Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a network device sends first configuration information to a terminal, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring a cell set comprising M cells, the M cells correspond to M downlink carriers, and M is a positive integer; the network device sends second configuration information to the terminal, wherein the second configuration information is used for configuring N frequency domain resource set groups, N is a positive integer, a first frequency domain resource set group is one of the N frequency domain resource set groups, the first frequency domain resource set group comprises frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, and M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M; and further, the network device sends control information to the terminal, wherein the control information is used for activating the first frequency domain resource set group. By implementing the method, by indicating a first frequency domain resource set, activation of downlink carriers corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set can be indicated, which is beneficial to improving the utilization efficiency of carriers in a multi-carrier scenario.

Description

A communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410924796.3, filed on July 9, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, 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 of a secondary cell in a multi-carrier scenario. For example, in a multi-carrier scenario, the activation process for a secondary cell includes the following steps: S1, the network device sends an activation signaling message to the terminal to instruct the terminal to start activating 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 state information of the downlink channel; S4, the network device receives a valid measurement report from the terminal, which is considered as activating the secondary cell.

[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 first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set, the cell set including M cells, the M cells corresponding to M downlink carriers, where M is a positive integer. The terminal also receives second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource set groups, where N is a positive integer, and a first frequency domain resource set group is one of the N frequency domain resource set groups, the first frequency domain resource set group including frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. Further, the terminal receives control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0008] Based on the method described in the first aspect, at least one frequency domain resource set group is divided from the frequency domain resources included in the M downlink carriers corresponding to the terminal, and the terminal is instructed to use the resources available for transmission by activating the frequency domain resource group through control information. Compared with the method of multi-carrier communication by activating secondary cells, the transmission resource indication process provided by the first aspect is simpler, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of carrier handover in multi-carrier scenarios.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set group includes M1 frequency domain resource sets, each of which corresponds one-to-one with one of the M1 downlink carriers. The second configuration information includes the identifier of each frequency domain resource set in the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets, and the frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the terminal sends first information indicating that the number of frequency domain resources supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the terminal sends a second message indicating the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set. The first frequency domain resource set corresponds to a first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to a second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers. The distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the shortest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers. The starting frequency position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the ending frequency position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the starting frequency position of the first downlink carrier and the ending frequency position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold. By implementing this possible implementation, the frequency domain resources included in a frequency domain resource set will not be located on discontinuous cell resources, and the carrier resources associated with a frequency domain resource set are continuous, avoiding the terminal from receiving / monitoring on discontinuous carriers, which helps to reduce the complexity of terminal implementation.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the terminal stops receiving / monitoring a third downlink carrier, which is any downlink carrier other than the M1 downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers. By implementing this possible implementation, the terminal will only receive / monitor signals on the downlink carrier corresponding to the activated frequency domain resource group, and will not receive / monitor any reference signals or data on other downlink carriers, thereby saving terminal power consumption.

[0014] 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 first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set, the cell set including M cells, the M cells corresponding to M downlink carriers, where M is a positive integer. The network device also sends second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource set groups, where N is a positive integer, the first frequency domain resource set group being one of the N frequency domain resource set groups, the first frequency domain resource set group including frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. Further, the network device sends control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the second configuration information includes the identifiers of each frequency domain resource set in the first frequency domain resource set group, which includes M1 frequency domain resource sets. Each of the M1 frequency domain resource sets corresponds one-to-one with the M1 downlink carriers. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the network device receives first information indicating that the number of frequency domain resources supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the network device receives second information indicating the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set; the first frequency domain resource set corresponds to a first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to a second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers; the distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the closest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers; wherein, the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier and the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a carrier and a BWP provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an SSB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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).

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 1. Cell and carrier

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 2. Bandwidth part (BWP)

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] Network devices can use downlink control information (DCI) to instruct different BWPs to activate or switch between them.

[0053] 3. SSB

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] In multi-carrier scenarios, when terminals and network devices need to transmit data on a BWP of a certain carrier, it is necessary to first activate the secondary cell (or switch to the carrier of the secondary cell) and then activate the BWP on the carrier of the secondary cell through DCI. This will result in low carrier utilization efficiency and increased data transmission latency.

[0057] To improve carrier utilization efficiency and reduce data transmission latency in multi-carrier scheduling 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.

[0058] 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 S403. 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:

[0059] S401. The network device sends first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set including M downlink carriers.

[0060] Accordingly, the terminal receives the first configuration information. The cell set includes M cells, each corresponding to one of the M downlink carriers, where M is a positive integer.

[0061] In other words, the network device configures a cell set containing M cells (or downlink carriers) for the terminal using the first configuration information. These M cells can be some or all of the cells in a CA scenario. This cell set can be called a multi-carrier integrated cell set, or any other name; this application does not limit the name of the cell set. This first configuration information can be carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0062] In one possible implementation, to reduce the operational complexity of the terminal, the M cells can be included in the same cell set if the downlink carriers corresponding to the M cells satisfy one or more of the following conditions: That is, each downlink carrier in the M downlink carriers included in the cell set satisfies one or more of the following conditions 1 to 4.

[0063] Condition 1: The terminal corresponds to M reception times on the M downlink carriers, and the M downlink 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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).

[0067] Condition 3: The uplink and downlink frame ratios are the same for each downlink carrier.

[0068] This can be understood as follows: uplink and downlink time slots can be configured on a downlink carrier. The ratio of the number of uplink time slots to the number of downlink time slots in a downlink carrier is called the uplink / downlink frame ratio. In this case, among the M downlink carriers belonging to the first downlink carrier, the uplink / downlink frame ratio is the same for each downlink carrier.

[0069] Condition 4: The subcarrier spacing (SCS) of each downlink carrier is the same.

[0070] This can be understood as meaning that only when the SCS of the M downlink carriers are the same can the M cells belong to the same cell set.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the specific implementation scenarios of S401, this application provides a possible application scenario. In this scenario, the network device broadcasts an SSB on a downlink carrier within a cell set. The terminal searches for and receives the SSB within its supported frequency band range, obtaining 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 downlink carrier (denoted as the initial access downlink carrier) where the SSB is located. The terminal completes initial access and RRC connection establishment based on the SIB1. Further, the network device configures M cells belonging to the same cell set to the terminal via RRC signaling.

[0072] For example, when a terminal is configured with CA, it is configured with multiple serving cells: cells #1 to #6. The terminal completes initial access and RRC connection establishment through downlink carrier #1 of cell #1. Further, the network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal to configure the cell set, which includes cells #1 to #4.

[0073] S402. The network device sends second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets, where N is a positive integer.

[0074] Accordingly, the terminal receives the second configuration information. For ease of description, the method provided in this application will be described using a specific frequency domain resource set (denoted as the first frequency domain resource set) among the N frequency domain resource set groups as an example. When N is an integer greater than 1, the other frequency domain resource set groups among the N frequency domain resource set groups, excluding the first frequency domain resource set group, can be configured in the same way as the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0075] The network device configures a first frequency domain resource set group for the terminal using the second configuration information. This can be understood as the second configuration information indicating the frequency domain location and bandwidth of each frequency domain resource set in the first frequency domain resource set group. For example, the second configuration information indicates that the frequency domain resource set group #1 includes: frequency domain resource set #11 in cell #1, and the starting frequency position of frequency domain resource set #11 is P. 11 The bandwidth of frequency domain resource set #11 is W. 11 The starting frequency position of frequency domain resource set #22 in cell #2 is P. 22 The bandwidth of frequency domain resource set #22 is W. 22 The starting frequency position of frequency domain resource set #31 in cell #3 is P. 31 The bandwidth of frequency domain resource set #31 is W. 31 The starting frequency position of frequency domain resource set #41 in cell #4 is P. 41 The bandwidth of frequency domain resource set #41 is W. 41 .

[0076] It should be noted that the frequency domain resource set mentioned in this application may be called BWP or other names, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the frequency domain resource set. The frequency domain resource set group mentioned in this application may be called BWP group or other names, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the frequency domain resource set group. The second configuration information and the first configuration information may be carried in the same RRC signaling or in different RRC signaling. In this application, the example of the second configuration information and the first configuration information being carried in different RRC signaling should not be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the network device configures the frequency domain location and bandwidth of the frequency domain resource sets on each of the M cells, as well as the identifier of each frequency domain resource set on each cell, through third configuration information. Each of the M cells can be configured with at least one frequency domain resource set. Further, the network device indicates, through second configuration information, that the first frequency domain resource set group includes the frequency domain resources of M1 cells out of the M cells (or can be understood as the M1 cells associated with the first frequency domain resource set group), and indicates that the first frequency domain resource set includes M1 frequency domain resource sets, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. The first frequency domain resource set group contains only one frequency domain resource set in each of the M1 cells.

[0078] For example, the network device configures a cell set for the terminal using first configuration information, which includes cells #1 to #4. The network device then configures the starting position and bandwidth of the frequency domain resources included in each cell from #1 to #4 using third configuration information. As shown in Figure 5, the frequency domain resource set for cell #1 includes frequency domain resource set #11 and frequency domain resource set #12; the frequency domain resource set for cell #2 includes frequency domain resource set #21 and frequency domain resource set #22; the frequency domain resource set for cell #3 includes frequency domain resource set #31 and frequency domain resource set #32; and the frequency domain resource set for cell #4 includes frequency domain resource set #41. Further, the network device configures four frequency domain resource set groups for the terminal using second configuration information: frequency domain resource set group #1 to frequency domain resource set group #4. Among them, frequency domain resource set group #1 includes frequency domain resource set #11, frequency domain resource set #22, frequency domain resource set #31 and frequency domain resource set #41; frequency domain resource set group #2 includes frequency domain resource set #11 and frequency domain resource set #22; frequency domain resource set group #3 includes frequency domain resource set #11, frequency domain resource set #22 and frequency domain resource set #31; and frequency domain resource set group #4 includes frequency domain resource set #12.

[0079] It is important to understand that the first frequency domain resource set group includes M1 frequency domain resource sets, each corresponding one-to-one with the M1 cells. Frequency domain resource set #1 is one of these M1 frequency domain resource sets, corresponding to downlink carrier #1 among the M1 downlink carriers. Frequency domain resource set #1 includes some or all of the frequency domain resources of downlink carrier #1. The second configuration information can be carried in RRC signaling. The third configuration information can be the same as the second configuration information; or, the third configuration information can also be the same as the first configuration information; or the third configuration information can be different from both the second and first configuration information.

[0080] In another possible implementation, the frequency domain resource sets on each cell are independently configured with identifiers. The terminal can determine the bandwidth and frequency domain location of a frequency domain resource set based on its identifier and the identifier of the cell containing that frequency domain resource set. That is, the second configuration information includes the identifier of each frequency domain resource set in the M1 frequency domain resource sets and the identifier of the cell containing each frequency domain resource set. The location of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on its identifier and the cell corresponding to (or understood as the cell in which it resides).

[0081] For example, the network device configures a cell set for the terminal using first configuration information. This cell set includes cells #1 to #4. For each cell, cell #1 has two frequency domain resource sets configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1 and frequency domain resource set #2, respectively; cell #2 has two frequency domain resource sets configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1 and frequency domain resource set #2, respectively; cell #3 has one frequency domain resource set configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1; and cell #4 has one frequency domain resource set configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1. In this case, the network device configures four frequency domain resource set groups for the terminal as shown in Table 1 using second configuration information. Based on the identifiers of each frequency domain resource set and the identifier of the cell to which that frequency domain resource set belongs, the bandwidth and frequency domain location of that frequency domain resource set can be determined.

[0082] Table 1

[0083] In one possible implementation of configuring the first frequency domain resource set group with the second configuration information, the second configuration information includes a field group #1 for configuring the first frequency domain resource set group. This field group #1 includes M fields, each corresponding one-to-one with one of the M cells. One of the M fields (denoted as the first field) indicates the frequency domain resource set on the cell corresponding to that first field, which is included in the first frequency domain resource set group. It should be noted that when the value indicated by one of the M fields (denoted as the second field) is invalid, the first frequency domain resource set group does not include the frequency domain resources on the cell corresponding to that second field.

[0084] For example, the cell set includes cells #1 to #4. Cell #1 has two frequency domain resource sets configured, identified as frequency domain resource set #1 and frequency domain resource set #2, respectively; cell #2 has two frequency domain resource sets configured, identified as frequency domain resource set #1 and frequency domain resource set #2, respectively; cell #3 has one frequency domain resource set configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1; and cell #4 has one frequency domain resource set configured on its downlink carrier, identified as frequency domain resource set #1. Fields #1 to #4 in field group #1 correspond one-to-one with cells #1 to #4. In this case, if field #1 indicates frequency domain resource set #1, field #2 indicates frequency domain resource set #2, field #3 indicates frequency domain resource set #3 (since cell #3 is not configured with frequency domain resource set #3, the value indicated by field #3 is invalid), and field #4 indicates null (the value indicated by field #4 is invalid), then the frequency domain resource set group indicated by field group #1 includes: frequency domain resource set #1 of cell #1 and frequency domain resource set #2 of cell #2.

[0085] It is important to understand that when M1 is greater than 1, meaning the first frequency domain resource set group is associated with multiple downlink carriers, the second configuration information indicating the first frequency domain resource set group means that the terminal can communicate in parallel on the M1 frequency domain resource sets included in the first frequency domain resource set group. This requires the terminal to have the capability to support parallel communication on multiple frequency domain resource sets. When the number of frequency domain resource sets included in the first frequency domain resource set group exceeds the terminal's capability, it may cause the terminal to be unable to support it, resulting in reception failure and affecting transmission performance. To avoid this situation, this application also provides the following two possible implementation methods.

[0086] In one possible implementation 1, the terminal sends first information to the network device, the first information indicating that the number of frequency domain resource sets supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2. It should be noted that M2 can be the maximum number of frequency domain resource sets supported by the terminal for parallel processing, or it can be the number of frequency domain resource sets recommended by the terminal for parallel processing.

[0087] In another possible implementation 2, the terminal sends second information to the network device, which indicates the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal. The total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal. It should be noted that the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal can be the maximum radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, or it can be the radio frequency bandwidth recommended by the terminal for parallel operation.

[0088] It's also important to understand that when the frequency domain resource set group indicated by the second configuration information is associated with multiple discontinuous cell resources, the terminal needs to receive / monitor signals or data on multiple discontinuous cell resources, increasing the complexity of the terminal implementation. To reduce the complexity of the terminal implementation, the terminal does not expect frequency domain resource sets belonging to the same frequency domain resource set group to be located on discontinuous cell resources. The following explanation still uses the first frequency domain resource set group as an example.

[0089] In other words, the first frequency domain resource set group is associated with two adjacent carriers: a first downlink carrier and a second downlink carrier. This can be understood as follows: among the M1 carriers associated with the first frequency domain resource set group, the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first carrier is closest to the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second carrier. The first frequency domain resource set group includes the first frequency domain resource set on the first carrier and the second frequency domain resource set on the second carrier. When the frequency start position of the first carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second carrier, the interval between the frequency start position of the first carrier and the frequency end position of the second carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold, which is a value greater than or equal to 0. The specific value of the second threshold can be adjusted according to the specific application scenario; its specific value is not limited here.

[0090] For example, if the cell set is sorted from low to high according to the center frequency of each cell, the cell set includes: cell #1, cell #2, and cell #3. That is, in this cell set, the downlink carriers corresponding to cell #1 and cell #2 are adjacent carriers, and the downlink carriers corresponding to cell #2 and cell #3 are adjacent carriers. If the terminal does not expect frequency domain resource sets belonging to the same frequency domain resource set group to be located on discontinuous cell resources, then no frequency domain resource set group in this cell set will contain only the frequency domain resource sets of cell #1 and cell #3.

[0091] S403. The network device sends control information, which is used to instruct the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0092] Accordingly, the terminal receives the control information.

[0093] This can be understood as follows: after configuring N frequency resource sets via S402, the network device activates (or switches to) the first frequency resource set group via control information. The terminal, based on this control information, switches to the M1 downlink carriers associated with the first frequency resource set group and activates the M1 frequency resource sets within those M1 downlink carriers. Optionally, this control information can be a DCI, and 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 resource set group can also be understood as switching to the first frequency resource set group. Furthermore, the network device can indicate the specific frequency domain resources in the first frequency resource set group used for data transmission between the terminal and the network device via the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI. The field indicating the first frequency resource set group and the frequency domain resource allocation field can be carried in the same DCI or in two separate DCIs.

[0094] The following explains the method of indicating the first frequency domain resource set group with control information.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the control information includes a first field comprising N bits, each of which corresponds one-to-one with 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. Specifically, when the first value is "0", the second value is "1"; and when the first value is "1", the second value is "0".

[0096] For example, taking a first value of "1" and a second value of "0" as an example, this configuration information configures four frequency domain resource sets: frequency domain resource set #1 to frequency domain resource set #4. 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 #4 are sequentially 1000, it indicates that the control information indicates frequency domain resource set #1. When the values ​​of bits #1 to #4 are sequentially 0100, it indicates that the control information indicates frequency domain resource set #2.

[0097] In one possible implementation, each of the N frequency domain resource sets corresponds to a number (or index). The configuration information includes a second field indicating 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...

[0098] For example, when N is 4, the bit length of the second field is 2 bits, and the N frequency domain resource sets include: frequency domain resource set group #1, frequency domain resource set group #2, frequency domain resource set group #3, and frequency domain resource set group #4. Frequency domain resource set groups #1 to #4 each include some or all of the resources of at least one cell in the cell set. In this case, the relationship between the two bit values ​​of the second field and the indicated frequency domain resource set group is shown in Table 2.

[0099] Table 2

[0100] When the second configuration information indicates a first frequency domain resource set group, the terminal receives / monitors signals or data on frequency domain resource sets included in the first frequency domain resource set group. Furthermore, the terminal can also receive / monitor signals on frequency domain resource sets that do not belong to the first frequency domain resource set group (denoted as the frequency domain resource set of the third downlink carrier).

[0101] In one possible implementation, in order to save the terminal's power consumption, when the second configuration information indicates the first frequency domain resource set group, the terminal stops receiving / monitoring a third downlink carrier that is not associated with the first frequency domain resource set group, that is, it does not receive signals and data signals on the third downlink carrier.

[0102] In summary, compared to the method of multi-carrier communication performed by the terminal through a secondary cell activation procedure, this application instructs the activation of the downlink carrier associated with the first frequency domain resource set group by indicating the first frequency domain resource set group through control information. This is beneficial to improving the carrier utilization efficiency in multi-carrier scenarios. Furthermore, compared to the method of activating the secondary cell after the terminal performs the secondary cell activation procedure and then activating the frequency domain resource set on the downlink carrier of the secondary cell, in the method described in the first aspect, instructing the activation of the first frequency domain resource set group through control information can be understood as instructing the activation of the downlink carrier associated with the first resource set group and activating each frequency domain resource set in the first frequency domain resource set group. This is beneficial to saving communication resources and improving the efficiency of activating frequency domain resource sets.

[0103] 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.

[0104] Figures 6 and 7 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.

[0105] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes a processing unit 610 and a transceiver unit 620. The communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0106] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the terminal function in the method embodiment shown in FIG4: the transceiver unit 620 is used to receive first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set, the cell set including M cells, the M cells corresponding to M downlink carriers, where M is a positive integer. The transceiver unit 620 is also used to receive second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource set groups, where N is a positive integer, and the first frequency domain resource set group is one of the N frequency domain resource set groups, the first frequency domain resource set group including frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. The transceiver unit 620 is also used to receive control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set group includes M1 frequency domain resource sets, each of which corresponds one-to-one with one of the M1 downlink carriers. The second configuration information includes the identifier of each frequency domain resource set in the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets, and the frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 620 is further configured to send first information, which indicates that the number of frequency domain resource sets supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 620 is further configured to transmit second information, which indicates the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

[0110] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set; the first frequency domain resource set corresponds to a first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to a second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers; the distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the closest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers; wherein, the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier and the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 610 is further configured to stop receiving / monitoring a third downlink carrier, which is any downlink carrier other than the M1 downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers.

[0112] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 620 and the processing unit 610, please refer to the relevant description of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0113] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes a processing unit 610 and a transceiver unit 620. The communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0114] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4: the transceiver unit 620 is used to send first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set, the cell set including M cells, the M cells corresponding to M downlink carriers, where M is a positive integer. The transceiver unit 620 is also used to send second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource set groups, where N is a positive integer, the first frequency domain resource set group is one of the N frequency domain resource set groups, the first frequency domain resource set group including frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. The transceiver unit 620 is also used to send control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the second configuration information includes the identifiers of each frequency domain resource set in the first frequency domain resource set group, which includes M1 frequency domain resource sets. Each of the M1 frequency domain resource sets corresponds one-to-one with the M1 downlink carriers. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

[0116] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 620 is further configured to receive first information, which indicates that the number of frequency domain resource sets supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

[0117] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 620 is further configured to receive second information, which indicates the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set; the first frequency domain resource set corresponds to a first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to a second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers; the distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the closest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers; wherein, the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier and the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0119] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 620 and the processing unit 610, please refer to the relevant description of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0120] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a processor 710 and an interface circuit 720. The processor 710 and the interface circuit 720 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 720 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a memory 730 for storing instructions executed by the processor 710, or storing input data required by the processor 710 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 710 executes instructions.

[0121] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the method shown in FIG4, the processor 710 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 610, and the interface circuit 720 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 620.

[0122] 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.

[0123] 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.

[0124] 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.

[0125] 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.

[0126] 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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 first configuration information, the first configuration information is used to configure a cell set, the cell set includes M cells, the M cells correspond to M downlink carriers, and M is a positive integer; Receive second configuration information, the second configuration information is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets, where N is a positive integer, the first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, the first frequency domain resource set includes frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M; Receive control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first frequency domain resource set group includes M1 frequency domain resource sets, and each of the M1 frequency domain resource sets corresponds one-to-one with the M1 downlink carriers. The second configuration information includes the identifier of each frequency domain resource set in the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets, and the frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined according to the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first message, which indicates that the number of frequency domain resources supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, where M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, which indicates the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set; the first frequency domain resource set corresponds to the first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to the second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers. The distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the closest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers. Wherein, the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier and the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Stop receiving / monitoring the third downlink carrier, which is any downlink carrier other than the M1 downlink carriers among the M downlink carriers.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first configuration information, which is used to configure a cell set, the cell set including M cells, the M cells corresponding to M downlink carriers, and M being a positive integer; Send second configuration information, which is used to configure N frequency domain resource sets, where N is a positive integer. The first frequency domain resource set is one of the N frequency domain resource sets, and the first frequency domain resource set includes frequency domain resources of M1 downlink carriers, where M1 is a positive integer less than or equal to M. Send control information, which is used to activate the first frequency domain resource set group.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second configuration information includes the identifiers of each frequency domain resource set in the first frequency domain resource set group, which includes M1 frequency domain resource sets. The M1 frequency domain resource sets correspond one-to-one with the M1 downlink carriers. The first frequency domain resource set is any one of the M1 frequency domain resource sets. The frequency domain position of the first frequency domain resource set is determined based on the identifier of the first frequency domain resource set and the downlink carrier corresponding to the first frequency domain resource set.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal receives first information, which indicates that the number of frequency domain resources supported by the terminal for parallel processing is M2, wherein M2 is an integer less than or equal to M, and M1 is less than or equal to M2.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second information is received, which indicates the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal, wherein the total bandwidth occupied by the frequency domain resources of the M1 downlink carriers is less than or equal to the radio frequency bandwidth supported by the terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, The first frequency domain resource set includes a first frequency domain resource set and a second frequency domain resource set; the first frequency domain resource set corresponds to the first downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers, and the second frequency domain resource set corresponds to the second downlink carrier among the M1 downlink carriers. The distance between the frequency domain position / center frequency of the first downlink carrier and the frequency domain position / center frequency of the second downlink carrier is the closest among the M1 downlink carriers, and the first downlink carrier and the second downlink carrier are adjacent carriers among the M1 downlink carriers. Wherein, the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier is higher than the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier, and the interval between the frequency start position of the first downlink carrier and the frequency end position of the second downlink carrier is less than or equal to a second threshold.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-6, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 7-11.

13. 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 1-6 through logic circuits or executable code instructions, or the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 7-11 through logic circuits or executable code instructions.

14. 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 1-6, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 7-11.

15. 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 1-6, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 7-11.

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