Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a network device sends configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information being used for configuring N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to a first cell, N being an integer greater than 1, the first cell comprising M downlink carriers, M being an integer greater than 1, the N frequency domain resource sets at least including a first frequency domain resource set, and the first frequency domain resource set comprising frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers; and further, the network device sends to the terminal control information for indicating the first frequency domain resource set. By implementing the method, the activation of carriers corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set can be indicated by indicating the first frequency domain resource set in the control information, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of carriers in multi-carrier scenarios.

Description

A communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410919723.5, filed on July 9, 2024, with the China National Intellectual Property Administration and entitled “A Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and communication device. Background Technology

[0003] In multi-carrier scenarios, terminals can use multiple carriers for communication, which helps to improve the utilization of network resources and the peak rate of terminals.

[0004] Typically, network devices instruct terminals to activate secondary cells to prepare for data transmission on the corresponding carrier in a multi-carrier scenario. For example, the activation process for a secondary cell in a multi-carrier scenario includes the following steps: S1, the network device sends an activation signaling message to the terminal to instruct it to activate the secondary cell; S2, the network device sends a synchronization signal block (SSB) / temporary reference signal (TRS) on the secondary cell so that the terminal can perform downlink synchronization based on the SSB / TRS; S3, the network device sends a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to the terminal to measure the downlink channel state information; S4, the network device receives a valid measurement report from the terminal, which indicates that the secondary cell has been activated.

[0005] However, the activation delay of secondary cells is usually long, which reduces the efficiency of carrier utilization in multi-carrier scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and a communication device, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of carrier utilization in multi-carrier scenarios.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method executed by a terminal or by a module applied to the terminal. Taking the terminal executing the method as an example, the method includes: the terminal receiving configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than 1. The first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, containing frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers. Further, the terminal receives control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

[0008] Compared to the method of multi-carrier communication via a secondary cell activation process, the method described in the first aspect instructs the activation of the carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set by indicating the first frequency domain resource set through control information. This is beneficial for improving carrier utilization efficiency in multi-carrier scenarios. Furthermore, in the method described in the first aspect, the control information used to instruct the activation of the first frequency domain resource set can be understood as indicating both the activation of the carrier corresponding to the first resource set and the activation of the first frequency domain resource set itself. Compared to the method where the terminal performs a secondary cell activation process to activate the secondary cell and then activates the frequency domain resource set on the carrier of that secondary cell, this method is beneficial for saving communication resources and improving the efficiency of activating the frequency domain resource set.

[0009] Secondly, this application provides a communication method executed by a network device or by a module applied to a network device. Taking the execution of this method by a network device as an example, the method includes: the network device sending configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than 1. The first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, containing the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers. Further, the network device sends control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

[0010] In conjunction with the method described in the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the frequency offset value between the first frequency location in the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, and the direction of the first frequency location relative to the frequency reference point.

[0011] In conjunction with the method described in the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the frequency reference point is the frequency start position of the downlink carrier initially accessed by the terminal; the first frequency position is the frequency start position or frequency end position of the first frequency domain resource set.

[0012] In conjunction with the method described in the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, each of the M downlink carriers satisfies the following: the uplink and downlink frame ratios of each downlink carrier are the same; and / or, the subcarrier spacing of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0013] In conjunction with the method described in the first or second aspect, the control information includes a first field comprising N bits, which correspond one-to-one with the N frequency domain resource sets.

[0014] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a terminal, a device within a terminal, or a device compatible with a terminal. The communication device can also be a chip system. The communication device can execute the method described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. These units or modules can be software and / or hardware. The operations performed by the communication device and its beneficial effects can be found in the method described in the first aspect and its beneficial effects.

[0015] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a network device, a device within a network device, or a device compatible with a network device. The communication device can also be a chip system. The communication device can execute the method described in the second aspect. The functions of the communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. The unit or module can be software and / or hardware. The operations performed by the communication device and its beneficial effects can be found in the method described in the second aspect above.

[0016] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect through logic circuits or executable code instructions, or the processor is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect through logic circuits or executable code instructions.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method described in the first aspect or the method described in the second aspect.

[0018] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product including instructions that, when a communication device reads and executes the instructions, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect, or cause the communication device to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0019] Eighthly, this application provides a communication system including a communication device for performing the method described in the first aspect and a communication device for performing the method described in the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a carrier and a BWP provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an SSB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a first frequency position provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To facilitate a detailed understanding of the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. It should be noted that, in the following text, RAN node 110 may also be referred to as network device 110.

[0030] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0031] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), and can also be relay nodes or donor nodes.

[0032] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0033] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0034] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0035] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0036] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0037] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0038] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0039] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection with a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also subject to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0040] In the embodiments of this application, the time-domain symbol can be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. Unless otherwise specified, the symbols in the embodiments of this application refer to time-domain symbols.

[0041] To facilitate understanding of the relevant content of the embodiments of this application, some terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. This part is only for the purpose of understanding and should not be regarded as a disclosure or specific limitation of the technical solution of this application.

[0042] 1. Cell and carrier

[0043] A cell is a wireless coverage area identified using a base station identity code (BSIC) or cell global identification (CGI). A cell can be understood as a logical concept; it's an area where a base station provides wireless coverage.

[0044] A carrier wave is a radio signal (or electromagnetic wave) emitted by a base station's main equipment, possessing a specific frequency, bandwidth, and standard. It can also be called a carrier frequency and is the primary means of carrying information. Carriers used for uplink communication are called uplink carriers, and carriers used for downlink communication are called downlink carriers. Typically, a cell can correspond to one or more downlink carriers.

[0045] 2. Bandwidth part (BWP)

[0046] A BWP can include a continuous frequency resource on one carrier, or multiple continuous frequency resources on multiple carriers. Taking a BWP comprising only a continuous frequency resource on one carrier as an example, a carrier can have one or more BWPs, and the bandwidth of each BWP in the carrier is less than or equal to the bandwidth of the carrier. For example, this application provides a schematic diagram of the relationship between a carrier and BWPs as shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, the carrier bandwidth is 50MHz, and the carrier is configured with three BWPs: BWP#1 with a bandwidth of 25MHz, BWP#2 with a bandwidth of 10MHz, and BWP#3 with a bandwidth of 50MHz.

[0047] Once a BWP is configured and activated, it is called the active BWP. Typically, a terminal can only have one active downlink BWP on a downlink carrier and only one active uplink BWP on an uplink carrier. Generally, uplink data and control information is transmitted within the active uplink BWP, while downlink data and control information is received within the active downlink BWP.

[0048] Network devices can use downlink control information (DCI) to instruct different BWPs to activate or switch between them.

[0049] 3. SSB

[0050] It should be noted that the SSB mentioned in this application can also be called a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block. Typically, an SSB consists of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). An SSB occupies four consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain and 20 consecutive resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain. The first symbol of the SSB is the PSS, and the third symbol is the SSS; both the PSS and SSS occupy 127 subcarriers. The PBCH is distributed in the second to fourth symbols of the SSB. In the second and fourth symbols, the PBCH occupies 240 subcarriers. On both sides of the SSS in the third symbol, a portion of resource particles are unused. The subcarrier positions occupied by the PSS, SSS, and PBCH in an SSB are shown in Figure 3.

[0051] The SSB is primarily used for cell access. The terminal receives the master information block (MIB) through the SSB, then obtains the system information block 1 (SIB1) associated with that SSB based on the MIB, and accesses the cell based on SIB1. In addition, the SSB can also be used by the terminal to perform time-frequency tracking (or time-frequency synchronization), beam management, radio resource management (RRM) measurements, radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements, and channel state information (CSI) measurements.

[0052] Typically, in multi-carrier scenarios, before the terminal and network equipment can transmit data on a BWP of a certain downlink carrier, the terminal needs to first execute the secondary cell activation procedure to activate the secondary cell, and then activate the BWP on the downlink carrier of the secondary cell according to the instructions of the network equipment. This results in low carrier utilization efficiency and increased data transmission latency.

[0053] To improve carrier utilization efficiency and reduce data transmission latency in multi-carrier scenarios, this application provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method and communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method includes the following steps S401 to S402. The method execution entities shown in Figure 4 are illustrated using a terminal and a network device as examples. It can be understood that the method execution entities shown in Figure 4 can also be modules (e.g., chips) in the terminal and modules (e.g., chips, CUs, or DUs) in the network device. Wherein:

[0055] S401. The network device sends configuration information, which is used to configure the first frequency domain resource set corresponding to the first cell. The first frequency domain resource set includes the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers in the first cell.

[0056] Accordingly, the terminal receives the configuration information.

[0057] The first cell is a cell comprising M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1. The terminal can use at least one of these M downlink carriers to transmit signals or data. The network device configures a first frequency domain resource set for the terminal in the first cell using configuration information, or configures the first frequency domain resource set and other frequency domain resource sets (e.g., denoted as the second frequency domain resource set). That is, the network device configures N frequency domain resource sets for the terminal using configuration information, where N is a positive integer, and at least one of these N frequency domain resource sets includes the first frequency domain resource set. The first frequency domain resource set includes all or part of the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set includes all or part of the frequency domain resources of at least one downlink carrier among the M downlink carriers.

[0058] For example, the first cell includes three downlink carriers: downlink carrier #1, downlink carrier #2, and downlink carrier #3. In this case, as shown in Figure 5(a), the network device can configure frequency domain resource set #1 for the terminal using this configuration information. This frequency domain resource set #1 includes the frequency domain resources of downlink carriers #1 to #3. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5(b), the network device can configure frequency domain resource sets #1, #2, and #3 for the terminal using this configuration information. Frequency domain resource set #1 includes the frequency domain resources of downlink carriers #1 to #3, frequency domain resource set #2 includes the frequency domain resources of downlink carriers #2 and #3, and frequency domain resource set #3 includes the frequency domain resources of downlink carrier #2.

[0059] It should be noted that this configuration information can be carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The first cell can be called a multi-carrier integrated cell (MCIC) or other names; this application does not limit the specific name of the first cell. The frequency domain resource set can be called a BWP or a new BWP; this application also does not limit the specific name of the frequency domain resource set.

[0060] In one possible implementation, to reduce the operational complexity of the terminal, the multiple downlink carriers can be included in the same MCIC if each downlink carrier satisfies one or more of the following conditions 1 to 4. This can also be understood as the multiple downlink carriers being configured as frequency domain resources of the same MCIC. Specifically, each of the M downlink carriers included in the first cell satisfies one or more of the following conditions 1 to 4.

[0061] Condition 1: The terminal corresponds to M reception times on the M downlink carriers, and the M carriers correspond one-to-one with the reception times. The difference between any two reception times among the M reception times is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0062] This can be understood as the time it takes for a terminal to receive a downlink signal (e.g., a reference signal) transmitted by a network device on a certain downlink carrier, referred to as the terminal's reception time on that downlink carrier. The network device transmits M downlink signals on M downlink carriers, and the transmission times of these M downlink signals are aligned. In this case, the terminal receives these M downlink signals on the M downlink carriers respectively, corresponding to M reception times, which are the same or similar (i.e., the difference between any two reception times is less than or equal to a first threshold). The thresholds mentioned in this application (including the first threshold and the second threshold described below) can be adjusted according to specific application scenarios, and this application does not specifically limit the value of these thresholds.

[0063] Condition 2: The terminal corresponds to M received powers on the M downlink carriers, and the M downlink carriers correspond one-to-one with the received powers. The difference between any two received powers among the M received powers is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0064] This can be understood as the power of a downlink signal (e.g., a reference signal) received by a terminal on a specific downlink carrier from a network device, referred to as the terminal's received power on that downlink carrier. The network device transmits M downlink signals on M downlink carriers, and the transmission times of these M downlink signals are aligned. In this case, the terminal receives these M downlink signals on each of the M downlink carriers, corresponding to M received powers, which are the same or similar (i.e., the difference between any two of the M received powers is less than or equal to a second threshold).

[0065] Condition 3: The uplink and downlink frame ratios are the same for each downlink carrier.

[0066] This can be understood as the downlink carrier being configured with uplink and downlink time slots. The uplink / downlink frame ratio mentioned in this application can be understood as the ratio of the number of uplink time slots to the number of downlink time slots in a downlink carrier, or as the ratio of the number of downlink time slots to the number of uplink time slots in a downlink carrier. In this case, among the M downlink carriers belonging to the first cell, the uplink / downlink frame ratio of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0067] Condition 4: The subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0068] This can be understood as meaning that only when the SCS of different downlink carriers is the same can they belong to the same MCIC.

[0069] To facilitate understanding of the specific implementation scenario of S401, this application provides a possible application scenario. In this scenario, the network device broadcasts an SSB on a carrier in the first cell. The terminal searches for and receives the SSB within its supported frequency band range, and obtains a MIB, which indicates the location of BWP#0 (i.e., the initial BWP). The terminal receives the SIB1 associated with the SSB on the initial BWP, which indicates the bandwidth and location of the carrier where the SSB is located (denoted as the initial access carrier). The terminal completes initial access and RRC connection establishment based on the SIB1. Then, the network device configures the M downlink carriers included in the first cell to the terminal via an RRC signaling. Further, the network device configures the configuration information described in S401 to the terminal via another RRC signaling, configuring the N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to the M downlink carriers for the terminal device.

[0070] It should be noted that, in this application scenario, the configuration information used to configure the N frequency domain resource sets in the first cell and the configuration information used to configure the M downlink carriers in the first cell can be carried in the same RRC signaling or in different RRC signaling.

[0071] The following section will provide a detailed explanation of how the configuration information in S401 configures the N frequency domain resource sets.

[0072] Specifically, this configuration information is used to indicate the location of each frequency domain resource set among the N frequency domain resource sets, as well as the bandwidth of each frequency domain resource set. The following explanation uses the configuration information for the first frequency domain resource set among the N frequency domain resource sets as an example. If the N frequency domain resource sets also include other frequency domain resource sets besides the first frequency domain resource set, the method for configuring the other frequency domain resource sets can be found in the method for configuring the first frequency domain resource set.

[0073] The configuration information for the first frequency domain resource set can be understood as indicating one or more of the following: ① the frequency offset value between the first frequency position and the frequency reference point in the first frequency domain resource set, i.e., the absolute value of the frequency difference between the first frequency position and the frequency reference point; ② the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, i.e., indicating the sum of the bandwidths occupied by the frequency domain resources included in the first frequency domain resource set; ③ the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point, i.e., indicating that the first frequency position is higher than the frequency reference point, or indicating that the first frequency position is lower than the frequency reference point.

[0074] It should be noted that the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set mentioned in this application can be a segmented bandwidth excluding carrier intervals, i.e., the configuration information is used to indicate the frequency domain resources included in each carrier of the first frequency domain resource set. For example, the configuration information indicates that the first frequency domain resource set includes a portion of the frequency domain resources in carrier #1 with a bandwidth of 5MHz; it also indicates that the first frequency domain resource set includes all the frequency domain resources in carrier #2 with a bandwidth of 30MHz; and it further indicates that the first frequency domain resource set includes a portion of the frequency domain resources in carrier #3 with a bandwidth of 15MHz. In this case, it can be considered that the configuration information indicates that the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set is 50MHz. The bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set mentioned in this application can also be a continuous bandwidth including carrier intervals. In this case, the terminal can determine the bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources that the terminal can use in the first frequency domain resource set based on the continuous bandwidth and the interval between at least two carriers corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set. For example, the configuration information indicates that the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set is 56MHz. This first frequency domain resource set includes frequency domain resources from carrier #1 to carrier #3. The frequency end position of carrier #1 is 3MHz lower than the frequency start position of carrier #2 (i.e., the interval between carrier #1 and carrier #2 is 3MHz), and the frequency end position of carrier #2 is 3MHz lower than the frequency start position of carrier #3 (i.e., the interval between carrier #2 and carrier #3 is 3MHz). In this case, the frequency domain resources that the terminal can use are the other frequency domain resources in the first frequency domain resource set except for the carrier interval. That is, the bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources that the terminal can use in this first frequency domain resource set is 50MHz.

[0075] It should also be noted that the frequency reference point mentioned in this application can be any frequency location specified by the network device or the protocol. For example, the frequency reference point is the starting or ending frequency location of the downlink carrier (i.e., the carrier to which the initial BWP belongs, hereinafter referred to as the access carrier) for the terminal's initial access to the first cell. The first frequency location is any frequency location in the first frequency domain resource set specified by the network device or the protocol. For example, the first frequency location is the starting or ending frequency location of the first frequency domain resource set.

[0076] Optionally, the specific location of the first frequency position within the first frequency domain resource set can be determined based on the relative relationship between the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point. For ease of understanding, the following examples (Examples 1 to 3) are provided to illustrate the "first frequency position" and "direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point" mentioned in this application, using the frequency reference point as the starting position of the access carrier frequency.

[0077] In Example 1, as shown in Figure 6(a), when the lowest frequency point of the first frequency domain resource set (i.e., the frequency starting position of the first frequency domain resource set) is lower than the frequency starting position of the access carrier, the first frequency position is the frequency starting position of the first frequency domain resource set. In this case, the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point is negative.

[0078] In Example 2, as shown in Figure 6(b), when the highest frequency point of the first frequency domain resource set (i.e., the frequency end position of the first frequency domain resource set) is lower than the frequency start position of the access carrier, the first frequency position is the frequency end position of the first frequency domain resource set. In this case, the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point is negative.

[0079] In Example 3, as shown in Figure 6(c), when the lowest frequency point of the first frequency domain resource set is higher than the frequency start position of the access carrier, the first frequency position is the frequency start position of the first frequency domain resource set. In this case, the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point is the positive direction.

[0080] S402. The network device sends control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

[0081] Accordingly, the terminal receives the control information.

[0082] This can be understood as follows: after configuring N frequency domain resource sets via S401, the network device activates the first frequency domain resource set via control information. The terminal activates the first frequency domain resource set according to this control information. Optionally, this control information can be a DCI. The format of the DCI can be DCI format 0_3 or DCI format 1_3, or other DCI formats. In this application, activating the first frequency domain resource set can also be understood as switching to the first frequency domain resource set. Furthermore, the network device can indicate the specific frequency domain resources in the first frequency domain resource set used for data transmission between the terminal and the network device through the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI. The field used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency domain resource allocation field can be carried in the same DCI or in two separate DCIs.

[0083] The following explains how the control information indicates the first frequency domain resource set.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the control information includes a first field comprising N bits, each corresponding to one of the N frequency domain resource sets. When the bit corresponding to a frequency domain resource set has a first value, it indicates that the frequency domain resource set is activated; when the bit corresponding to a frequency domain resource set has a second value, it indicates that the frequency domain resource set is not activated (or deactivated). Specifically, when the first value is "0", the second value is "1"; when the first value is "1", the second value is "0".

[0085] For example, taking a first value of "1" and a second value of "0" as an example, the configuration information in S401 is used to configure six frequency domain resource sets: frequency domain resource set #1 to frequency domain resource set #6. These frequency domain resource sets #1 to #6 correspond one-to-one with bits #1 to #6 in the first field. When the values ​​of bits #1 to #6 are 101000 respectively, it indicates that the control information indicates frequency domain resource set #1 and frequency domain resource set #3. When the values ​​of bits #1 to #6 are 111000 respectively, it indicates that the control information indicates frequency domain resource set #1, frequency domain resource set #2, and frequency domain resource set #3.

[0086] In one possible implementation, each of the N frequency domain resource sets corresponds to a number (also called an index). The control information includes a second field (e.g., a BWP Indicator field) that indicates the number of the frequency domain resource set to be activated. The bit length of this second field is related to the value of N; for example, the bit length of the second field is...

[0087] For example, when N is 6, the bit length of the second field is 3 bits, and the N frequency domain resource sets include: frequency domain resource set #0, frequency domain resource set #1, frequency domain resource set #2, frequency domain resource set #3, frequency domain resource set #4, and frequency domain resource set #5. Frequency domain resource sets #1 to #4 each include some or all of the resources of a certain downlink carrier in the first cell, and frequency domain resource set #5 includes some or all of the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers in the first cell. In this case, when the 3 bits of the second field are "110", the control information indicates frequency domain resource set #5, or can be interpreted as activating (or switching to) frequency domain resource set #5.

[0088] In summary, compared to the method where the terminal performs multi-carrier communication through a secondary cell activation procedure, the method described in Figure 4, which instructs the activation of the carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set by indicating the first frequency domain resource set through control information, is beneficial to improving carrier utilization efficiency in multi-carrier scenarios. Furthermore, compared to the method where the terminal performs a secondary cell activation procedure to activate the secondary cell and then activates the frequency domain resource set on the carrier of that secondary cell, the method described in Figure 4, through control information, can instruct the activation of both the carrier corresponding to the first resource set and the first frequency domain resource set itself, which is beneficial to saving communication resources and improving the efficiency of activating the frequency domain resource set.

[0089] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software transceiver units driving the hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0090] Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the terminal 120 shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal; or the communication device can be the network device 110 shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the network device.

[0091] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiver unit 720. The communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0092] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the terminal function in the method embodiment shown in FIG4: the transceiver unit 720 is used to receive configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to the first cell, where N is a positive integer, the first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, and the first frequency domain resource set contains the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers; further, the transceiver unit 720 is also used to receive control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the frequency offset between the first frequency location in the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, and the direction of the first frequency location relative to the frequency reference point.

[0094] In one possible implementation, the frequency reference point is the starting position of the downlink carrier for which the terminal initially accesses; the first frequency position is the starting or ending position of the frequency of the first frequency domain resource set.

[0095] In one possible implementation, each of the M downlink carriers satisfies the following: the uplink and downlink frame ratios of each downlink carrier are the same; and / or the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the control information includes a first field comprising N bits, which correspond one-to-one with the N frequency domain resource sets.

[0097] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 720 and the processing unit 710, please refer to the relevant description of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0098] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiver unit 720. The communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0099] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4: the transceiver unit 720 is used to send configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to the first cell, where N is a positive integer, the first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, and the first frequency domain resource set contains the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers; the transceiver unit 720 is also used to send control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the frequency offset between the first frequency location in the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, and the direction of the first frequency location relative to the frequency reference point.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the frequency reference point is the starting position of the downlink carrier for which the terminal initially accesses; the first frequency position is the starting or ending position of the frequency of the first frequency domain resource set.

[0102] In one possible implementation, each of the M downlink carriers satisfies the following: the uplink and downlink frame ratios of each downlink carrier are the same; and / or the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0103] In one possible implementation, the control information includes a first field comprising N bits, which correspond one-to-one with the N frequency domain resource sets.

[0104] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 720 and the processing unit 710, please refer to the relevant description of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0105] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820. The processor 810 and the interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 820 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a memory 830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 810, or storing input data required by the processor 810 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 810 executes instructions.

[0106] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the method shown in FIG4, the processor 810 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 710, and the interface circuit 820 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 720.

[0107] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0108] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information being forwarded to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0109] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0110] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0111] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0112] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When a computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of this application are performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, a computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0113] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0114] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0115] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive configuration information, the configuration information is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to the first cell, where N is an integer greater than 1, the first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, and the first frequency domain resource set contains the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers; Receive control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the frequency offset value between the first frequency position in the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, and the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The frequency reference point is the starting position of the frequency of the downlink carrier initially accessed by the terminal; The first frequency position is the frequency start position or frequency end position of the first frequency domain resource set.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Each of the M downlink carriers satisfies: The uplink and downlink frame ratios of each downlink carrier are the same; And / or, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The control information includes a first field, which comprises N bits, each of which corresponds one-to-one with one of the N frequency domain resource sets.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets corresponding to the first cell, where N is an integer greater than 1, the first cell contains M downlink carriers, where M is an integer greater than 1, the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, and the first frequency domain resource set contains the frequency domain resources of at least two downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers; Send control information, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource set.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the frequency offset value between the first frequency position in the first frequency domain resource set and the frequency reference point, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource set, and the direction of the first frequency position relative to the frequency reference point.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The frequency reference point is the starting position of the frequency of the downlink carrier initially accessed by the terminal; The first frequency position is the frequency start position or frequency end position of the first frequency domain resource set.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, Each of the M downlink carriers satisfies: The uplink and downlink frame ratios of each downlink carrier are the same; And / or, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The control information includes a first field, which comprises N bits, each of which corresponds one-to-one with one of the N frequency domain resource sets.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-5, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 6-10.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device. The processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5 through logic circuits or executable code instructions, or the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 6-10 through logic circuits or executable code instructions.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 6-10.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 6-10.

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