Communication method and apparatus, and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and provide a communication method and apparatus, and an electronic device, capable of reducing the resource overhead of network devices and reducing the power consumption of UEs. The method comprises: determining M monitoring occasions, the monitoring occasions being used by a terminal device to monitor a signal, and M is an integer greater than 1; and when no signal for waking up the terminal device is transmitted in the M monitoring occasions, sending a first signal, the first signal being used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

Description

A communication method, apparatus and electronic device Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication systems, the UE (user equipment) can periodically synchronize with the network equipment to align system parameters such as time and frequency. For example, the network equipment can periodically send synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to the UE, which then achieves synchronization.

[0003] The receiver in a UE used to receive synchronization signal blocks (called the main receiver) typically consumes a lot of power. To reduce power consumption, the UE can put the main receiver into sleep mode and perform blind detection of signals using a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR). Network devices can wake up the main receiver in the UE by sending a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS) to the LP-WUR, or they can synchronize with the UE by periodically sending a low-power synchronous signal (LP-SS).

[0004] However, the network equipment's transmission of LP-WUS and periodic transmission of LP-SS incurs significant resource overhead, and the UE's reception of LP-WUS and LP-SS also generates substantial power consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and electronic device that can reduce the resource overhead of network devices.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following explanation will use execution by a network device as an example.

[0007] The method includes: determining M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used by the terminal device to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. If no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device occurs during any of the M monitoring opportunities, a first signal is sent. The first signal is used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement.

[0008] Based on this scheme, communication between network devices and terminal devices can include either a signal for waking up the terminal device (referred to as a wake-up signal) or a first signal. This allows the network devices and terminal devices to maintain signal communication for a certain period of time, enabling the terminal device to maintain synchronization and / or perform measurements within that timeframe. For the network device, it is not necessary to periodically send LP-SS signals. Instead, it only needs to send the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement during M monitoring periods when no wake-up signal is transmitted, or send the first signal during M monitoring periods when no signal for waking up the terminal device is transmitted. This maintains synchronization with the terminal device or ensures the synchronization and / or measurement performance of the terminal device, resulting in lower network resource overhead.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

[0010] Based on this scheme, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device. Therefore, the modulation and / or encoding method of the first signal can be relatively simple, and the circuit requirements of the LP-WUR will also be lower. This helps to reduce the power consumption of the LP-WUR, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the terminal device.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, sending a first signal includes: sending the first signal at a first opportune moment. The first opportune moment is one of M monitoring opportune moments.

[0012] Based on this scheme, the network device sends the first signal during the existing M monitoring opportunities, which has low implementation complexity and helps to save network device resources.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, sending the first signal includes: sending the first signal at a second opportune moment. In the time domain, the second opportune moment occurs after M monitoring opportune moments.

[0014] Based on this scheme, since the second timing is independent of the M monitoring timings, the configuration of the second timing can be implemented based on the transmission requirements of the first signal, thus exhibiting good scalability.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal equipment includes N terminal devices. M monitoring opportunities are used for the N terminal devices to monitor signals. Here, N is an integer greater than 1.

[0016] Based on this scheme, the network device sends a first signal, which can realize the synchronization and / or measurement of N terminal devices, and helps to reduce the overhead of network resources.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the M monitoring opportunities are one set of monitoring opportunities from the S groups of monitoring opportunities. The first opportunity is the common monitoring opportunity of the S groups of monitoring opportunities. S is an integer greater than 1.

[0018] Based on this scheme, the monitoring times for Group S can share the first timing as the transmission timing for the first signal. In this way, when the network device transmits the first signal, it can achieve synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal devices corresponding to the monitoring times of Group S, which helps reduce network resource overhead.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, in the time domain, the first timing is the last monitoring timing among M monitoring timings.

[0020] Based on this scheme, if no wake-up signal is transmitted during any of the M monitoring opportunities, the network device can send a first signal for synchronization and / or measurement during the last monitoring opportunity of the M monitoring opportunities. This ensures that if the terminal device fails to synchronize and / or measure during the first M-1 monitoring opportunities of the M monitoring opportunities, it can complete the synchronization and / or measurement in a timely manner through the first signal sent by the network device during the last monitoring opportunity of the M monitoring opportunities, thereby ensuring the stability of the synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, in the time domain, the first timing is the first monitoring timing among M monitoring timings.

[0022] Based on this scheme, if the network device does not transmit a wake-up signal during any of the M monitoring opportunities, it can send a first signal for synchronization and / or measurement during the first monitoring opportunity of the M monitoring opportunities, thereby facilitating the terminal device to complete synchronization and / or measurement more quickly.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the time-domain location of the second timing is determined by the network device.

[0024] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the second timing opportunity is determined by the network device, which facilitates unified management of the network device.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the temporal location of the second timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device.

[0026] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the second timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device, which can better meet the needs of the terminal device.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the time interval between the M monitoring opportunities and the second opportunity is less than the upper limit of the clock synchronization performance of the terminal device.

[0028] Based on this scheme, the synchronization performance of terminal devices can be guaranteed, avoiding synchronization problems caused by excessive time or frequency offset.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending a second signal. The second signal is used to instruct the terminal device to monitor the signal at a third opportune time. A third signal is sent at the third opportune time. The third signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement by the terminal device.

[0030] Based on this scheme, network devices can send a second signal to instruct terminal devices to monitor the signal at a third opportune time under services with stringent latency requirements. At the third opportune time, the network device can send a third signal for synchronization and / or measurement. This allows terminal devices to complete synchronization and / or measurement more quickly, thereby reducing latency between the terminal devices and network devices.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first signal satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The first signal is a signal where all bits are 1. The modulation scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, but the scrambling sequence type is different. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, the scrambling sequence type is the same, but the cyclic shift is different. The encoding scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The bit information of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device.

[0032] Based on this scheme, the first signal can be designed in a variety of ways to distinguish different indication content using limited bit information, thus having a wider range of application scenarios.

[0033] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, among the M monitoring opportunities, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M.

[0034] Based on this scheme, the needs of network devices, terminal devices, users, and other parties can be met when configuring the time domain location and / or index value of the monitoring timing.

[0035] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, M is a predefined value.

[0036] Based on this scheme, M has high definability, which is conducive to meeting the needs of different scenarios.

[0037] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the value of M is configured by the network device.

[0038] Based on this solution, M can better meet the needs of network devices.

[0039] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device is a group of terminal devices or a subgroup of terminal devices.

[0040] Based on this scheme, each terminal can be treated as an independent entity, or multiple terminals can be grouped into a terminal group or subgroup, thus achieving the goal of using fewer bits. Furthermore, by designing the terminal devices differently, this scheme can be applied to a wider range of scenarios.

[0041] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the signal used to wake up the terminal device includes identification information. The identification information is one or more of the following: terminal device identifier, terminal device group identifier, and terminal device subgroup identifier.

[0042] Based on this scheme, terminal devices can easily determine whether the detected signal is a wake-up signal, and determine the terminal device to be woken up by the wake-up signal, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0043] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, waking up the terminal device refers to the main receiver of the waking up terminal device.

[0044] Based on this scheme, the wake-up signal can be a signal used to wake up the main receiver of the terminal device. This allows for more targeted design of the wake-up signal.

[0045] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first signal employs any of the following modulation methods: on / off keying, frequency shift keying, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), OFDM sequence, fusion of on / off keying and OFDM sequences, and fusion of frequency shift keying and OFDM sequences. The OFDM sequence includes one or more of the following sequences: ZC sequence, small-m sequence, m sequence, physical downlink control channel sequence, gold sequence, orthogonal phase shift keying modulation sequence, 16-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, 64-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying modulation sequence, and computer-search-based sequence.

[0046] Based on this scheme, the first signal can adopt a variety of possible modulation methods, which is beneficial to meet the needs of different scenarios and has a wider range of application scenarios.

[0047] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following explanation will use execution by a terminal device as an example.

[0048] The method includes: monitoring one or more of M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. Receiving a first signal. The first signal is sent by the network device when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0049] Based on this scheme, the network device and the terminal device may include one of a signal for waking up the terminal device (referred to as a wake-up signal) and a first signal, so that the network device and the terminal device maintain signal communication for a certain period of time, so that the terminal device can maintain synchronization and / or perform measurement for a certain period of time.

[0050] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

[0051] Based on this scheme, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device. Therefore, the modulation and / or encoding method of the first signal can be relatively simple, and the circuit requirements of the LP-WUR will also be lower. This helps to reduce the power consumption of the LP-WUR, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the terminal device.

[0052] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, receiving the first signal includes: receiving the first signal at a first opportune moment. The first opportune moment is one of M monitoring opportune moments.

[0053] Based on this scheme, the terminal device receives the first signal during the existing M monitoring opportunities, which is easy to configure and has a low implementation cost.

[0054] In conjunction with the second aspect, receiving the first signal in certain implementations of the second aspect includes: receiving the first signal at a second opportune moment. In the time domain, the second opportune moment occurs after M monitoring opportune moments.

[0055] Based on this scheme, since the second timing is independent of the M monitoring timings, the configuration of the second timing can be implemented based on the transmission requirements of the first signal, thus exhibiting good scalability.

[0056] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the terminal equipment includes N terminal devices. M monitoring opportunities are used for the N terminal devices to monitor signals. Here, N is an integer greater than 1.

[0057] Based on this scheme, N terminal devices can all achieve synchronization and / or measurement through the first signal, with relatively low network resource overhead.

[0058] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the M monitoring opportunities are one set of monitoring opportunities from the S groups of monitoring opportunities. The first opportunity is the common monitoring opportunity of the S groups of monitoring opportunities. S is an integer greater than 1.

[0059] Based on this scheme, the terminal devices corresponding to the monitoring time of Group S can share the first time as the time to receive the first signal, which helps to reduce the overhead of network resources.

[0060] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, in the time domain, the first timing is the last monitoring timing among M monitoring timings.

[0061] Based on this scheme, if the terminal device does not detect the wake-up signal or the first signal in the first M-1 monitoring opportunities, it can receive the first signal in the last monitoring opportunity, thereby completing the synchronization and / or measurement in a timely manner and ensuring the stability of the synchronization and / or measurement.

[0062] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, in the time domain, the first timing is the first monitoring timing among M monitoring timings.

[0063] Based on this scheme, when the terminal device receives the first signal at the first monitoring time out of M monitoring times, it can stop monitoring subsequent monitoring times out of M monitoring times, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0064] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the time-domain location of the second timing is determined by the network device.

[0065] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the second timing opportunity is determined by the network device, which facilitates unified management of the network device.

[0066] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the temporal location of the second timing is determined by the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device.

[0067] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the second timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device, which can better meet the needs of the terminal device.

[0068] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the time interval between the M monitoring opportunities and the second opportunity is less than the upper limit of the clock synchronization performance of the terminal device.

[0069] Based on this scheme, the synchronization performance of terminal devices can be guaranteed, avoiding synchronization problems caused by excessive time or frequency offset.

[0070] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: monitoring a third timing point upon receiving the second signal. The second signal is used to indicate monitoring the signal at the third timing point. A third signal is received at the third timing point, and the third signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0071] Based on this scheme, in services with stringent latency requirements, the terminal device can receive a third signal for synchronization and / or measurement at a third time when it receives the second signal, thereby completing synchronization and / or measurement faster and reducing latency with network devices.

[0072] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, receiving a third signal at a third time includes: waking up the main receiver at a third time to receive the third signal.

[0073] Based on this scheme, the terminal device can wake up the main receiver as soon as possible to receive the third signal, and then receive the paging message or PDCCH as soon as possible, reducing the capacity limitation problem caused by large time delay.

[0074] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first signal satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The first signal is a signal where all bits are 1. The modulation scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, but the scrambling sequence type is different. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, the scrambling sequence type is the same, but the cyclic shift is different. The encoding scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The bit information of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device.

[0075] Based on this scheme, the first signal can be designed in a variety of ways to distinguish different indication content using limited bit information, thus having a wider range of application scenarios.

[0076] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, among the M monitoring opportunities, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M.

[0077] Based on this scheme, the needs of network devices, terminal devices, users, and other parties can be met when configuring the time domain location and / or index value of the monitoring timing.

[0078] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, M is a predefined value.

[0079] Based on this scheme, M has high definability, which is conducive to meeting the needs of different scenarios.

[0080] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the value of M is configured by the network device.

[0081] Based on this solution, M can better meet the needs of network devices.

[0082] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the terminal device is a terminal device group or a terminal device subgroup.

[0083] Based on this scheme, each terminal can be treated as an independent entity, or multiple terminals can be grouped into a terminal group or subgroup, thus achieving the goal of using fewer bits. Furthermore, by designing the terminal devices differently, this scheme can be applied to a wider range of scenarios.

[0084] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the signal used to wake up the terminal device includes identification information. The identification information may be one or more of the following: terminal device identifier, terminal device group identifier, or terminal device subgroup identifier.

[0085] Based on this scheme, terminal devices can easily determine whether the detected signal is a wake-up signal, and determine the terminal device to be woken up by the wake-up signal, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0086] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, waking up the terminal device refers to waking up the main receiver of the terminal device.

[0087] Based on this scheme, the wake-up signal can be a signal used to wake up the main receiver of the terminal device. This allows for more targeted design of the wake-up signal.

[0088] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first signal is any of the following modulation schemes: on / off keying, frequency shift keying, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), OFDM sequence, fusion of on / off keying and OFDM sequences, and fusion of frequency shift keying and OFDM sequences. OFDM sequences include one or more of the following sequences: ZC sequence, small-m sequence, m sequence, physical downlink control channel sequence, gold sequence, orthogonal phase shift keying modulation sequence, 16-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, 64-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying modulation sequence, and computer-search-based sequence.

[0089] Based on this scheme, the first signal can adopt a variety of possible modulation methods, which is beneficial to meet the needs of different scenarios and has a wider range of application scenarios.

[0090] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following explanation will use execution by a network device as an example.

[0091] The method includes: when determining the wake-up time for all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring opportunities, not sending signals for waking up the terminal devices during the M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used for terminal device monitoring signals. M is an integer greater than 1. A synchronization signal block is then sent.

[0092] Based on this scheme, network devices can wake up terminal devices to receive synchronization signal blocks without sending wake-up signals during M monitoring periods, resulting in lower network resource overhead and higher wake-up efficiency.

[0093] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: when determining the wake-up of all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring opportunities, not sending a first signal, the first signal being used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement.

[0094] Based on this scheme, it is beneficial to further reduce the resource overhead of network devices waking up all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring opportunities.

[0095] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the synchronization signal block is sent, including sending the synchronization signal block at a fourth timing point. In the time domain, the fourth timing point is M monitoring timing points later.

[0096] Based on this scheme, network devices can wake up terminal devices to receive synchronization signal blocks in the fourth time by not sending wake-up signals during M monitoring periods, resulting in lower network resource overhead.

[0097] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

[0098] Based on this scheme, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device. Therefore, the modulation and / or encoding method of the first signal can be relatively simple, and the circuit requirements of the LP-WUR will also be lower. This helps to reduce the power consumption of the LP-WUR, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the terminal device.

[0099] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the terminal equipment includes N terminal devices. M monitoring opportunities are used for the N terminal devices to monitor signals. Here, N is an integer greater than 1.

[0100] Based on this scheme, network devices can simultaneously wake up N terminal devices by not sending signals to wake up terminal devices during M monitoring periods, with low network resource overhead.

[0101] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the time-domain location of the fourth timing is determined by the network device.

[0102] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the fourth timing event is determined by the network device, which facilitates unified management of the network device.

[0103] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the temporal location of the fourth timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device.

[0104] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the fourth timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device, which can better meet the needs of the terminal device.

[0105] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first signal satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The first signal is a signal where all bits are 1. The modulation scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, but the scrambling sequence type is different. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, the scrambling sequence type is the same, but the cyclic shift is different. The encoding scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The bit information of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device.

[0106] Based on this scheme, the first signal can be designed in a variety of ways to distinguish different indication content using limited bit information, thus having a wider range of application scenarios.

[0107] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, among the M monitoring opportunities, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M.

[0108] Based on this scheme, the needs of network devices, terminal devices, users, and other parties can be met when configuring the time domain location and / or index value of the monitoring timing.

[0109] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, M is a predefined value.

[0110] Based on this scheme, M has high definability, which is conducive to meeting the needs of different scenarios.

[0111] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the value of M is configured by the network device.

[0112] Based on this solution, M can better meet the needs of network devices.

[0113] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the terminal device is a terminal device group or a terminal device subgroup.

[0114] Based on this scheme, each terminal can be treated as an independent entity, or multiple terminals can be grouped into a terminal group or subgroup, thus achieving the goal of using fewer bits. Furthermore, by designing the terminal devices differently, this scheme can be applied to a wider range of scenarios.

[0115] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the signal used to wake up the terminal device includes identification information. The identification information can be one or more of the following: terminal device identifier, terminal device group identifier, or terminal device subgroup identifier.

[0116] Based on this scheme, terminal devices can easily determine whether the detected signal is a wake-up signal, and determine the terminal device to be woken up by the wake-up signal, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0117] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, waking up the terminal device refers to waking up the main receiver of the terminal device.

[0118] Based on this scheme, the wake-up signal can be a signal used to wake up the main receiver of the terminal device. This allows for more targeted design of the wake-up signal.

[0119] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first signal is any of the following modulation schemes: on / off keying, frequency shift keying, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), OFDM sequence, fusion of on / off keying and OFDM sequences, and fusion of frequency shift keying and OFDM sequences. OFDM sequences include one or more of the following sequences: ZC sequence, small-m sequence, m sequence, physical downlink control channel sequence, gold sequence, orthogonal phase shift keying modulation sequence, 16-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, 64-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying modulation sequence, and computer-search-based sequence.

[0120] Based on this scheme, the first signal can adopt a variety of possible modulation methods, which is beneficial to meet the needs of different scenarios and has a wider range of application scenarios.

[0121] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following explanation will use execution by a terminal device as an example.

[0122] The method includes: monitoring M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. If no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received.

[0123] Based on this scheme, the terminal device can automatically wake up the main receiver to receive the synchronization signal block if no wake-up signal is detected in M ​​monitoring opportunities, and the power consumption of the wake-up process is low.

[0124] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, when no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received, including: when neither a first signal nor a signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0125] Based on this scheme, when the terminal device uses any of the communication methods in the second aspect, it can spontaneously wake up the main receiver to receive the synchronization signal block if the first signal and the wake-up signal are not detected in M ​​monitoring opportunities, and the power consumption of the wake-up process is low.

[0126] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, when no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected within M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received, including: when no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected within M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received at the fourth monitoring opportunity. In the time domain, the fourth monitoring opportunity occurs after the M monitoring opportunities.

[0127] Based on this scheme, the terminal device can go into sleep mode between the M monitoring times and the fourth time, and wake up the main receiver to receive the synchronization signal block at the fourth time, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0128] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

[0129] Based on this scheme, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device. Therefore, the modulation and / or encoding method of the first signal can be relatively simple, and the circuit requirements of the LP-WUR will also be lower. This helps to reduce the power consumption of the LP-WUR, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the terminal device.

[0130] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the terminal equipment includes N terminal devices. M monitoring opportunities are used for the N terminal devices to monitor signals. Here, N is an integer greater than 1.

[0131] Based on this scheme, N terminal devices can be woken up if no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected in M ​​monitoring opportunities, with relatively low network resource overhead.

[0132] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the time-domain location of the fourth timing is determined by the network device.

[0133] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the fourth timing event is determined by the network device, which facilitates unified management of the network device.

[0134] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the temporal location of the fourth timing is determined by the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device.

[0135] Based on this scheme, the time domain location of the fourth timing is determined by the expected configuration information reported by the terminal device, which can better meet the needs of the terminal device.

[0136] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first signal satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The first signal is a signal where all bits are 1. The modulation scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, but the scrambling sequence type is different. The modulation scheme of the first signal is the same as that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device, the scrambling sequence type is the same, but the cyclic shift is different. The encoding scheme of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device. The bit information of the first signal is different from that of the signal used to wake up the terminal device.

[0137] Based on this scheme, the first signal can be designed in a variety of ways to distinguish different indication content using limited bit information, thus having a wider range of application scenarios.

[0138] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, among the M monitoring opportunities, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M.

[0139] Based on this scheme, the needs of network devices, terminal devices, users, and other parties can be met when configuring the time domain location and / or index value of the monitoring timing.

[0140] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, M is a predefined value.

[0141] Based on this scheme, M has high definability, which is conducive to meeting the needs of different scenarios.

[0142] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the value of M is configured by the network device.

[0143] Based on this solution, M can better meet the needs of network devices.

[0144] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the terminal device is a terminal device group or a terminal device subgroup.

[0145] Based on this scheme, each terminal can be treated as an independent entity, or multiple terminals can be grouped into a terminal group or subgroup, thus achieving the goal of using fewer bits. Furthermore, by designing the terminal devices differently, this scheme can be applied to a wider range of scenarios.

[0146] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the signal used to wake up the terminal device includes identification information. The identification information can be one or more of the following: terminal device identifier, terminal device group identifier, or terminal device subgroup identifier.

[0147] Based on this scheme, terminal devices can easily determine whether the detected signal is a wake-up signal, and determine the terminal device to be woken up by the wake-up signal, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0148] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, waking up the terminal device refers to waking up the main receiver of the terminal device.

[0149] Based on this scheme, the wake-up signal can be a signal used to wake up the main receiver of the terminal device. This allows for more targeted design of the wake-up signal.

[0150] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first signal is any of the following modulation schemes: on / off keying, frequency shift keying, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), OFDM sequence, fusion of on / off keying and OFDM sequences, and fusion of frequency shift keying and OFDM sequences. OFDM sequences include one or more of the following sequences: ZC sequence, small-m sequence, m sequence, physical downlink control channel sequence, gold sequence, orthogonal phase shift keying modulation sequence, 16-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, 64-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying modulation sequence, and computer-search-based sequence.

[0151] Based on this scheme, the first signal can adopt a variety of possible modulation methods, which is beneficial to meet the needs of different scenarios and has a wider range of application scenarios.

[0152] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, including a processor. The processor is configured to perform a method according to any one of the first aspects, or a method according to any one of the second aspects, or a method according to any one of the third aspects, or a method according to any one of the fourth aspects.

[0153] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the communication device further includes a memory. A processor is coupled to the memory, which stores programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform some or all of the operations described in the first, second, third, and fourth aspects.

[0154] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used by a terminal device to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. The transceiver unit is configured to send a first signal when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

[0155] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is used to monitor one or more monitoring opportunities out of M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. The transceiver unit is used to receive a first signal. The first signal is sent by the network device when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0156] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to, when determining the wake-up of all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring times, not send signals for waking up the terminal devices during the M monitoring times. The monitoring times are used for terminal device monitoring signals. M is an integer greater than 1. The transceiver unit is configured to send synchronization signal blocks.

[0157] A ninth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to monitor M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a synchronization signal block when no signal for waking up a terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities.

[0158] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of the first aspects to be implemented, or the method of any one of the second aspects to be implemented, or the method of any one of the third aspects to be implemented, or the method of any one of the fourth aspects to be implemented.

[0159] Eleventhly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of the first aspects, or the method of any one of the second aspects, or the method of any one of the third aspects, or the method of any one of the fourth aspects to be implemented.

[0160] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a network device and a terminal device. The network device is configured to perform the method of any one of the first aspects, and the terminal device is configured to perform the method of any one of the second aspects. Alternatively, the network device is configured to perform the method of any one of the third aspects, and the terminal device is configured to perform the method of any one of the fourth aspects.

[0161] It should be understood that the fifth to twelfth aspects of this application are consistent with or correspond to the technical solutions of the first, second, third and fourth aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0162] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a low-power wake-up receiver and a main receiver provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0163] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network device transmitting a low-power synchronization signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0164] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interval between a low-power synchronization signal and a low-power wake-up signal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0165] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0166] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0167] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a monitoring timing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0168] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0169] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another monitoring timing provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0170] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0171] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a first offset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0172] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another first offset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0173] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another monitoring timing provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0174] Figure 13 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0175] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of yet another first offset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0176] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a second offset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0177] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0178] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0179] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0180] In this document, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Here, A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to represent any combination of the listed items. For example, at least one of A, B, and / or C can represent: A existing alone, B existing alone, C existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, B and C existing simultaneously, A and C existing simultaneously, and A, B, and C existing simultaneously. Here, A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0181] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order of objects. For example, "first target object" and "second target object," etc., are used to distinguish different target objects, not to describe a specific order of target objects.

[0182] In the embodiments of this application, "synchronization" can be understood as time-domain synchronization, frequency-domain synchronization, or time-domain and frequency-domain synchronization.

[0183] In the embodiments of this application, the interval between A and B, or the interval between A and B, can be understood as the interval between the start time of A and the start time of B, or the interval between the start time of A and the end time of B, or the interval between the end time of A and the end time of B.

[0184] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0185] In the description of the embodiments in this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. For example, multiple processing units means two or more processing units; multiple systems means two or more systems.

[0186] To facilitate understanding, the background of the embodiments of this application will be explained below.

[0187] The design and development of future communication networks are aimed at mobile phones and vertical use cases. Besides latency, reliability, and feasibility, UE energy efficiency is also crucial in future communication networks. In future communication networks, the power consumption of a UE in the radio resource control (RRC) idle or inactive state is approximately tens of milliwatts, while in the RRC connected state, it is approximately hundreds of milliwatts.

[0188] For UEs without continuous power sources, such as those using rechargeable batteries and single-coin batteries, energy efficiency is even more critical. For example, when sensors and actuators are deployed in vertical use cases such as monitoring, measurement, and charging, the expected or required battery life is at least several years. Furthermore, in some IoT scenarios, such as smartwatches, rings, health-related electronic devices, and wearable devices like medical monitoring equipment, the expected or required battery life is at least 1-2 weeks while maintaining performance with typical battery capacity. Given a fixed battery capacity for the UE, improving its energy efficiency can significantly reduce the pressure on battery life.

[0189] One important way to improve UE energy efficiency is to reduce UE power consumption. UE power consumption can depend on the wake-up period length configured for the UE. For example, in RRC idle state, power consumption can depend on the paging period configured for the UE. The longer the configured paging period, the longer the UE has to enter sleep state, thereby reducing power consumption. In some possible implementations, extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) can be used as the wake-up period or paging period. However, a longer period leads to higher latency, which is unsuitable for low-latency services. For example, in use cases such as fire detection and fire suppression, sensors should send a signal within 1-2 seconds of detecting a fire to promptly notify control devices or personnel to perform fire prevention operations such as closing fireproof louvers and opening fire sprinklers. If the sensor's wake-up period is set to a long eDRX period, the latency requirements cannot be met, creating significant safety hazards.

[0190] As can be seen from the above introduction, designing a UE wake-up technology with low power consumption and low latency has high application value. The following section introduces some design features implemented to reduce UE power consumption.

[0191] For UEs employing a periodic wake-up mechanism, the UE can wake up once per wake-up cycle. For example, when the periodic wake-up mechanism is a discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanism, the UE can wake up once per DRX cycle. When the UE is in a wake-up state, but there is no signaling or data service transmission during the wake-up period, the UE is in an invalid wake-up state, and the power consumption during this period accounts for the dominant part of the UE's overall power consumption.

[0192] To reduce the power consumption caused by invalid UE wake-ups, one possible approach is for the UE to be in a sleep state and to use a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR) to receive a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS).

[0193] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, "UE in sleep mode" can refer to the UE's main receiver being in sleep mode or in a powered-off state. "Wake up UE" can refer to waking up the UE's main receiver. The main receiver can be a high-power receiver in the UE, such as a receiver used to receive paging messages, a receiver with demodulation and decoding capabilities, a receiver used for data transmission and reception, a receiver used to receive SSBs, a receiver with both I / Q channels, a receiver supporting the reception of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a receiver supporting the reception of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or a receiver with uplink signal or channel transmission capabilities, etc. It should be understood that the power consumption of the main receiver is greater than that of the LP-WUR.

[0194] In some possible implementations, the receiver may also be referred to as a receiving circuit. For example, the main receiver may also be referred to as the main receiving circuit. It should be understood that the name "main receiver" may be used for distinction purposes, and its specific name does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For ease of explanation, it will be uniformly referred to as the main receiver in the following embodiments.

[0195] For the UE, due to the complex structure of the primary receiver, its reference power consumption or static power consumption during operation is relatively high. Therefore, periodically waking up the primary receiver will generate significant power consumption. Additionally, the UE also incurs significant power consumption when receiving signaling or data through the primary receiver. For example, when the UE receives paging messages, it needs to receive downlink signals through the primary receiver, perform blind detection on the PDCCH, and decode the received PDSCH, all of which contribute to substantial power consumption. It should be understood that the above description of the UE receiving paging messages is merely illustrative; for specific details, please refer to relevant protocols and standards.

[0196] It should be understood that when the UE is in a sleep state, that is, the UE sets the main receiver to a sleep state or a shutdown state, the power consumption generated by the UE's main receiver can be reduced.

[0197] LP-WUR is a very low-power circuit or chip used to receive signals with relatively simple structures. For example, a relatively simple signal can refer to a signal with simple bit information, such as a signal with all bits set to 1, or a signal with consecutive 10 bits. A relatively simple signal can also refer to a signal with a relatively simple modulation and / or encoding method; no further limitation is made here.

[0198] In some possible implementations, the signals that LP-WUR can receive or use to wake up the terminal device are, for example, signals with a simpler structure as described above, which can also be called low-power wake-up signals, LP-WUS, low-power signals, wake-up signals, etc. For example, a low-power wake-up signal can be a low-power PDCCH, a low-power PDSCH, a low-power physical downlink shared (PUSCH), a low-power physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a low-power SSB, a low-power tracking reference signal (TRS), a low-power channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a low-power positioning signal, a low-power sensing communication signal, a low-power sounding reference signal (SRS), a low-power random access channel (RACH) signal, a low-power preamble, a low-power contention resolution message, a low-power downlink control information (DCI) signal, or a low-power uplink control information (UCI) signal, etc., without limitation.

[0199] The LP-WUR and the main receiver can share a set of receiving modules, or they can each use their own set of receiving modules. The receiving module can refer to the radio frequency module and / or baseband module in the UE. It should be understood that when the LP-WUR and the main receiver share a set of receiving modules, the LP-WUR and the main receiver cannot be turned on simultaneously, or in other words, they cannot operate simultaneously, or they cannot receive data or signals simultaneously. When the LP-WUR and the main receiver each use their own set of receiving modules, the LP-WUR and the main receiver can be turned on simultaneously, or in other words, they can operate simultaneously, or they can receive data or signals simultaneously. This application does not limit these specific uses.

[0200] Referring to Figure 1, the UE can wake up the primary receiver when the LP-WUR detects an LP-WUS used to wake up the UE, thus putting the primary receiver into an on state. The UE can also set the primary receiver to a sleep state or a off state when the LP-WUR does not detect an LP-WUS used to wake up the UE. The LP-WUS used to wake up the UE can be an LP-WUS indicating the presence of a paging message, or an LP-WUS indicating the presence of data transmission, etc. For example, when the UE is in an RRC idle state or an inactive state, the LP-WUS can be used to indicate whether there is a paging message. If so, the LP-WUS used to indicate the presence of a paging message is the same LP-WUS used to wake up the UE. As another example, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the LP-WUS can be used to indicate whether there is paging data transmission. If so, the LP-WUS used to indicate the presence of data transmission is the same LP-WUS used to wake up the UE.

[0201] In other words, the UE can enable the LP-WUR monitoring signal and set the main receiver to sleep or off state. This reduces the power consumption of the UE's main receiver caused by invalid wake-ups, while also enabling the UE to wake up the main receiver in a timely manner to receive signals or data.

[0202] In addition to promptly waking the UE upon receiving a signal for UE wake-up, LP-WUR can also periodically synchronize the UE with network devices to ensure the synchronization performance of the UE when receiving other signals or channels. When the UE's master receiver is on, the UE can complete synchronization by receiving SSBs periodically sent by the network device, which results in significant power consumption. However, when the UE's master receiver is in sleep or off state, synchronization between the UE and network devices is difficult to achieve.

[0203] To achieve synchronization between the UE and network devices with low power consumption, an LP-SS that the LP-WUR can receive can be designed. As shown in Figure 2, the network device can periodically send this LP-SS with a period of T. In this way, the LP-WUR can achieve synchronization with the network device by periodically receiving this LP-SS.

[0204] In the embodiments of this application, LP-SS can also be referred to as a low-power synchronization signal or a synchronization signal, and its period can be greater than that of SSB. For example, if the period of SSB is 20ms, the period of LP-SS can be 320ms, 640ms, 1280ms, 80ms, or 160ms, etc., and is not limited here.

[0205] In some possible implementations, LP-SS can be a low-power SSB, or a low-power PBCH, or a low-power PDCCH, or a low-power PDSCH, or a low-power PUSCH, or a low-power PUCCH, or a low-power TRS, or a low-power CSI-RS, or a low-power positioning signal, or a low-power sensing communication signal, or a low-power SRS, or a low-power random access channel RACH signal, or a low-power preamble, or a low-power contention resolution message, or a low-power DCI signal, or a low-power UCI signal.

[0206] In other possible implementations, the modulation scheme of LP-SS can be a fusion of one or more of the following: on-off keying (OOK), frequency shift keying (FSK), orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), or an OFDM sequence. For example, multiple fused modulation schemes can be a fusion of OOK and OFDM, or a fusion of FSK and OFDM. For instance, OOK modulation involves transmitting signals in some symbols and not in others. A fusion scheme of OOK and OFDM can involve scrambling or superimposing OFDM sequences on the symbols transmitting signals in OOK. The OFDM sequence can be one or more of the following: zc sequence, small m sequence, m sequence, PDCCH sequence, gold sequence, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation sequence, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) sequence, 64QAM modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation sequence, computer search-based sequence, etc.

[0207] Furthermore, the waveform modulation technique of LP-SS can be consistent with that of LP-WUS. Alternatively, LP-SS and LP-WUS can use the same signal generation method. Or, LP-SS and LP-WUS can use the same information carrying method. For example, the generated waveforms of LP-SS and LP-WUS are both based on OOK modulation, with a sequence superimposed on the ON symbol.

[0208] The above methods, LP-WUR, LP-WUS, and LP-SS, enable low-power, low-latency UE wake-up and synchronization. However, LP-WUS and LP-SS can use the same signal generation or information carrying methods. This means that UE synchronization and / or measurement can also be achieved based on LP-WUS. Therefore, sending LP-SS on top of sending LP-WUS results in wasted network resources. Correspondingly, receiving LP-SS on top of receiving LP-WUS incurs power consumption for the terminal device.

[0209] Additionally, the interval T1 between LP-WUS and LP-SS also incurs extra power consumption for the UE. For example, when T1 is long, to reduce the power consumption of LP-WUR, the UE can put LP-WUR into sleep mode at the beginning of T1 and wake it up at the end of T1, but this will still incur some power consumption. Alternatively, when T1 is short, LP-WUR can remain awake throughout T1, which will also incur some power consumption.

[0210] In the embodiments of this application, the interval T1 between LP-WUS and LP-SS can refer to the interval between the end position of the previous LP-SS and the start position of the next LP-WUS; or, T1 can refer to the interval between the start position of the previous LP-SS and the start position of the next LP-WUS; or, T1 can refer to the interval between the start position of the previous LP-SS and the end position of the next LP-WUS.

[0211] For example, taking T1 as the interval between the end position of the previous LP-SS and the start position of the next LP-WUS, T1 can be as shown in Figure 3. As can be seen from Figure 3, the UE periodically receives LP-SS and LP-WUS. The interval T1 between LP-SS and LP-WUS can be the interval between the end time of LP-SS and the start time of LP-WUS within the same period.

[0212] In some possible implementations, LP-WUS can be used for end-device synchronization and / or measurement.

[0213] If a UE performs synchronization and / or measurement via LP-WUS, since LP-WUS can be sent by the network device when waking up the UE, if the network device does not wake up a UE for an extended period, the UE may be unable to complete synchronization for a considerable time. When the time or frequency offset reaches a certain level, the UE's performance in detecting LP-WUS may degrade, and it may also be unable to enter the RRC connected state for an extended period, severely impacting the user experience.

[0214] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a communication method that enables low-latency UE wake-up, synchronization, and measurement functions. Furthermore, it reduces network device resource overhead or lowers terminal device power consumption.

[0215] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, NR systems, and other fifth-generation (5G) systems, or future evolutionary communication systems (e.g., 6G mobile communication systems), Long Term Evolution-V (LTE-V) technology for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), Long Term Evolution-M (LTE-M) technology for machine-to-machine (M2X) communication, and machine-to-machine (M2X) communication. Vehicle-to-machine (M2M) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) are examples of this. V2X can include vehicle-to-network (V2N), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P).

[0216] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system includes a core network device 401, a network device 402, and at least one terminal device 403. The terminal device 403 is connected to the network device 402 wirelessly. The network device 402 is connected to the core network device 401 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network device 401 and the network device 402 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the functions of the core network device 401 and the network device 402, or they can be a physical device integrating some functions of the core network device 401 and some functions of the network device 402. The terminal device 403 can be fixed in position or movable.

[0217] Network device 402 is an access device through which terminal device 403 wirelessly accesses the communication system. For example, network device 402 can be a radio access network (RAN) node that connects terminal devices to the wireless network. Network equipment 402 includes, but is not limited to, various types of base stations, such as next-generation node B (gNodeB, gNB), evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved Node B (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), base stations in 5G communication systems, base stations in future communication systems, etc. It can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted equipment, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, transmission points (TP), or transmission and reception points (TRP), etc. It can also be one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station, or it can be a network node constituting a base station, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. Among these, base stations can be macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, or balloon stations, etc. It is understood that all or part of the functions of the network device 402 in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the network device 402.

[0218] Terminal device 403 can be the UE in the above embodiments, and can be referred to as terminal, UE, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. For ease of explanation, it will be referred to as terminal device below.

[0219] Terminal device 403 is a device that includes wireless communication capabilities (providing voice / data connectivity to the user). For example, a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. The terminal device 403 in the embodiments of this application can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, train, airplane, mobile internet device (MID), virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control (e.g., robot), wireless terminal in vehicle networking (e.g., in-vehicle equipment, vehicle equipment, in-vehicle module, vehicle), cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wired communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, wearable device, terminal in 5G network or terminal in future evolved network, etc. Furthermore, the terminal device 403 can also be used in self-driving, telemedicine, smart grid, transportation safety, smart city, and smart city applications. In scenarios such as cities and smart homes, it is understood that all or part of the functions of the terminal device 403 in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0220] Network device 402 and terminal device 403 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of network device 402 and terminal device 403.

[0221] In the communication system shown in Figure 4, terminal device 403 can send uplink data / signals / information to network device 402, and network device 402 can send downlink data / signals / information to terminal device 403. The communication method provided in this application embodiment may also involve devices or transmission nodes not shown in Figure 4, but this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0222] The embodiments of this application can be applied to downlink signal transmission, uplink signal transmission, and device-to-device (D2D) signal transmission. For downlink signal transmission, the transmitting device is network device 402, and the corresponding receiving device is terminal device 403. For uplink signal transmission, the transmitting device is terminal device 403, and the corresponding receiving device is network device 402. For D2D signal transmission, the transmitting device is terminal device 403, and the corresponding receiving device is also terminal device 403. The embodiments of this application do not limit the direction of signal transmission.

[0223] Communication between network device 402 and terminal device 403, as well as between terminal devices 403 themselves, can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication between network device 402 and terminal device 403, as well as between terminal devices 403 themselves, 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 between network device 402 and terminal device 403.

[0224] It should be understood that Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system in an embodiment of this application. The communication system may also include more devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of core network devices, network devices, and terminal devices included in the communication system.

[0225] The application background, the technical problems to be solved, and the communication system of the embodiments of this application have been described above. Based on the above description, the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0226] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device; there is no limitation on which. For ease of description, the following explanation uses execution by a network device as an example. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include the following steps.

[0227] S501. Determine M monitoring opportunities.

[0228] The monitoring timing, also known as the monitoring window, is used by the terminal device to monitor signals, or more specifically, for the terminal device to monitor signals using LP-WUR. In some possible implementations, the LP-WUR can be an envelope monitoring receiver and / or a correlation monitoring receiver. A correlation monitoring receiver can be understood as a receiver with correlation monitoring capabilities, such as a receiver supporting sequence detection, a receiver with phase detection capabilities, a receiver with both I / Q channels, a receiver capable of detecting phase information, or a receiver architecture that implements phase detection. In other possible implementations, the LP-WUR can also refer to a receiver that can achieve synchronization and / or measurement functions by receiving secondary synchronization signals (SSS) or monitoring SSS, or a receiver supporting OFDM. Synchronization can include one or more of the following: downlink symbol synchronization, frame synchronization, time synchronization, and frequency synchronization. Measurement can refer to measuring the radio frequency parameters of the signal or channel, such as power. Further details will not be elaborated upon hereafter.

[0229] In some possible implementations, the LP-WUR may include a first-type receiver and / or a second-type receiver. The first-type receiver may be an OFDM receiver, and the second-type receiver may be an OOK receiver. Alternatively, the first-type receiver may be an OOK receiver, and the second-type receiver may be an OFDM receiver. Alternatively, the first-type receiver may have two I / Q channels (i.e., two branches), and the second-type receiver may have one channel (i.e., one branch). Alternatively, the first-type receiver may have one channel (i.e., one branch), and the second-type receiver may have two I / Q channels (i.e., two branches). Alternatively, the first-type receiver may be a coherent receiver, and the second-type receiver may be a non-coherent receiver. Alternatively, the first-type receiver may be a non-coherent receiver, and the second-type receiver may be a coherent receiver. Alternatively, the first-type receiver may be a coherent receiver with two I / Q channels, and the second-type receiver may be a non-coherent receiver without two I / Q channels. Alternatively, the first type of receiver is an incoherent receiver without I / Q channels, and the second type of receiver is a coherent receiver with I / Q channels. Alternatively, the first type of receiver can receive complex signals, while the second type of receiver cannot (e.g., the second type of receiver receives real signals). Alternatively, the first type of receiver cannot receive complex signals (e.g., the first type of receiver receives real signals), while the second type of receiver can receive complex signals. Alternatively, the first type of receiver receives signals using energy detection, while the second type of receiver can receive signals in multiple ways. Alternatively, the first type of receiver can receive signals in multiple ways, while the second type of receiver receives signals using energy detection. Alternatively, the first type of receiver can receive OFDM signals, while the second type of receiver cannot (e.g., the second type of receiver receives OOK signals). Alternatively, the first type of receiver cannot receive OFDM signals (e.g., the first type of receiver receives OOK signals), while the second type of receiver can receive OFDM signals. It should be understood that this is an illustrative description and does not imply that this application is limited thereto.

[0230] In addition, the receivers in the embodiments of this application, such as the main receiver and LP-WUR mentioned above, can be understood as receiver architectures or receiver modules, and are not limited here.

[0231] It should be understood that the monitoring timing is a parameter configured for the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the monitoring timing of the terminal device, and the monitoring timing corresponding to the terminal device, can both be understood as the monitoring timing configured for the terminal device. In some possible implementations, the monitoring timing of the terminal device can be configured by the network device, or by the terminal device itself or other terminal devices based on the terminal device's own identity information, or by the network device or itself or other terminal devices based on pre-set rules. For example, one possible pre-set rule is to configure the temporal position order and index value order of the monitoring timing of each terminal device according to the order in which each terminal device accesses the network device. Another possible way to configure the monitoring timing based on the identity is to map the identity of all terminal devices accessing the network device to a different set of numbers, and configure the temporal position order and index value order of the monitoring timing of each terminal device according to the order of the numbers. It should be understood that this is an illustrative example, and the pre-set rules can also be other rules, and the way to configure the monitoring timing based on the identity can also be other ways, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0232] The timing of monitoring can correspond to a period of time or a single moment in the time domain; this application does not limit this.

[0233] In some possible implementations, the terminal device can wake up the LP-WUR monitoring signal during the monitoring period. Outside of the monitoring period, the terminal device can set the LP-WUR to sleep or off state. This helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0234] In this embodiment, M is an integer greater than 1. The M monitoring opportunities determined by the network device can all be monitoring opportunities for a single terminal device, or they can be monitoring opportunities for two or more terminal devices. In other words, the M monitoring opportunities determined by the network device can be monitoring opportunities configured for a single terminal device, or they can be monitoring opportunities configured for two or more terminal devices.

[0235] When the aforementioned M monitoring opportunities are configured for two or more terminal devices, any one of these two or more terminal devices can correspond to one monitoring opportunity or two or more monitoring opportunities. Any one of the M monitoring opportunities can correspond to one terminal device or two or more terminal devices. This application's embodiments do not impose any limitations on this.

[0236] The value of M can be predefined by the network device or the terminal device, or it can be configured by the network device itself, or it can be determined by the network device based on user input, or it can be determined by the network device based on the value uploaded by the terminal device. There are no restrictions here.

[0237] In some possible implementations, of the M monitoring opportunities mentioned above, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. Here, X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M. For example, the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of all M monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device; another example is that the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of all M monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules; yet another example is that the time-domain position and / or index value of one monitoring opportunity is configured by the network device, and the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of the remaining M-1 monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules. Yet another example is that a terminal device configures the time-domain position and / or index value of a certain monitoring opportunity based on the identity of a certain terminal device, and then the terminal device or network device configures the time-domain positions and / or index values ​​of the remaining M-1 monitoring opportunities based on pre-set rules.

[0238] For an explanation of configuring monitoring timings based on identity identifiers and pre-set rules, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments. In some other possible implementations, when the time-domain location of one monitoring timing is already determined, configuring the time-domain locations of the remaining M-1 monitoring timings based on pre-set rules can be done by adding an offset to the determined time-domain location, repeating this process M-1 times to obtain M-1 time-domain locations. These M-1 time-domain locations can then be used as the time-domain locations for the remaining M-1 monitoring timings. Similarly, when the index value of one monitoring timing is already determined, configuring the index values ​​of the remaining M-1 monitoring timings based on pre-set rules can be done by adding a numerical value (e.g., 1) to the determined time-domain location, repeating this process M-1 times to obtain M-1 index values. These M-1 index values ​​can then be used as the index values ​​for the remaining M-1 monitoring timings.

[0239] During the aforementioned M monitoring opportunities, the network device may send a signal to wake up a terminal device, or to wake up any terminal device in a terminal device group, or to wake up any terminal device in a terminal device subgroup. Alternatively, it may not send a signal to wake up a terminal device, or to wake up any terminal device in a terminal device group, or to wake up any terminal device in a terminal device subgroup. For ease of explanation, in the following embodiments, "terminal device" refers to any terminal device, terminal device group, or terminal device subgroup in general, and will not be elaborated further.

[0240] The signal used to wake up a terminal device can also be called an LP-WUS with an identifier, a low-power wake-up signal with an identifier, a low-power signal with an identifier, or a wake-up signal with an identifier, etc., and these descriptions can be used interchangeably. The identifier can also be called identification information, referring to the identity of the terminal device, the identity of a group of terminal devices, or the identity of a subgroup of terminal devices.

[0241] In some possible implementations, the signal used to wake up the terminal device can also be used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement. In other words, upon receiving the signal used to wake up the terminal device (referred to as the wake-up signal), the terminal device can also complete synchronization and / or measurement through the wake-up signal; this application does not limit this aspect.

[0242] The network device determines M monitoring opportunities, which can also be expressed as the network device determining the signals to be transmitted during the M monitoring opportunities, or as the network device determining the signals to be transmitted during the M monitoring opportunities. In some possible implementations, the network device stores the signals to be transmitted during the M monitoring opportunities, and therefore can directly obtain the signals to be transmitted during those M monitoring opportunities. In other possible implementations, the network device stores the time-domain positions of the signals to be transmitted. The network device can first determine the time-domain positions of the M monitoring opportunities, and then determine the signals to be transmitted during the M monitoring opportunities based on the time-domain positions of the M monitoring opportunities and the time-domain positions of the signals to be transmitted. Based on the above explanation, it should be understood that the M monitoring opportunities may not contain any signals to be transmitted, or they may include signals used to wake up terminal devices.

[0243] S502. When there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities, send the first signal.

[0244] The first signal is used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement. In the embodiments of this application, the first signal may also be referred to as a specific low-power signal, or a specific LP-WUS, or LP-WUS, or a specific low-power wake-up signal, or a specific low-power signal, or a burst synchronization signal, or a low-power synchronization signal, or a synchronization signal, etc.

[0245] In some possible implementations, the first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device. When "terminal device" refers generally to a terminal device, a group of terminal devices, or a subgroup of terminal devices, the above statement can also mean that the first signal is not used to wake up any single terminal device, or any terminal device in a terminal device group, or any terminal device in a terminal device subgroup. In this way, the structure of the first signal can be set to be simpler, thereby reducing the circuit requirements for the LP-WUR and reducing the power consumption of the LP-WUR.

[0246] In some possible implementations, the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device are not exactly the same. For example, the first signal can be a signal where all bits are 1. Another example is that the modulation scheme of the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device can be different. Yet another example is that the modulation scheme of the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device can be the same, but the scrambling sequence type can be different. Yet another example is that the modulation scheme of the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device can be the same, the scrambling sequence type can be the same, but the cyclic shift can be different. Yet another example is that the encoding scheme of the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device can be different. And yet another example is that the bit information of the first signal and the signal used to wake up the terminal device can be different.

[0247] In some possible implementations, the first signal can reuse an existing SSB, an existing SSS, an existing PSS+SSS, an existing PBCH+SSS, or an existing PSS+PBCH. The first signal can be an LP-SS or a redefined signal. For example, the first signal can be based on zc sequence modulation, m-sequence modulation, gold sequence modulation, binary sequence modulation, computer-searched sequence modulation, OOK modulation, FSK modulation, OFDM modulation, OOK modulation with zc sequence superimposed / scrambled on the ON symbol, OOK modulation with m-sequence superimposed / scrambled on the ON symbol, or OOK modulation with gold sequence superimposed / scrambled on the ON symbol, etc. It should be understood that this is an illustrative example and does not imply that this application is limited to these embodiments.

[0248] It should be understood that the network device may send the first signal during one of the M monitoring times, or at a time other than the M monitoring times, without limitation.

[0249] S502 describes the steps performed in this application embodiment when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. In some possible implementations, when there is signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities, the network device may not send the first signal. For example, when there is signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities, the network device may send the signal for waking up the terminal device but not send the first signal. This can reduce network resource overhead.

[0250] The application of the communication method provided in this application embodiment on a network device has been described above. The application of this application embodiment on a terminal device is described below. On the terminal device side, the terminal device can monitor one or more of M monitoring opportunities. As described in the foregoing embodiments, these M monitoring opportunities can be the monitoring opportunities of the terminal device itself (generally referring to the terminal device, terminal device subgroup, or terminal device group), or they can be the monitoring opportunities of other terminal devices (generally referring to the terminal device, terminal device subgroup, or terminal device group). For example, as shown in FIG6, M is 3, and the three monitoring opportunities are MO#0, MO#1, and MO#2, respectively. MO#0 is the monitoring opportunity of terminal device subgroup 0, MO#1 is the monitoring opportunity of terminal device subgroup 1, and MO#2 is the monitoring opportunity of terminal device subgroup 2. Terminal device K belongs to terminal device subgroup 0. In related technologies, terminal device K only monitors MO#0. However, in the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the terminal device monitors MO#0, MO#1, and MO#2.

[0251] As described in the foregoing embodiments, a network device applying the communication method provided in this application may send a signal to wake up the terminal device during the M monitoring periods, or it may send a first signal when no signal to wake up the terminal device is transmitted during the M monitoring periods. The signal to wake up the terminal device can also be referred to as a low-power wake-up signal carrying identification information. The identification information can be the identity identifier of the terminal device (generally referring to a terminal device, a subgroup of terminal devices, or a group of terminal devices), used to indicate the terminal device to be woken up.

[0252] Correspondingly, when a terminal device detects a low-power wake-up signal carrying identification information, it can use the low-power wake-up signal carrying identification information for synchronization and / or measurement, regardless of whether the identification information is its own identification information.

[0253] For example, if the identification information detected by the terminal device is its own identification information, the terminal device can use the low-power wake-up signal carrying the identification information for synchronization and / or measurement. Additionally, if the terminal device is in an RRC idle state or inactive state, it can wake up the master receiver to monitor the permanent equipment identifier (PEI), or wake up the master receiver to receive paging messages, or wake up the master receiver to enter a random access procedure, etc. If the terminal device is in an RRC connected state, it can wake up the master receiver to monitor the PDCCH.

[0254] If the identification information detected by the terminal device is not its own identification information, the terminal device can use the low-power wake-up signal carrying the identification information for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0255] In some possible implementations, the terminal device can locally store its own identification information and the bit information of the first signal. When the terminal device detects a signal (referred to as a monitoring signal), it can perform correlation processing, such as correlation analysis, between its own identification information and the monitoring signal. If the correlation value between its own identification information and the monitoring signal is higher than a preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is a low-power wake-up signal carrying its own identification information. If the correlation value is lower than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal does not carry its own identification information. The terminal device can continue to perform correlation processing between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal. If the correlation value between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal is higher than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is the first signal. If the correlation value between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal is lower than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is not the first signal. It should be understood that the above process can also be to first perform correlation processing between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal, and then perform correlation processing between its own identification information and the monitoring signal; this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0256] In other possible implementations, the terminal device may also locally store the identification information of all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring times, as well as the bit information of the first signal. When the terminal device detects a signal, it can perform correlation processing, such as correlation analysis, between the locally stored identification information and the monitoring signal. If the correlation value between the locally stored identification information and the monitoring signal is higher than a preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is a low-power wake-up signal carrying identification information. If the correlation value is lower than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal does not carry identification information. The terminal device can continue to perform correlation processing between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal. If the correlation value between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal is higher than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is the first signal. If the correlation value between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal is lower than the preset threshold, the terminal device can determine that the monitoring signal is not the first signal. It should be understood that the above process can also be to first perform correlation processing between the bit information of the first signal and the monitoring signal, and then perform correlation processing between the locally stored identification information and the monitoring signal; this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0257] The communication method provided in this application embodiment has been described above from the perspectives of both network devices and terminal devices. From the perspective of a communication system (including network devices and terminal devices), the communication method provided in this application embodiment can also be described as follows: When no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device occurs during M monitoring periods, the network device sends a first signal. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device. When the terminal device detects the first signal, it uses the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement. Alternatively, it can be described as follows: When no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device occurs during M monitoring periods, the network device sends a low-power signal for synchronization and / or measurement. The terminal device monitors the low-power signal for synchronization and / or measurement. When the terminal device detects the low-power signal for synchronization and / or measurement, it can use the low-power signal for synchronization and / or measurement for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0258] As can be seen from the above description, in the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the network device can send a signal to wake up the terminal device (referred to as a wake-up signal) during the M monitoring opportunities, or it can send a first signal when no wake-up signal is transmitted during the M monitoring opportunities. When the network device sends a wake-up signal during the M monitoring opportunities, the terminal device can use the wake-up signal to complete synchronization and / or measurement. When the network device sends the first signal, the terminal device can use the first signal to complete synchronization and / or measurement. Thus, the network device can achieve synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device by sending either the wake-up signal or the first signal, which has high efficiency and helps to save network resources. The terminal device can achieve synchronization and / or measurement by using either the wake-up signal or the first signal, with low power consumption and low latency.

[0259] The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented in various ways. Some possible implementations are provided below.

[0260] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the method may include the following steps.

[0261] S701. When the network device does not transmit a signal for waking up the terminal device during M monitoring opportunities, it sends a first signal at the first opportunity.

[0262] The first timing opportunity is one of the M monitoring timing opportunities. In other words, if the network device determines that there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device among the M monitoring timing opportunities, it can send the first signal at one of the M monitoring timing opportunities. This is easier to configure, has lower implementation costs, and helps save the time domain resources of the network device.

[0263] The temporal location of the first opportunity can be configured by the network device, or it can be determined by the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device. In some possible implementations, the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device can refer to UE assistance information (UCI).

[0264] In some possible implementations, in the time domain, the first monitoring opportunity can be the first of the aforementioned M monitoring opportunities. Thus, if no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device occurs in any of the M monitoring opportunities, the network device can send the first signal at the first of the existing M monitoring opportunities. Correspondingly, the terminal device can detect the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement at the first of the M monitoring opportunities, thereby completing synchronization and / or measurement faster. Furthermore, when the terminal device receives the first signal at the first of the M monitoring opportunities, it can stop monitoring subsequent monitoring opportunities, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0265] In some other possible implementations, in the time domain, the first timing point can be the last of the aforementioned M monitoring timing points. Thus, if no wake-up signal is transmitted during any of the M monitoring timing points, the network device can send a first signal for synchronization and / or measurement during the last of the M monitoring timing points. This ensures that if the terminal device fails to synchronize and / or measure during the first M-1 monitoring timing points, it can promptly complete synchronization and / or measurement using the first signal sent by the network device during the last of the M monitoring timing points, thereby guaranteeing the stability of the terminal device's synchronization and / or measurement.

[0266] In some other possible implementations, the first timing is a shared monitoring timing among the S groups of monitoring timings. Here, S is an integer greater than 1, and the aforementioned M monitoring timings constitute a set of monitoring timings within the S groups. In other words, the S groups of monitoring timings can share a single first timing. It should be understood that whether a first signal is transmitted within the S groups of monitoring timings may depend on whether a signal transmission for waking up the terminal device is transmitted within that S groups of monitoring timings.

[0267] In the aforementioned S groups of monitoring opportunities, the number of monitoring opportunities in each group may be the same or different, and this application does not limit this. For example, each group of monitoring opportunities in the S groups includes M1 monitoring opportunities, M2 monitoring opportunities, ..., M... s There are M1 monitoring opportunities. The first monitoring opportunity can be any M1 monitoring opportunity, M2 monitoring opportunity, ..., M... sThe first monitoring time is a common monitoring time among the monitoring times. For example, as shown in Figure 8, S is 3, and M is also 3. The first set of monitoring times are MO#0, MO#1, and MO#2; the second set is MO#1, MO#2, and MO#3; and the third set is MO#2, MO#3, and MO#4. Therefore, the first monitoring time can be the common monitoring time among the first, second, and third sets, i.e., MO#2. It should be understood that in this implementation, the network device can send a first signal at the first monitoring time, thereby achieving synchronization and / or measurement of all terminal devices corresponding to the S sets of monitoring times. This further reduces network resource overhead. S can be configured by the base station or can be a predefined value; this is not limited here.

[0268] It should be understood that the above description of the time domain location of the first timing opportunity is merely illustrative. The first timing opportunity can be any one of the M monitoring timing opportunities. Taking Figure 6 as an example, the first timing opportunity can be MO#0, MO#1, or MO#2. That is to say, the network device can send the first signal at any time or time period in MO#0, at any time or time period in MO#1, or at any time or time period in MO#2. No limitations are imposed here.

[0269] S702. When the terminal device detects the first signal at the first opportune moment, it uses the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0270] It should be understood that when the terminal device detects a signal (referred to as a monitoring signal) during any of the M monitoring opportunities excluding the first monitoring opportunity, it can perform correlation processing between the monitoring signal and the locally stored identification information. When the terminal device detects a signal during the first monitoring opportunity, it can perform correlation processing between the monitoring signal and the locally stored identification information; if the correlation value is lower than a preset threshold, it will then perform correlation processing between the monitoring signal and the bit information of the first signal stored locally. For details, please refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0271] The process of the terminal device using the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement can also refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0272] Based on the above explanation, it can be seen that in the implementation shown in Figure 7, the network device sends the first signal during the existing M monitoring opportunities, and the terminal device receives the first signal during the existing M monitoring opportunities. This is relatively easy to configure, has low implementation cost, and helps save the time domain resources of the network device. In addition, the terminal device can be woken up when receiving LP-WUS, and can achieve synchronization and / or measurement through the first signal at other times. This helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device and achieve energy saving.

[0273] The following is another possible implementation example. Please refer to Figure 9, which is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the following steps.

[0274] S901. If the network device does not transmit a signal for waking up the terminal device during M monitoring periods, it sends a first signal during the second monitoring period.

[0275] In the time domain, the second timing can occur after the M monitoring timings. That is, if the network device determines that there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring timings, it can send the first signal at a timing after the M monitoring timings.

[0276] The time domain location of the second opportunity can be configured by the network device, or the time domain location of the first opportunity can be determined by the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device.

[0277] In this embodiment, the interval between the second timing point and the M monitoring timing points can be referred to as the first offset (or simply offset). Exemplarily, the first offset can refer to the time-domain distance between the second timing point and any of the M monitoring timing points. For example, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the second timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the start position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the second timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the end position of the second timing point; the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the second timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the start position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the second timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the end position of the second timing point.

[0278] For example, if the first offset is the interval between the end position of the last monitoring time in M ​​monitoring time slots and the start position of the second time slot, then the first offset can be as shown in Figure 10.

[0279] For example, if the first offset is the interval between the end position of the last monitoring time and the end position of the second time among M monitoring time points, then the first offset can be as shown in Figure 11.

[0280] It should be understood that the above is merely an illustrative example. The first offset can also refer to the time-domain distance between other times among the M monitoring opportunities and the second opportunity, without specific limitation here. Furthermore, it should be understood that although the value of the first offset may differ under different definitions, the time-domain location of the second opportunity corresponding to different values ​​of the first offset can be the same under different definitions.

[0281] This first offset can be configured by the network device or the terminal device, or it can be predefined by the network device or the terminal device. In some possible implementations, the terminal device is the UE. When the UE is in RRC connected state, it can determine the first offset based on service latency requirements. For example, the UE can report the desired first offset to the network device through UE capabilities or through UCI when the primary receiver is enabled.

[0282] It should be understood that the first offset should be less than the upper limit of the clock synchronization performance of the terminal device. In other words, when configuring the second timing, the time interval between the second timing and the M monitoring timings should be less than the upper limit of the clock synchronization performance of the terminal device. This ensures the synchronization performance of the terminal device and avoids synchronization problems caused by excessive time or frequency offsets.

[0283] In some possible implementations, the second timing can be a monitoring timing following a K-group (cluster) monitoring timing. Here, K is an integer greater than 1, and the aforementioned M monitoring timings can be a set of monitoring timings within the K-group monitoring timings. In other words, terminal devices corresponding to the K-group monitoring timings can share a single second timing. It should be understood that whether there is a first signal transmission within the K-group monitoring timing depends on whether there is a signal transmission for waking up the terminal device within that K-group monitoring timing.

[0284] In the aforementioned K groups of monitoring opportunities, the number of monitoring opportunities in each group may be the same or different, and this application does not impose any limitation on this. For example, each group of monitoring opportunities in the K groups includes M1 monitoring opportunities, M2 monitoring opportunities, ..., M... k There are M1 monitoring opportunities. The second opportunity can be any M1 monitoring opportunity, M2 monitoring opportunity, ..., M... kThe second monitoring opportunity is a monitoring opportunity following a monitoring opportunity. For example, as shown in Figure 12, K is 2 and M is 3. The first group of monitoring opportunities (cluster#0) are MO#0, MO#1, and MO#2; the second group of monitoring opportunities (cluster#1) are MO#3, MO#4, and MO#5. Therefore, the second opportunity can be a monitoring opportunity following cluster#0 and cluster#1. It should be understood that in this implementation, the network device can send a first signal at the second opportunity to achieve synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal devices corresponding to the K groups of monitoring opportunities. This further reduces network resource overhead. K can be configured by the base station or a predefined value, which is not limited here. It should be understood that defining M*K in this implementation as a new M, this implementation is the scheme in the above embodiment where the second opportunity is after M monitoring opportunities, which will not be elaborated here.

[0285] In the example of the K sets of monitoring times described above, the first offset (or simply offset) can refer to the time-domain distance between the second time point and any time point in the K sets of monitoring times. For example, the first offset could be the time-domain distance between the second time point and the start time of the last set of monitoring times in the K sets; or, the first offset could be the time-domain distance between the second time point and the start time of the first set of monitoring times in the K sets; or, the first offset could be the time-domain distance between the second time point and the end time of the last set of monitoring times in the K sets; or, the first offset could be the time-domain distance between the second time point and the end time of the first set of monitoring times in the K sets. It should be understood that although the value of the first offset may differ under different definitions, the time-domain position of the second time point corresponding to different values ​​of the first offset can be the same under different definitions.

[0286] Optionally, if the first offset refers to the time domain distance between the second timing point and the end time of the last monitoring timing point among the above K groups of monitoring timing points, then the time domain distance Offset(i) between the i-th monitoring timing point and the second timing point can be calculated by the following formula (1). Offset(i) = offset + (i - ClusterIndex - 1) * LengthPerCluster Formula (1).

[0287] Among them, LengthPerCluster can be the length of at least one set of monitoring time, ClusterIndex is the quotient of SFN (system frame number) and m, where m is the number of SFN occupied by a set of monitoring time, and SFN can be replaced with other time units.

[0288] In this application embodiment, the time unit may include: hour (h), minute (min), second (s), millisecond (ms), symbol, OFDM symbol, time slot, miniature (mini) time slot, system frame or system subframe, etc. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0289] S902. When the terminal device detects the first signal at the second opportune moment, it uses the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0290] The process of the terminal device using the first signal for synchronization and / or measurement can also refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0291] Based on the above explanation, it can be seen that in the implementation shown in Figure 9, the network device sends the first signal when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. This enables synchronization and / or measurement of all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring opportunities. Thus, the efficiency of synchronization and / or measurement is high, which helps save network resources. Furthermore, since the second opportunity is independent of the M monitoring opportunities, the configuration of the second opportunity can be implemented based on the transmission requirements of the first signal, resulting in good scalability. In addition, the terminal device can be woken up when receiving LP-WUS, and synchronization and / or measurement can be achieved through the first signal at other times. This helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device, achieving energy saving.

[0292] In some possible implementations, the communication method provided in this application embodiment may further include the steps shown in FIG13. As shown in FIG13, the communication method includes the following steps.

[0293] S1301, The network device sends a second signal.

[0294] The second signal is used to instruct the terminal device to monitor the signal at the third opportune moment. For example, the second signal may include information such as the index value of the third opportune moment and the time domain location.

[0295] S1302, The terminal device receives the second signal.

[0296] S1303, The network device sends a third signal at the third opportune moment.

[0297] The third signal is used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement. For an explanation of the third signal, please refer to the explanation of the first signal. For an explanation of the configuration method for the third timing, please refer to the configuration methods for the first and second timings; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0298] S1304, The terminal device receives the third signal at the third opportune moment.

[0299] S1305. The terminal equipment uses a third signal for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0300] In the implementation shown in Figure 13, under services with stringent latency requirements, the network device can send a second signal to instruct the terminal device to monitor the signal at a third opportune time. At the third opportune time, the network device can send a third signal for synchronization and / or measurement. This third opportune time can be after the terminal device's own monitoring opportune time. When the terminal device receives the third signal at the third opportune time, it can use the third signal for synchronization and / or measurement. This allows the terminal device to achieve synchronization and / or measurement more quickly, thereby reducing the latency between the terminal device and the network device.

[0301] In some possible implementations, for the communication method shown in Figure 7, the network device may, when determining that it needs to wake up all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times, not send a signal for waking up the terminal devices during the M monitoring times, but instead directly send a synchronization signal block. For example, the network device may determine that it needs to wake up all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times when it receives a request to do so. The network device may also determine that it needs to wake up all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times when a service instruction to wake up the M monitoring times applies. It should be understood that this is an illustrative example and does not imply that this application is limited thereto.

[0302] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive synchronization signal blocks. For example, if the terminal device fails to detect a signal for waking up during M monitoring periods, it can activate the main receiver to receive the SSB. In this way, the network device can efficiently wake up all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring periods with minimal resource overhead.

[0303] Optionally, the network device may send the SSB at a fourth timing point. The fourth timing point is the timing point following M monitoring timing points. In this embodiment, the interval between the fourth timing point and the M monitoring timing points can be referred to as the first offset. For example, the first offset can refer to the time domain distance between the fourth timing point and any of the aforementioned M monitoring timing points. For instance, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the start position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the last monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the end position of the fourth timing point; the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the start position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the first offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the first monitoring timing point in the M monitoring timing points and the end position of the fourth timing point.

[0304] For example, if the first offset is the interval between the end position of the last monitoring time in M ​​monitoring time slots and the start position of the second time slot, then the first offset can be as shown in Figure 14.

[0305] The configuration method for the fourth timing can be referenced from the configuration methods for the first or second timing, and will not be elaborated here.

[0306] In other possible implementations, for the communication method shown in Figure 7, the network device may, upon determining that all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times need to be woken up, neither send a signal for waking up the terminal devices nor send the first signal during the M monitoring times, but instead send an SSB at the fourth monitoring time. Correspondingly, the terminal devices can turn on their main receivers to receive the SSB at the fourth monitoring time. For example, the terminal devices can turn on their main receivers to receive the SSB if no signal for waking up the terminal devices is detected during the M monitoring times. When the network device is a base station and the terminal devices are UEs, this implementation can also be described as follows: if the base station needs to wake up all UEs, the base station does not send LP-WUS, including the characteristic LP-WUS (i.e., the first signal), at any of the M monitoring times. The base station sends the SSB after the offset (i.e., the first offset).

[0307] In this way, network devices can efficiently wake up all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring times with relatively low resource overhead.

[0308] In some other possible implementations, for the communication method shown in Figure 9, the network device may, upon determining that all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times need to be woken up, not send a signal for waking up the terminal devices during the M monitoring times, nor send the first signal during the second time, but instead send the SSB during the fourth time. The fourth time can be after the second time.

[0309] In the embodiments of this application, the interval between the fourth timing point and the second timing point can be referred to as the second offset. For example, the second offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the second timing point and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the second offset can refer to the interval between the start position of the second timing point and the start position of the fourth timing point; or, the second offset can refer to the interval between the end position of the second timing point and the end position of the fourth timing point.

[0310] For example, if the second offset is the interval between the end position of the second timing point and the start position of the fourth timing point, then the second offset can be as shown in Figure 15.

[0311] The configuration method for the second offset is similar to that for the first offset. Please refer to the description of the first offset in the previous embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0312] When the network device is a base station and the terminal device is a UE, this implementation can also be described as follows: If the base station needs to wake up all UEs, the base station will not send LP-WUS at any M monitoring time, including the characteristic LP-WUS (i.e., the first signal). The base station will also not send the first signal at any first signal transmission position (such as the second time), and the base station will send SSB after the offset (i.e., the first offset).

[0313] Correspondingly, if a terminal device fails to detect the signal required to wake up during M monitoring periods, and fails to detect the first signal during a second monitoring period, it can activate its main receiver to receive the SSB. In this way, the network device can efficiently wake up all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring periods with minimal resource overhead.

[0314] In some possible implementations, after the terminal device's main receiver is woken up, it can receive the updated SSB and then re-enter the LP-WUS monitoring state according to predefined conditions. This state involves the main receiver going into sleep mode while the LP-WUS monitors during the designated monitoring period. The predefined conditions can be one or more of the following: a preset timer expires, the measured channel state information exceeds a threshold, the condition depends on the UE implementation, or is indicated by the base station or the core network equipment via indication information. No specific limitations are specified here.

[0315] In some other possible implementations, after the main receiver of the terminal device is woken up, it can receive the SSB, monitor the paging message at the paging time, and then re-enter the LP-WUS monitoring state according to predefined conditions.

[0316] In some other possible implementations, after the main receiver of the terminal device is woken up, it can receive the SSB, enter the random access procedure, and then re-enter the LP-WUS monitoring state according to predefined conditions.

[0317] It should be understood that the steps after the main receiver of the aforementioned terminal device is woken up are merely illustrative examples, and specific details can be found in relevant standards or protocols. This application does not limit these details.

[0318] Some optional features in the various embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, or may be combined with other features in other scenarios, without limitation.

[0319] The solutions in the various embodiments of this application can be used in reasonable combinations, and the explanations or descriptions of various terms, similar operations, or steps appearing in the embodiments can be referenced or explained to each other in the various embodiments, without limitation.

[0320] In the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components of the terminal device (e.g., chips, chip systems, processors, or circuits). Similarly, the methods and operations implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components of the network device (e.g., chips, chip systems, processors, or circuits). This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0321] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. The electronic device 1600 may refer to the terminal device in the above embodiments, or a module or component within the terminal device, such as a chip in the terminal device. The electronic device 1600 may also refer to the network device in the above embodiments, or a module or component within the network device, such as a chip in the network device. The device 1600 can be used to execute the various methods in the above embodiments.

[0322] As shown in Figure 16, the electronic device 1600 may include a processor 1601 configured to execute any of the embodiments described above. Optionally, the electronic device 1600 may further include a memory 1602 coupled to the processor 1601, and / or a transceiver 1603. The transceiver 1603 may include a main receiver, an LP-WUR, a communication interface, an optical module, etc., for receiving messages or data information, etc. The processor 1601 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor may also be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 1601 may refer to a single processor or may include multiple processors. Memory 1602 may include volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM); it may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD); Memory 1602 may also include combinations of the above types of memory. Memory 1602 may refer to a single memory or may include multiple memories for storing program instructions. In one embodiment, memory 1602 stores computer-readable instructions, which include multiple software modules, such as a sending module, a processing module, and a receiving module. After executing each software module, processor 1601 can perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of each software module. In this embodiment, the operation performed by a software module actually refers to the operation performed by processor 1601 according to the instructions of the software module. Optionally, the processor 1601 may also store program code or instructions for executing the scheme of the embodiments of this application. In this case, the processor 1601 may not need to read the program code or instructions from the memory 1602.

[0323] Furthermore, this application also provides a communication device. The communication device includes a storage medium and a processor connected to the storage medium. The storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by the processor, enable the processor to implement some or all of the operations in any of the methods described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0324] Additionally, please refer to Figure 17, which illustrates a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 17, the communication device includes a transceiver unit 1701 and a processing unit 1702. The transceiver unit 1701 and the processing unit 1702 are communicatively connected.

[0325] In some possible implementations, the processing unit 1702 can be used to determine M monitoring opportunities. These monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. The transceiver unit 1701 can be used to send a first signal when no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device occurs during any of the M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0326] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to send a first signal at a first timing when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during any of the M monitoring timings. The first timing is one of the M monitoring timings.

[0327] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to send a first signal at a second timing point if no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device is performed during the M monitoring timing points. In the time domain, the second timing point is after the M monitoring timing points.

[0328] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to transmit a second signal. The second signal is used to instruct the terminal device to monitor the signal at a third time. The transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to transmit a third signal at a third time. The third signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

[0329] In some other possible implementations, processing unit 1702 can be used to monitor one or more of M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunity is used to monitor a signal. M is an integer greater than 1. Transceiver unit 1701 can be used to receive a first signal. The first signal is sent by the network device when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0330] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to receive a first signal at a first opportune moment. The first opportune moment is one of M monitoring opportune moments.

[0331] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to receive the first signal at a second opportune moment. In the time domain, the second opportune moment is M monitoring opportune moments later.

[0332] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to monitor a third timing when the second signal is received. The second signal is used to indicate that a signal is being monitored at the third timing. The transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to receive a third signal at the third timing, the third signal being used for synchronization and / or measurement.

[0333] In some possible implementations, processing unit 1702 is configured to not send signals for waking up terminal devices during the M monitoring times when determining the wake-up times for all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times. The monitoring times are used for terminal device monitoring signals. M is an integer greater than 1. Transceiver unit 1701 is configured to send synchronization signal blocks.

[0334] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to not send the first signal when determining the wake-up of all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring times. The first signal is used for terminal device synchronization and / or measurement.

[0335] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to transmit a synchronization signal block at a fourth timing point. In the time domain, the fourth timing point is M monitoring timing points later.

[0336] In some possible implementations, processing unit 1702 is used to monitor M monitoring opportunities. The monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals. M is an integer greater than 1. Transceiver unit 1701 is used to receive a synchronization signal block when no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities.

[0337] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to receive a synchronization signal block when no first signal or signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during M monitoring opportunities. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1701 can also be used to receive a synchronization signal block at a fourth time opportunity when no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during M monitoring opportunities. In the time domain, the fourth time opportunity occurs after M monitoring opportunities.

[0338] It should be understood that each step performed by the transceiver unit 1701 and the processing unit 1702 in the above-mentioned communication device can be corresponding to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, and the beneficial effects produced are similar, so they will not be described in detail here.

[0339] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement some or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0340] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when run on a processor, implements some or all of the operations in any method of any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0341] This application also provides a chip, including an interface circuit and a processor. The interface circuit and the processor are connected, and the processor is used to cause the chip to perform some or all of the operations in any of the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0342] This application also provides a chip system, including: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store programs or instructions, and when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the chip system enables the chip system to perform some or all of the operations in any one of the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0343] Optionally, the chip system may contain one or more processors. These processors can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, implemented by reading software code stored in memory.

[0344] Optionally, the chip system may contain one or more memories. The memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately from it; this application embodiment does not limit this. For example, the memory may be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or disposed separately on different chips. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0345] For example, the chip system can be an FPGA, an ASIC, a system on-chip (SoC), a CPU, an NP, a digital signal processor (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0346] This application also provides a system that includes one or more of the above-described devices, apparatuses, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, chips, or chip systems.

[0347] It should be understood that the division of parts in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The functions in the embodiments of this application are integrated into a single processor, or the transceiver and processor may exist separately. The integrated device described above can be implemented in hardware, such as a chip, or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0348] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than that illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0349] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0350] Those skilled in the art should realize that the above one or more examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Identify M monitoring opportunities; The monitoring timing is used for terminal equipment to monitor signals; M is an integer greater than 1; If no signal is transmitted to wake up the terminal device during any of the M monitoring opportunities, a first signal is sent; the first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Sending the first signal includes: A first signal is sent at a first opportune moment; the first opportune moment is one of the M monitoring opportune moments.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Sending the first signal includes: The first signal is sent at a second opportune moment; in the time domain, the second opportune moment is after the M monitoring opportune moments.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The M monitoring opportunities are one set of monitoring opportunities in the S groups of monitoring opportunities; the first opportunity is a common monitoring opportunity in the S groups of monitoring opportunities; S is an integer greater than 1.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that, In the time domain, the first timing is the last monitoring timing among the M monitoring timings; or, the first timing is the first monitoring timing among the M monitoring timings.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The time-domain location of the second timing event is determined by the network device; or, the time-domain location of the second timing event is determined by the desired configuration information reported by the terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 4 or 7, characterized in that, The time interval between the M monitoring opportunities and the second opportunity is less than the upper limit of the clock synchronization performance of the terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The terminal equipment includes N terminal devices; the M monitoring opportunities are used for the N terminal devices to monitor signals; where N is an integer greater than 1.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second signal; the second signal is used to instruct the terminal device to monitor the signal at a third opportune moment; A third signal is sent at the third opportune moment; the third signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first signal satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The first signal is a signal where all bits are 1; the first signal has a different modulation scheme than the signal used to wake up the terminal device; the first signal has the same modulation scheme as the signal used to wake up the terminal device, but different scrambling sequence types; the first signal has the same modulation scheme as the signal used to wake up the terminal device, the same scrambling sequence types, but different cyclic shifts; the first signal has a different encoding scheme than the signal used to wake up the terminal device; the first signal has different bit information than the signal used to wake up the terminal device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, Of the M monitoring opportunities, the time-domain position and / or index value of X monitoring opportunities are configured by the network device, the time-domain position and / or index value of Y monitoring opportunities are configured by any one of the terminal devices, and the time-domain position and / or index value of Z monitoring opportunities are configured based on pre-set rules; X, Y, and Z are all integers from 0 to M, and the sum of X, Y, and Z is less than or equal to M.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, M is a predefined value; or, the value of M is configured by the network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The terminal equipment is a group of terminal equipment or a subgroup of terminal equipment.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The signal used to wake up the terminal device includes identification information; The identification information is one or more of the following: terminal device identifier, terminal device group identifier, and terminal device subgroup identifier.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1-15, characterized in that, The phrase "wake up the terminal device" refers to waking up the main receiver of the terminal device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The first signal is any of the following modulation methods: on / off keying, frequency shift keying, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), OFDM sequence, fusion of on / off keying and OFDM sequence, fusion of frequency shift keying and OFDM sequence; the OFDM sequence includes one or more of the following sequences: zc sequence, small m sequence, m sequence, physical downlink control channel sequence, gold sequence, orthogonal phase shift keying modulation sequence, 16-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, 64-orthogonal amplitude modulation sequence, binary phase shift keying modulation sequence, and computer-searched sequence.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Monitor one or more of M monitoring opportunities; the monitoring opportunities are used to monitor signals; M is an integer greater than 1; Receive a first signal; the first signal is sent by the network device when there is no signal transmission for waking up the terminal device during the M monitoring times; the first signal is used for the synchronization and / or measurement.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first signal is not used to wake up the terminal device.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, Receiving the first signal includes: The first signal is received at a first opportune moment; the first opportune moment is one of the M monitoring opportune moments.

21. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, Receiving the first signal includes: The first signal is received at a second timing point; in the time domain, the second timing point is after the M monitoring timing points.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Upon receiving the second signal, a third timing is monitored; the second signal is used to indicate the monitoring of the signal at the third timing; the third signal is received at the third timing, and the third signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

23. A communication method, characterized in that, include: When determining the wake-up of all terminal devices corresponding to M monitoring opportunities, no signal for waking up the terminal devices is sent during the M monitoring opportunities; the monitoring opportunities are used for terminal device monitoring signals; M is an integer greater than 1; Send synchronization signal block.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: When determining the wake-up time for all terminal devices corresponding to the M monitoring events, no first signal is sent. The first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement of the terminal devices.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The transmission synchronization signal block includes: A synchronization signal block is sent at the fourth timing point; in the time domain, the fourth timing point is after the M monitoring timing points.

26. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Monitor M monitoring opportunities; The monitoring timing is used to monitor the signal; M is an integer greater than 1; If no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring times, a synchronization signal block is received.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, When no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities, the synchronization signal block is received, including: When no first signal or signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring times, a synchronization signal block is received; the first signal is used for synchronization and / or measurement.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, When no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring periods, the receiving synchronization signal block includes: If no signal for waking up the terminal device is detected during the M monitoring opportunities, a synchronization signal block is received at the fourth opportunity; in the time domain, the fourth opportunity is after the M monitoring opportunities.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, This includes methods for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-17, or methods for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 18-22, or methods for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 23-25, or methods for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 26-28.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-17 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 18-22 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 23-25 ​​to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 26-28 to be implemented.

31. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-17 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 18-22 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 23-25 ​​to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 26-28 to be implemented.

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