC reconfiguration, for example, by the method of RRC reconfiguration to release the resource. (3) Uplink configured grant type 2: the network device configures uplink periodic resources for the terminal device; activated / deactivated by a DCI; the terminal device can only perform uplink transmission when the resource is valid.

[0116] In the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication network, the power consumption of the terminal device when the initial protocol version product is 3 times that of the terminal device in the fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication network, the heat dissipation problem is serious, and the user experience is very bad. With the evolution of the 3rd generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) release (release, R) 16-R19 protocol, many energy-saving features of the terminal device are standardized in each version, and in addition to product and network joint optimization, the power consumption of the current terminal device is controlled. However, this energy-saving feature belongs to an optimization feature, and due to various reasons, such as increased operator costs, decreased network key performance indicators (key performance indicators, KPIs), and unclear market prospects, most energy-saving features are not turned on for commercial use. Therefore, the 5G communication network has not well solved the power consumption problem.

[0117] At the same time, there are many measurement features (or measurement functions) defined in the 5G communication network, which can cause measurement resources or reporting resources to be distributed or diffused in different dimensions of resources (such as time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, and power domain), and there are periodic measurements (measurements and / or reporting), aperiodic measurements, semi-persistent scheduling, and other ways, and the measurement resources and reporting resources depend on the configuration and indication of the network device. However, due to the flexibility of the network device, the configuration and indication of the network device can cause different measurement resources or different reporting resources to be distributed on different resources. In this case, the terminal device can always be woken up for measurement and / or reporting, and cannot enter a sleep or hibernate state, resulting in high energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0118] For example, taking the distribution of measurement resources or reporting resources in the time domain as an example, FIG. 1 is a distribution diagram of multiple measurement resources, as shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal axis is time (t); taking a reference signal as SSB, TRS, CRS-RS (resource period distribution), a transmission mode as downlink SPS transmission, and a reference signal resource as an example, the reference signal resource is periodically distributed in the time domain. Among them, the period of SSB resource is 20 milliseconds (ms), the period of TRS resource is 10 ms, the period of CRS-RS is 25 ms, and the period of downlink SPS is 30 ms, and the SSB resource, the TRS resource, the CRS-RS resource and the SPS resource are distributed at different times, so that the terminal device is always woken up and cannot enter a sleep or hibernate state, resulting in high power consumption of the terminal device.

[0119] In addition, in future communication networks, the scenarios and requirements are more complex than in 5G, and the demand indicators have higher requirements. In the face of more scenarios and greater demands in future communication networks, network devices or terminal devices will face challenges such as greater bandwidth, faster processing speed, more antennas, and the first big challenge is power consumption. For network devices, high power consumption will increase operating costs; for terminal devices, in the case of limited growth in size, area, battery capacity, etc., high power consumption and heat dissipation problems bring greater challenges. In view of the problems faced in 5G communication networks, and considering current and future energy shortages and environmental problems, sustainability can be one of the original requirements for future communication networks.

[0120] Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device is a problem to be solved.

[0121] In summary, in view of the above technical problems, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are proposed to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0122] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0123] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a 4G, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5G, such as a new radio (NR) system, and a future communication system, etc.

[0124] Various aspects, embodiments or features described herein can be presented in terms of systems that can include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems can include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and / or can not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches can also be used.

[0125] Also in the present embodiments, the words "example" or "exemplary" are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any implementation or design scheme described herein as "example" or "exemplary" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations or design schemes. Rather, the word "example" is intended to convey that the feature is one example among many and is not intended to convey that the feature is the only example or that the feature is the best or optimal example.

[0126] In the present embodiments, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signaling" can be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings are matched. "Of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings are matched. In addition, " / " mentioned in the present embodiments can be used to represent the relationship of "or". It can be understood that in the present embodiments, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0127] In the present embodiments, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information, or the to-be-indicated information can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. It can also only indicate part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0128] The to-be-indicated information can be sent together as a whole, or can be sent separately into multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting end device to the receiving end device by sending configuration information.

[0129] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that, when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are consistent.

[0130] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system shown in FIG. 2 is taken as an example to explain the communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application in detail. For example, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system applicable to a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] As shown in FIG. 2, the communication system mainly includes a network device and a terminal device.

[0132] The network device can be multiple, such as a first network device, a second network device, a third network device, etc. The network device can be a device with wireless transceiving function, or can also be a chip or chip system arranged in the device, located in the access network (AN) of the communication system, and used to provide access services for terminals. For example, the network device can be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, which can be specifically an access network device in a future communication system, or in a future mobile communication system, the network device can also have other naming ways, which are all included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation on this. Or, the network device can also include 5G, such as gNB in a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of antenna panels of a base station in 5G, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission and reception point (TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a core network element of 5G, etc. Or, the network device can also include: an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, etc.

[0133] The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including the CU node and the DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in an access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into a network device in a core network CN, which is not limited herein.

[0134] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP, the CU-UP), the DU, and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0135] In the embodiments of this application, the form of the network device is not limited, and the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device; or can be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device.

[0136] The terminal device can be an apparatus or module with corresponding communication functions for accessing the above communication system. The terminal device can be one or more, such as a first terminal device, a second terminal device, a third terminal device, and the like. The terminal device can be a terminal device with transceiver functions, or can also be a chip or chip system provided in the terminal device. The terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal device, a subscriber unit, a user station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a user terminal device, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant computer (PDA), a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal device, a computer with wireless transceiver functions, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a smart home device (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, and the like), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a plant device, a wireless terminal device in a self driving vehicle, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal device functions, and the like, a flight device (for example, a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), and the like. The terminal device of the present application can also be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units, a transport carrier with wireless communication functions, a communication module. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal device functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device with terminal device functions in D2D communication.

[0137] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the form of the terminal device, and the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or can be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. The terminal device is usually provided with a communication module, circuit or chip for performing a corresponding communication function. The terminal device also has program instructions configured to perform a corresponding communication function.

[0138] It can be understood that in embodiments of the present application, the first device can be the network device or the terminal device as described above; the second device can be the network device or the terminal device, without limitation.

[0139] In the communication system, the first device can only measure the at least one reference signal and / or measure the at least one measurement function (measurement and / or reporting) in the measurement area, and does not measure the at least one reference signal and / or measure the at least one measurement function outside the measurement area. In this way, centralized measurement or aggregated measurement of the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function can be realized in the measurement area, so as to avoid the problem that the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function needs to be measured on different resources, and the first device is always woken up for measurement, thereby reducing the power consumption of the first device (which can be a terminal device).

[0140] The communication system shown in FIG. 2 can be used in the architecture of different communication systems, for example, it can be applicable to the open-radio access network (O-RAN) system shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the network device described above can be a RAN (for example, it can be an eNB or a gNB or a future access network device). The RAN can communicate with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link, and communicate with the UE through an air interface.

[0141] Among them, the baseband unit (BBU) in the access network device communicates with the core network through the backhaul link, and the radio unit (RU) in the access network device communicates with at least one UE through the air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through the front transmission link, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate through at least one midhaul.

[0142] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a network element function split and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device, as shown in Figure 4, including an access network device and a management system. In some examples, the CU is a logical node that hosts the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU is connected to network nodes such as a core network via some interfaces, which can be E2 interface or the like. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) is connected to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) via some interfaces, which can be F1 interface or the like. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). The F1AP is an application protocol of the F1 interface, which defines the signaling procedures of the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports a control plane F1-C and a user plane F1-U.

[0143] In some examples, the CU can be split into a CU-CP and a CU-UP, where the CU-CP is a logical node that hosts the RRC layer and the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer, for implementing the control plane functions of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the control plane functions. The network element in the core network for implementing the control plane functions can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as location updating of terminal devices, registration of terminal devices to the network, handover of terminal devices, etc. The CU-UP is a logical node that hosts the SDAP layer and the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer, for implementing the user plane functions of the CU. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the user plane functions. The network element in the core network for implementing the user plane functions can be a user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, which is responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0144] The above configuration of CU and DU is merely an example, and the CU and DU can be configured to have functions as needed. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have functions of more protocol layers, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of the protocol layers. For example, partial functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to a service type or other system requirements, for example, according to a delay requirement. For example, functions that require a processing time to meet a delay requirement are arranged in the DU, and functions that do not require the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0145] In some examples, the DU is a logical node that carries a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, a higher physical layer (Higher PHY), and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected to the RU through some interfaces, which can be a front-haul interface. In some examples, the Higher PHY includes part of the PHY processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, and other processing functions.

[0146] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries a lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) TRP or a remote radio head (RRH) or other similar functional entity. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes part of the PHY processing, such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transformation (IFFT), digital beamforming and filtering, and other processing functions. The RU communicates with one or more UEs through a wireless link.

[0147] The DU and the RU can or can not be co-located. The DU and the RU exchange control plane information and user plane information via a lower-layer split-control, user and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface over a fronthaul link. The LLS-CUS can include a LLS-C interface and a LLS-U interface that provide a control plane (C-Plane) and a user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and the RU. The DU and the RU exchange management information via a LLS-M interface of the fronthaul link, and the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operation between the DU and the RU.

[0148] The DU and the RU can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in multiple ways according to design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement intermediate radio frequency functions. For another example, the DU is configured to implement high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement low-layer functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functions and radio frequency functions. The high-layer functions in the PHY layer can include a portion of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the MAC layer, and the low-layer functions in the PHY layer can include another portion of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the intermediate radio frequency side.

[0149] For example, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system to which the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is applied. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication between the network device and the terminal device in the communication system can also be represented in another form. The terminal device 10 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a transceiver 103, and the transceiver 103 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, and a plurality of antennas 1033 (antenna panels). The network device 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203, and the transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and at least one antenna 2033 (antenna panel). The receiver 1032 can be configured to receive transmission control information through the antennas 1033, and the transmitter 1031 can be configured to send transmission feedback information to the network device 20 through the antennas 1033. The transmitter 2031 can be configured to send transmission control information to the terminal device 10 through the antennas 2033, and the receiver 2032 can be configured to receive transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device 10 through the antennas 2033.

[0150] It can be understood that FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 are only simplified schematic diagrams for the purpose of understanding, and other network devices and / or other terminal devices can also be included in the communication system, which are not shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5.

[0151] For the purpose of convenient understanding, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 6-FIG. 12.

[0152] For example, FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication method is applicable to the communication between the first device and the second device in the above-mentioned communication system.

[0153] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0154] S601, the first device acquires a measurement region.

[0155] S602, the second device acquires (or determines) the measurement region.

[0156] S603, the second device sends a first reference signal to the first device in the measurement region. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first reference signal from the second device in the measurement region.

[0157] S604, the first device performs measurement in the measurement region.

[0158] The related content in the above-mentioned steps S601-S604 will be described in detail below.

[0159] For the above-mentioned step S601:

[0160] The measurement region can be used for the first device to perform measurement on at least one reference signal and / or at least one measurement function only in the measurement region.

[0161] The reference signal can be a known signal, and the reference signal can include an uplink reference signal and a downlink reference signal. The uplink reference signal can be used for uplink channel estimation (such as coherent demodulation and detection for a network device or for calculating precoding), or uplink channel quality measurement, etc. The downlink reference signal can be used for downlink channel estimation (such as coherent detection and demodulation for a terminal device), downlink channel quality measurement, or cell search, etc. The at least one reference signal can include at least one of the following: a CSI-RS, an SSB, a PSS, an SSS, a TRS, a PTRS, a DMRS, a CRS, a PSS, an SRS, an on-off keying (OOK) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), an OFDM-derived channel, an orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS), a sensing signal, an artificial intelligence (AI) signal, a pseudo-random sequence, a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence, an m-sequence, an M-sequence, a discrete cosine transform (DCT) sequence, a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) sequence, a Gold sequence, a wake-up signal, a low-power wake-up signal (such as a power less than a preset value), etc. That is, the existing reference signal can be multiplexed to reduce the implementation difficulty, or a new reference signal can be used to improve the implementation flexibility, without limitation.

[0162] Any one of the at least one reference signal can be used for measurement of one or more measurement functions, which can be used to characterize the purpose of measurement, and the multiple measurement functions can correspond to multiple different types of measurements or multiple different measurement characteristics. The at least one measurement function (at least one type of measurement or at least one measurement characteristic) can include at least one of the following: cell measurement, channel measurement, time-frequency measurement, phase measurement, beam measurement, (total) radiated power (TRP) measurement, sensing measurement, AI measurement, timing advance measurement, or can also be or any other possible measurement function, without limitation. In addition, the multiple measurement functions can also be different in terms of measurement parameters, such as periodic measurement, semi-persistent measurement, aperiodic measurement, etc., which can also be considered as multiple measurement functions, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0163] For example, the at least one reference signal can be a synchronization signal block (SSB) which can be used for cell measurement, beam measurement, initial access measurement, etc. For example, the at least one reference signal can be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) which can be used for channel measurement, beam measurement, etc. For example, the at least one reference signal can be a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) which can be used for phase measurement, etc.

[0164] It can be understood that any of the at least one reference signal can be associated with any physical channel (i.e., a channel carrying the reference signal). For example, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), etc. It can be understood that the first device can also directly measure the physical channel only in the measurement area, and not measure the physical channel outside the measurement area, etc., without limitation.

[0165] Based on the above description, the measurement area can be an area composed of wireless resources (i.e., a measurement resource unit), and can include one or more areas, without limitation. The measurement area can be an area composed of at least one resource in the time domain, the frequency domain, the spatial domain, the code domain, or the power domain. The first device only measures the at least one reference signal and / or concentrates or aggregates the at least one measurement function in the measurement area, and does not measure the at least one reference signal and / or the at least one measurement function outside the measurement area. The first device only measuring the at least one reference signal in the measurement area can include that the first device only measures the at least one reference signal and / or reports the measurement result corresponding to the at least one reference signal in the measurement area. The first device measuring the at least one measurement function can include that the first device measures and / or reports the at least one measurement function. That is, the above measurement area can also be understood as a reporting area, without limitation.

[0166] Exemplarily, taking that the first device only measures at least one reference signal in the measurement region as an example, the at least one reference signal can include SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS. As shown in FIG. 7, the first device can centrally measure SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS on resources in the measurement region (in the dashed box) and will not measure SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS on other resources outside the measurement region (outside the dashed box).

[0167] In a possible design, the configuration resource corresponding to the at least one reference signal is in the measurement region.

[0168] The configuration resource can include a measurement resource and / or a reporting resource. The measurement resource can be used for receiving and / or measuring the at least one reference signal, and the reporting resource can be used for reporting a measurement result of the at least one reference signal. It can be understood that the network side can preconfigure resources occupied by each of the at least one reference signal in the measurement resource unit corresponding to the measurement region, so as to ensure that the first device only measures the at least one reference signal in the measurement region and / or centrally measures at least one measurement function.

[0169] Exemplarily, taking FIG. 7 as an example, for SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS, the network side (the second device described below) can make the configuration resource corresponding to SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS be in the measurement region (in the dashed box) by adjusting a resource period of SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS, or predefining or preconfiguring the resource period of SSB, TRS, and CSI-RS, and the like, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0170] It should be noted that if there are at least two reference signals in the measurement region, such as SSB and TRS occupying the same resource, the network side (the second device described below) can move the resource occupied by SSB or TRS by one resource unit (the moved resource still belongs to the measurement region) by sending indication information, such as indication information #a, to the first device, or preconfigure or predefine a rule that when there are at least two reference signals (such as SSB and TRS) occupying the same resource in the measurement region, the first device moves the resource occupied by SSB or TRS by one resource unit (the moved resource still belongs to the measurement region), and the like, so that the resources occupied by SSB and TRS in the measurement region do not coincide, thereby improving the measurement accuracy and precision of each reference signal.

[0171] In a possible design, the measurement region can include a first measurement region and a second measurement region.

[0172] The first measurement area can be used for regular measurement, and the second measurement area can be used for burst measurement. The first measurement area and the second measurement area are described below.

[0173] The first measurement area can be at least one of a periodic area, a semi-persistent area, an area with a bandwidth less than or equal to a first bandwidth, an area with a port number less than or equal to a first port number, an area with power consumption less than or equal to a first power consumption, or an area with a power less than or equal to a first power.

[0174] The periodic area can be an area composed of a time domain dimension, such as an area between a first time and a second time, and can be used for the first device to measure a periodic reference signal (resource). The semi-persistent area can be used for the first device to measure a semi-persistent reference signal (resource). The area with a bandwidth less than or equal to the first bandwidth can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a bandwidth less than or equal to the first bandwidth. The area with a port number less than or equal to the first port number can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a transmission antenna port number less than or equal to the first port number. The area with power consumption less than or equal to the first power consumption can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with power consumption less than or equal to the first power consumption. The area with a power less than or equal to the first power can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a transmission power less than or equal to the first power. It can be understood that the first measurement area can also be used for other measurements, for example, the first device can measure a reference signal using a code number less than or equal to the first code number, and the like, without limitation.

[0175] The second measurement area can be at least one of a non-periodic area, an area with a bandwidth greater than or equal to a second bandwidth, an area with a port number greater than or equal to a second port number, an area with power consumption greater than or equal to a second power consumption, or an area with a power greater than or equal to a second power.

[0176] The non-periodic area can be used for the first device to measure a non-periodic reference signal (resource). The area with a bandwidth greater than or equal to the second bandwidth can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a bandwidth greater than or equal to the second bandwidth. The area with a port number greater than or equal to the second port number can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a transmission antenna port number greater than or equal to the second port number. The area with power consumption greater than or equal to the second power consumption can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with power consumption greater than or equal to the second power consumption. The area with a power greater than or equal to the second power can be used for the first device to measure a reference signal with a transmission power greater than or equal to the second power. It can be understood that the second measurement area can also be used for other measurements, for example, the first device can measure a reference signal using a code number greater than the second code number, measure a high-speed moving object, and the like, without limitation.

[0177] The second bandwidth can be greater than the first bandwidth, the second port number can be greater than the first port number, the second power consumption can be greater than the first power consumption, the second power can be greater than the first power, and the second encoding number can be greater than the first encoding number. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific values of the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth, the first port number, the second port number, the first power consumption, the second power consumption, the first power, the second power, the first encoding number, and the second encoding number. It can be understood that the first measurement area and the second measurement area can also have a partially overlapping case, for example, the first bandwidth is greater than the second bandwidth, the first port number is greater than the second port number, the first power consumption can be greater than the second power consumption, the first power can be greater than the second power, and the first encoding number can be greater than the second encoding number, without limitation.

[0178] It should be noted that the above constraint condition is only an example, and the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth, the first port number, the second port number, the first power consumption, the second power consumption, the first power, the second power, the first encoding number, and the second encoding number can also be established without the constraint condition, without limitation.

[0179] It can be understood that the first measurement area and the second measurement area can be a set of areas and can include one or more areas, without limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal axis is time (t) and the vertical axis is frequency (f), where measurement area #1, measurement area #2, measurement area #3, and measurement area #4 can be the above measurement areas; measurement area #1 and measurement area #2 can be the first measurement area for regular measurement; and measurement area #3 and measurement area #4 can be the second measurement area for burst measurement. In this way, the first device can meet most of the regular measurement requirements through the first measurement area and meet the burst measurement requirements through the second measurement area, to maintain sufficient measurement flexibility.

[0180] Based on the above introduction, the implementation process of the first device obtaining the measurement area will be specifically introduced below.

[0181] Case 1: The first device can be determined by receiving configuration information.

[0182] In case 1, the first device can determine the measurement region, i.e., the display indication, by receiving the configuration information (including the information of the measurement region) from other devices, such as the following second device. For example, taking the first device as a terminal device and the second device as a network device, the first measurement region can be configured by the second device, i.e., the second device can send the configuration information #1 to the first device, and the configuration information #1 can include the first measurement region, such as the measurement region #1 and the measurement region #2 shown in FIG. 8, to meet the regular measurement requirement; or the first device can request the second device to configure, i.e., the second device can send the configuration information #2 to the first device, and the configuration information #2 can include the second measurement region, such as the measurement region #3 and the measurement region #4 shown in FIG. 8; then, the second device can dynamically activate the measurement region #3 and / or the measurement region #4 by the indication information, such as the indication information #b, to meet the burst measurement requirement.

[0183] Case 2: The measurement region can be predefined or preconfigured.

[0184] Case 3: The configuration parameters of the measurement region are determined according to at least one reference signal or at least one measurement function.

[0185] In case 3, the first device can determine the configuration parameters of the measurement region according to at least one reference signal or at least one measurement function, i.e., the implicit indication, so that the signaling related to the configuration of the measurement region is not needed to be sent to indicate, thereby saving the overhead. Different reference signals or different measurement functions correspond to different configuration parameters of the measurement region, so that the measurement region can be dynamically changed according to the different reference signals or measurement functions to meet the requirements of different scenarios.

[0186] For example, according to the above introduction, any one of the at least one reference signal can be associated with a physical channel, so that the first device can determine the configuration parameters of the measurement region according to the physical channel associated with each reference signal, i.e., the first device can determine the configuration parameters of the measurement region corresponding to the reference signal #1 according to the configuration parameters of the channel #1 associated with the reference signal #1; or according to the above introduction, any one of the at least one reference signal can be used for the measurement of one or more measurement functions, so that the first device can determine the configuration parameters of the measurement region corresponding to the reference signal #1 according to the measurement function or the measurement purpose corresponding to the reference signal #1, such as the cell measurement, the channel measurement, or the beam measurement; or the first device can directly determine the configuration parameters of the measurement region according to the at least one measurement function.

[0187] The frequency domain parameters of the measurement region are taken as an example for introduction.

[0188] Optionally, the bandwidth of the measurement region can be determined according to at least one of the bandwidth of the first device, the bandwidth of the physical channel, or the bandwidth of the reference signal.

[0189] It can be understood that the bandwidth of the first device can dynamically change. For example, when the first device is establishing a connection using a network, the available bandwidth of the first device can be adjusted in real time according to the network environment, data traffic demand, quality of service settings, network management policies, and the like, to meet the needs of different services and scenarios. At this time, the bandwidth of the measurement region can dynamically change with the change in the bandwidth of the first device.

[0190] The bandwidth of the measurement region can also be determined according to the bandwidth of the physical channel. For example, taking reference signal #1 as an example, the reference signal #1 can be carried on a PDSCH, a PDCCH, a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a PRACH, and the like. At this time, the first device can determine the bandwidth corresponding to the PDSCH, the PDCCH, the PUCCH, the PUSCH, or the PRACH, and the like, as the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the reference signal #1.

[0191] The bandwidth of the measurement region can also be directly determined according to the bandwidth of the reference signal. For example, taking reference signal #1 and reference signal #2 as an example, the bandwidth of the reference signal #1 can be bandwidth #a, and the bandwidth of the reference signal #1 can be bandwidth #b. At this time, the first device can determine bandwidth #a as the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the reference signal #1, and determine bandwidth #b as the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the reference signal #2.

[0192] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, taking a first device as a UE and a second device as a gNB as an example, it is assumed that the bandwidth of the gNB is B1, the bandwidth of the UE at T1 is B2, the bandwidth of the UE at T2 is B3, the bandwidth of the UE at T3 is B4, the bandwidth of the UE at T4 is B5, the bandwidth of the UE at T5 is B6, the bandwidth of the UE at T6 is B7, and the bandwidth of the PDSCH at T1 is B8.

[0193] At T1, assuming that the CSI-RS is associated with the PDSCH, the UE can determine that the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the CSI-RS is equal to the bandwidth B8 of the PDSCH; at T2, the cell measurement can be associated with the bandwidth of the UE, and the UE can determine that the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the cell measurement is equal to the current bandwidth B3 of the UE, and so on. It can be understood that B1=B2+B3+B4+B5+B6+B7, that is, the UE can implement frequency hopping at T1-T6 to improve the security of communication. Meanwhile, taking the cell measurement as an example, the UE can use B2 for cell measurement at T1, use B3 for cell measurement at T2, use B4 for cell measurement at T3, use B5 for cell measurement at T4, use B6 for cell measurement at T5, and use B7 for cell measurement at T6, so that the UE can obtain the cell measurement result of the full bandwidth in combination with the cell measurement results at T1-T6.

[0194] Assuming that the first device works in the energy saving mode, for example, the first device is in the working state (measurement and communication) only in the measurement region, and is in the sleep state outside the measurement region, at this time, the first device can also determine the minimum value of the bandwidth of the physical channel and the bandwidth of the UE as the bandwidth of the measurement region, to further reduce the power consumption of the first device and improve the energy saving effect. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, at T1, the bandwidth of the measurement region corresponding to the CSI-RS can be min(B2, B8).

[0195] It can be understood that the determination manner of other configuration parameters of the measurement region, such as the time domain configuration parameter, the space domain configuration parameter, the code domain configuration parameter, and the power domain configuration parameter, is similar to the determination manner of the bandwidth of the measurement region, which can be understood with reference, and will not be described herein. Taking the cell measurement and the channel measurement as examples, the determination of the time domain configuration parameter, the frequency domain configuration parameter, and the space domain configuration parameter of the measurement region will be introduced below.

[0196] For example, for the channel measurement, the configuration parameter of the measurement region can be determined according to the reference signal or the physical channel, such as the rank index (RI), the precoding matrix index (PMI), and the channel quality indicator (CQI) measurement, the time domain of the measurement region can be determined by the service frequency carried by the data channel, the frequency domain bandwidth can be the same as the data channel, and the space domain can be determined by the data rate. For another example, for the cell measurement, the configuration parameter of the measurement region can be determined by the number of associated cells and the service area configuration, such as the RRM measurement, the time domain of the measurement region can be determined by the moving speed of the first device and the number of adjacent areas, the frequency domain bandwidth can be the same as the SSB, and the space domain can be a single port or determined according to the low complexity precoding, without limitation.

[0197] It can be understood that the above case 3 is introduced by taking the configuration parameter of the measurement area as an example, which is determined according to at least one reference signal or at least one measurement function. The configuration parameter of the measurement area can also be pre-configured, pre-defined, or explicitly indicated. For example, the second device can send the configuration parameter of the measurement area to the first device through indication information or configuration information, and the like, without limitation.

[0198] It can be understood that the above naming of the measurement area is only an example, and the measurement area can also be replaced by any other possible naming, such as a measurement basic unit, without limitation. The above naming of the reference signal is only an example, and the reference signal can also be replaced by any other possible naming, such as a measurement signal, signal #1, and the like, without limitation.

[0199] For the above step S602:

[0200] The measurement area can be used for the first device to measure at least one reference signal and / or measure at least one measurement function only in the measurement area, and any one of the at least one reference signal is used for measurement of one or more measurement functions. The measurement area can also be used for the second device to send at least one reference signal and / or receive measurement results of the at least one reference signal in the measurement area, without limitation.

[0201] It can be understood that the second device can obtain the measurement area through pre-definition or pre-configuration, or from other network functions, without limitation. After the second device obtains the measurement area, the second device can notify the first device of the measurement area. For example, the second device can send configuration information to the second device, and the configuration information can include information of the measurement area, that is, corresponding to the above case 1. It can be understood that the above step S602 is an optional step, that is, the second device can also not need to obtain the measurement area, and the present application embodiment does not limit this.

[0202] For the above step S603:

[0203] After the second device obtains the measurement region, the second device can send the first reference signal to the first device in the measurement region, and the first device can receive the first reference signal from the second device in the measurement region (i.e., step S604). The at least one reference signal can include the first reference signal. The first reference signal can be any one of a CSI-RS, an SSB, a PSS, an SSS, a TRS, a PTRS, a DMRS, a CRS, a PSS, or an SRS, without limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the first reference signal can be any one of an SSB, a TRS, or a CSI-RS. For ease of understanding, the embodiments of the present application take the first reference signal as a CSI-RS for subsequent introduction. The second device can send the CSI-RS to the first device in the measurement region, and the first device can receive the CSI-RS from the second device in the measurement region.

[0204] For step S604 described above:

[0205] In a possible design, the first device receives the first reference signal from the second device in the measurement region, and / or sends a measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal to the second device in the measurement region. Correspondingly, the second device receives the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal from the first device in the measurement region.

[0206] The measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal can include at least one of a CSI, a PMI, a CQI, an RI, a layer indicator (LI), a reference signal receiver power (RSRP), a reference signal receiver quality (RSRQ), a reference signal receiver indicator (RSSI), a signal to interference noise ratio (SINR), a beam quality, a cell quality, a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), a L1-RSRP, a L1-RSRQ, etc., without limitation. After the first device obtains the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal, the first device can send the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal to the second device in the measurement region.

[0207] The measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal can be carried in at least one of the following: PUCCH, PUSCH, RRC signaling, medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or DCI, etc., that is, carried in an existing information element to reduce the difficulty of implementation, or can be carried in a new information element to improve the flexibility of implementation, without limitation. It can be understood that the present application embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the first device receiving and measuring the first reference signal, and the reporting of the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal.

[0208] In summary, the first device can only measure the at least one reference signal and / or measure the at least one measurement function in the measurement area, and does not measure the at least one reference signal and / or measure the at least one measurement function outside the measurement area. In this way, the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function can be measured in the measurement area, thereby avoiding the problem that the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function needs to be measured on different resources, and the first device is always woken up for measurement, thereby reducing the power consumption of the first device (which can be a terminal device).

[0209] In combination with the above embodiments, in a possible design, the above method can further include:

[0210] The first device communicates in the measurement area.

[0211] That is, the first device can measure the at least one reference signal and / or measure the at least one measurement function in the measurement area, and can also communicate, such as transmitting control information, data, etc., without limitation. In this way, resource multiplexing can be achieved to provide resource utilization. Further, the first device can also enter a sleep or hibernate state outside the measurement area, so that the measurement and communication of the first device are only performed in the measurement area. The measurement area can also be a range of areas for limiting communication behavior, and at this time, the measurement area can also have another name, so the measurement area can also be referred to as a first area, etc. In this way, performance and power saving can be compromised, more sleep can be achieved, and energy efficiency can be effectively improved to save power consumption.

[0212] It can be understood that the same features in the above steps S601-S604, such as the measurement area, the at least one reference signal, the at least one measurement function, etc., have the same meaning and can be understood with reference, without being repeated.

[0213] It can be understood that the above examples are introduced by taking the second device sending the first reference signal to the first device in the measurement area, the first device receiving the first reference signal from the second device in the measurement area as an example, assuming that the second device is a network device and the first device is a terminal device, the first reference signal can be a downlink reference signal; in addition, the first device can also send a second reference signal (such as at least one reference signal including the second reference signal) to the second device in the measurement area, and the second device can receive the second reference signal from the first device in the measurement area, assuming that the second device is a network device and the first device is a terminal device, the second reference signal can be an uplink reference signal; or the second device can send the first reference signal to the first device in the measurement area, and the first device can receive the first reference signal from the second device in the measurement area, at the same time, the first device can send the second reference signal (such as at least one reference signal including the second reference signal) to the second device in the measurement area, and the second device can receive the second reference signal from the first device in the measurement area (i.e. full duplex), assuming that the second device is a network device and the first device is a terminal device, the first reference signal can be a downlink reference signal, and the second reference signal can be an uplink reference signal, the implementation principle is similar to the above examples, which can be understood by reference, and will not be described here.

[0214] For example, FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by the embodiment of the application. The communication method is applied to the communication between the first device and the second device in the above communication system.

[0215] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0216] S1001, the second device sends configuration information of the first reference signal to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device acquires the configuration information of the first reference signal.

[0217] S1002, the second device sends the first reference signal to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device acquires the first reference signal.

[0218] S1003, the second device measures according to the first reference signal.

[0219] The related contents in the above steps S1001-S1003 are described in detail below.

[0220] For the above step S1001:

[0221] The configuration information can include a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration can be used to indicate the first part, and the second configuration can be used to indicate the second part. The first part of the first reference signal can be used for a first measurement function, and the second part of the second reference signal can be used for a second measurement function. The first measurement function and the second measurement function can include at least one of the following: cell measurement, channel measurement, time-frequency measurement, phase measurement, beam measurement, TRP measurement, sensing measurement, AI measurement, timing advance measurement, or any other possible measurement function, without limitation.

[0222] The first part of the first reference signal can be a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the first resource, and the second part of the first reference signal can be a part of the first reference signal corresponding to the second resource. It can be understood that the first reference signal can occupy a resource, such as resource #1, for measurement. The resource #1 can be a resource composed of at least one of the time domain, the frequency domain, the spatial domain, the code domain, or the power domain, without limitation. Different resource parts of the resource #1 can be used for different measurement functions, such as a part of the first resource in the resource #1 for the first measurement function, and a part of the second resource in the resource #1 for the second measurement function. That is, the first device can multiplex different resource parts of the first reference signal for multiple measurement functions.

[0223] For example, taking resource #1 as a time-frequency resource (full bandwidth B1) and the first reference signal as RS#a as shown in FIG. 11, at t1, bandwidth B2 (B2 < B1) can be used for cell measurement, beam measurement, etc. Combining t1 and t2, bandwidth B2 can be used for time-frequency offset measurement, phase measurement, etc. At t1 or t2, bandwidth B1 can be used for full-band channel measurement, without limitation.

[0224] It should be noted that the first reference signal can multiplex an existing reference signal to reduce implementation difficulty, or a new reference signal can also be used to improve implementation flexibility, without limitation. The configuration information can be carried in at least one of the following: PUCCH, PUSCH, RRC signaling, medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or DCI, that is, in an existing information element to reduce implementation difficulty, or in a new information element to improve implementation flexibility, without limitation.

[0225] It can be understood that the first device can also obtain the configuration information of the first reference signal in other manners, such as pre-configuration or pre-definition, without limitation. The naming of the above configuration information is only an example, and the measurement area can also be replaced by any other possible naming, such as resource configuration information, information #1, etc., without limitation; the naming of the above first reference signal is only an example, and the first reference signal can also be replaced by any other possible naming, such as measurement signal, signal #2, etc., without limitation.

[0226] For the above step S1002:

[0227] The second device can send the first reference signal to the first device, and correspondingly, the first device can receive the first reference signal from the second device, such as the above RS#a, and the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0228] For the above step S1003:

[0229] In a possible design, the second device sends the indication information to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device receives the indication information from the second device.

[0230] The first device measures the first reference signal using the first part of the first reference signal according to the indication information.

[0231] The indication information can be used to indicate the measurement of the first measurement function. That is, when the second device needs to obtain the measurement result corresponding to the first measurement function, the second device can activate the first configuration corresponding to the first measurement function through the indication information, that is, the part of the first reference signal corresponding to the first resource, and the first device can trigger the measurement of the first reference signal using the first part of the first reference signal according to the indication information and the configuration information to obtain the measurement result corresponding to the first measurement function, to realize on-demand indication and flexibility.

[0232] It can be understood that the first device can also use the corresponding part (such as the second part) to perform the measurement (such as the second measurement function) of the corresponding measurement function (such as the second measurement function) on the first reference signal according to the received indication information (such as indicating the measurement of the second measurement function) and the configuration information, and the implementation principle is similar and can be understood by reference, without repetition. Based on the above introduction, different measurement functions of the first reference signal can be activated semi-statically or dynamically activated and deactivated, and the implementation process can refer to the existing implementation, without repetition.

[0233] For example, continuing the above example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, the gNB can activate configuration #a, i.e., (t1, B2), by indicating information #a1, so that the UE can use the bandwidth B2 to perform cell measurement, beam measurement, etc. at time t1; as shown in (b) of FIG. 12, the gNB can activate configuration #2, i.e., (t1-t2, B2), by indicating information #a2, so that the UE can use the bandwidth B2 to perform time-frequency offset measurement, phase measurement, etc. at times t1 and t2; as shown in (c) of FIG. 12, the gNB can activate configuration #3, i.e., (t1, B1) or (t2, B1), by indicating information #a3, so that the UE can use the bandwidth B2 to perform full-band channel measurement, etc. at time t1 or t2, without limitation. When the gNB determines that the UE does not need to use the first reference signal for measurement, the gNB can also deactivate the information to deactivate (deactivate), and the implementation principle is similar, which can be understood by reference, and will not be described here.

[0234] After the first device measures the first reference signal using the first part of the first reference signal according to the indication information to obtain the first measurement result (which can be used to characterize the first measurement function), the first device can also send the first measurement result to the second device; similarly, the first device can also report the second measurement result (which can be used to characterize the second measurement function) obtained by measuring the first reference signal using the second part of the first reference signal to the second device, so that the second device can perform subsequent operations according to the measurement result, without limitation. It can be understood that the specific implementation of the first device receiving and measuring the first reference signal and reporting the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal is not limited.

[0235] In summary, different parts of the first reference signal can be used for different measurement functions, or in other words, the first device can perform different measurement functions by multiplexing different parts of the first reference signal, such as different resources, so that resource consumption and power consumption of the first device can be reduced, and resource overhead can be saved.

[0236] It can be understood that the same features in the above steps S1001-S1003, such as the first reference signal, the configuration information of the first reference signal, the first configuration, the second configuration, the first part, the second part, the first measurement function, the second measurement function, etc. have the same meaning, which can be understood by reference, and will not be described here.

[0237] It can be understood that the above embodiments are introduced by taking the measurement area for measurement as an example. The measurement area can also be replaced by any other customizable area for performing corresponding functions, and the implementation principle is similar, which can be understood by reference, and will not be described in detail. For example, the measurement area can also be replaced by a sensing area (such as a sensing resource), that is, the first device can only perform centralized sensing in the sensing area, and for another example, the measurement area can also be replaced by an AI area (such as an AI resource), that is, the first device can only perform centralized AI measurement in the AI area, and the like, without limitation. Exemplarily, the implementation principle of the measurement area can also be applicable to a measurement window, for example, (1) the device only communicates in the measurement window and does not communicate outside the measurement window; (2) the device is only activated in the measurement window and sleeps outside the measurement window; (3) the measurement window can be activated by a wake-up signal or a low-power wake-up signal (such as a power consumption less than a preset value), and the like, without limitation.

[0238] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 6-12. The communication device for performing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 13-14.

[0239] FIG. 13 is a structural schematic diagram one of a communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 13, the communication device 1300 includes a transceiver module 1301 and a processing module 1302. For ease of description, FIG. 13 only shows the main components of the communication device 1300.

[0240] The transceiver module 1301 is configured to perform the transceiving functions of the method shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10, and the processing module 1302 is configured to perform other functions of the method shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10 except the transceiving functions.

[0241] Optionally, the transceiver module 1301 can include a sending module (not shown in FIG. 13) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG. 13). The sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the communication device 1300, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication device 1300.

[0242] Optionally, the communication device 1300 can further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 13), which stores a program or instructions. When the processing module 1302 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 1300 can perform the functions of the first device and / or the second device in the method shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10 in the above method.

[0243] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1300 can be a terminal device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device, or an apparatus including the terminal device; or the communication apparatus 1300 can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0244] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 1300 can refer to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10, which are not described herein again.

[0245] Exemplarily, FIG. 14 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies of the terminal device or the network device. As shown in FIG. 14, the communication apparatus 1400 can include a processor 1401. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1400 can further include a memory 1402 and / or a transceiver 1403. The processor 1401 is coupled with the memory 1402 and the transceiver 1403, for example, through a communication bus.

[0246] The various constituent components of the communication apparatus 1400 will be specifically introduced below in combination with FIG. 14:

[0247] The processor 1401 is the control center of the communication apparatus 1400, which can be one processor or a collective term of multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1401 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), or application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0248] Optionally, the processor 1401 can perform various functions of the communication apparatus 1400 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1402, and calling data stored in the memory 1402, for example, performing the communication methods shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 10.

[0249] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1401 can include one or more CPUs, for example, CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG. 14.

[0250] In a particular implementation, as an example, the communication apparatus 1400 can also include multiple processors, such as the processor 1401 and the processor 1404 shown in FIG. 14. Each of the processors can be a single-CPU or a multi-CPU. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0251] The memory 1402 is configured to store software programs for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 1401 is configured to control the execution of the software programs. The specific implementation manners can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0252] Optionally, the memory 1402 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magneto-optical disk storage (including a compact disk, a laser disc, an optical disc, a digital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory 1402 can be integrated with the processor 1401 or exist independently and be coupled with the processor 1401 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 14) of the communication apparatus 1400, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0253] The transceiver 1403 is configured to communicate with other communication apparatuses. For example, the communication apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, and the transceiver 1403 can be configured to communicate with a network device or another terminal device. For another example, the communication apparatus 1400 is a network device, and the transceiver 1403 can be configured to communicate with a terminal device or another network device.

[0254] Optionally, the transceiver 1403 can include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG. 14). The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function.

[0255] Optionally, the transceiver 1403 can be integrated with the processor 1401, or exist independently, and be coupled with the processor 1401 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 14) of the communication apparatus 1400, and embodiments of the present application do not make a limitation in this regard.

[0256] It should be noted that the structure of the communication apparatus 1400 shown in FIG. 14 does not constitute a limitation on the communication apparatus, and an actual communication apparatus can include more or fewer components than those shown, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0257] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 1400 can refer to the technical effects of the communication method described in the above method embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0258] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication system. The communication system can include the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the network device.

[0259] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0260] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0261] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole through software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions or computer programs can produce the processes or functions described above in accordance with the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, such as from a website site, a computer, a server, or a data center to another website site, a computer, a server, or a data center, through a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or a collection of medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. containing one or more available medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state disk.

[0262] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely used to describe an associated relationship between associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects, but can also represent an "and / or" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood according to the context before and after.

[0263] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0264] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of the above-described processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0265] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0266] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0267] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0268] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0269] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0270] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0271] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, comprising: Acquire a measurement area; wherein the measurement area is used by the first device to measure at least one reference signal and / or measure at least one measurement function only within the measurement area, and any one of the at least one reference signal is used for the measurement of one or more measurement functions; Measurements are performed within the specified measurement area.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measurement area includes a first measurement area and a second measurement area; The first measurement region is at least one of the following: a periodic region, a semi-continuous region, a region with bandwidth less than or equal to a first bandwidth, a region with the number of ports less than or equal to the number of first ports, a region with power consumption less than or equal to a first power consumption, or a region with power less than or equal to a first power. The second measurement region is at least one of the following: a non-periodic region, a region with bandwidth greater than or equal to a second bandwidth, a region with the number of ports greater than or equal to the number of second ports, a region with power consumption greater than or equal to a second power consumption, or a region with power greater than or equal to a second power. The second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth, the second number of ports is greater than the first number of ports, the second power consumption is greater than the first power consumption, and the second power is greater than the first power.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The measurement within the measurement area includes: A first reference signal is received within the measurement area; wherein the at least one reference signal includes the first reference signal; And / or, transmit the measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal within the measurement area.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The configuration resources corresponding to the at least one reference signal are located within the measurement area.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Communication takes place within the measurement area.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The configuration parameters of the measurement area are determined based on the at least one reference signal or the at least one measurement function.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the measurement area is determined based on at least one of the bandwidth of the first device, the bandwidth of the physical channel, or the bandwidth of the reference signal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The at least one reference signal includes at least one of the following: Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Synchronization Information Block (SSB), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Phase Noise Tracking Reference Signal (PT-RS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), Cell Reference Signal (CRS), or Detection Reference Signal (SRS).

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The at least one measurement function includes at least one of the following: cell measurement, channel measurement, time-frequency measurement, phase measurement, beam measurement, transmit power (TRP) measurement, sensing measurement, artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, or timing advance measurement.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, comprising: A measurement area is acquired; wherein the measurement area is used by the first device to measure at least one reference signal and / or measure at least one measurement function only within the measurement area, and any one of the at least one reference signal is used for the measurement of one or more measurement functions; A first reference signal is transmitted within the measurement area; wherein the at least one reference signal includes the first reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal is received within the measurement area.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a computer program to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

14. A communication chip, characterized in that, It stores a computer program or instructions that, when the chip is run on a communication device, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 to be implemented.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

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