Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method may comprise: a terminal device receives a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal comprising a first identifier, the first identifier instructing to monitor a PDCCH in a first group of cells, the first group of cells comprising at least one cell, the first group of cells being one group of cells among N groups of cells, the first identifier being one identifier among N identifiers, different identifiers among the N identifiers instructing the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH in different groups of cells among the N groups of cells, and N being an integer greater than 1; and on the basis of the first identifier, the terminal device selects to monitor the PDCCH in the first group of cells. On this basis, not only the integration of a wake-up signal and CA can be realized, but also the PDCCH monitoring of a terminal device in different cells (or different groups of cells) can be controlled separately.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410964687.4, filed on July 17, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] A terminal device can receive a wake-up signal through a single low-power small circuit, such as a wake-up radio (WUR), and a main receiver can be in a sleep state. When the terminal device detects the wake-up signal through the WUR, the terminal device triggers the wake-up of the main receiver, such as the terminal device being woken up to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0004] In a connected state, a terminal device can be configured with carrier aggregation (CA). In the scenario where the terminal device is configured with CA, how the wake-up signal works is a problem worth considering. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can not only realize the combination of a wake-up signal and CA, but also can control the PDCCH monitoring of a terminal device in different cells (or different cell groups) respectively.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to the terminal side, that is, the method can be executed by a terminal device, or can be executed by a component (such as a chip or a chip system or a circuit or a communication module) of the terminal device, which is not limited in the present application. Hereinafter, the terminal device will be mainly taken as an example for description.

[0007] The method can include: receiving a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal including a first identifier, the first identifier indicating to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells, the first group of cells including at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first identifier being one of N identifiers, different identifiers of the N identifiers indicating to monitor the PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, N being an integer greater than 1; and monitoring the PDCCH in the first group of cells according to the first identifier.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can determine in which cell group (or cell) to monitor the PDCCH based on which of the N identifiers is included in the received wake-up signal. For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing an identifier corresponding to the first group of cells (i.e., the first identifier), the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in the first group of cells, but not in the remaining groups of cells in the N groups of cells. Based on this, PDCCH monitoring on different cell groups can be respectively controlled by the wake-up signal.

[0009] Conversely, if the method of waking up the terminal device only by the unique identifier of the terminal is used, PDCCH monitoring on different cell groups cannot be respectively controlled by the wake-up signal. In this way, even if the arrived service has only a small amount of data, the network side may still wake up the terminal to monitor the PDCCH on all cells, which will waste power consumption. Therefore, in the above technical solution, PDCCH monitoring on different cell groups is respectively controlled by the wake-up signal, which can reduce power consumption.

[0010] Alternatively, conversely, if a bitmap is used to indicate which cell groups to monitor the PDCCH, at least N bits of bitmap are needed to indicate which cell group of the N cell groups to monitor the PDCCH. If the PDCCH is only monitored on a small part of the N cell groups, then for the cell groups that do not need to monitor the PDCCH, the corresponding bits still need to be carried in the wake-up signal, which will waste a part of the bits and cause the problem of large resource overhead. Therefore, by the present application, different identifiers correspond to different cell groups, so that one wake-up signal controls the PDCCH monitoring on one cell group, and the information (such as identifier) of the cell group that does not need to monitor the PDCCH does not need to be sent, thereby solving the problems of bit waste and large resource overhead in the wake-up signal.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before receiving the wake-up signal, the method further includes: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, the N groups of cells including cells belonging to the M cells, and M being an integer greater than 1.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 (FR1); all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 (FR2); all cells configured for the terminal device; and a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0013] Based on the technical solution, the N groups of cells can be divided based on frequency ranges, FR1 and / or FR2. For example, the N groups of cells can include at least one of all cells configured for the terminal device within FR1, all cells configured for the terminal device within FR2, all cells configured for the terminal device within FR1 and FR2, all cells configured for the terminal device, and a certain group of cells configured for the terminal device (e.g., the network device groups a plurality of cells configured for the terminal device).

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, the second group of cells including at least one cell, and after monitoring PDCCH in the first group of cells, the method further includes: receiving control information, the control information indicating monitoring PDCCH in the second group of cells; and monitoring PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

[0015] Based on the technical solution, after the terminal device determines in which group of cells to monitor PDCCH based on the identifier carried in the wake-up signal, the network device can further trigger the terminal device to monitor PDCCH in the remaining groups of cells through control signaling.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N identifiers and the N groups of cells.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method is applied to a terminal device, and the terminal device is in a connected state.

[0018] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to the network side, that is, the method can be executed by a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system or a circuit or a communication module) of the network device, and the present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, the network device will be mainly taken as an example for description.

[0019] The method can include: transmitting a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal including a first identifier, the first identifier indicating monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells, the first group of cells including at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first identifier being one of N identifiers, different identifiers of the N identifiers indicating monitoring PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, and N being an integer greater than 1. Optionally, the method further includes: transmitting PDCCH in the first group of cells.

[0020] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before the sending the wake-up signal, the method further includes: sending first configuration information, the first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, the N groups of cells including cells belonging to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

[0021] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0022] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, the second group of cells including at least one cell, and the method further includes: sending control information, the control information indicating monitoring PDCCH within the second group of cells.

[0023] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N identifiers and the N groups of cells.

[0024] The advantages and possible designs of the second aspect can be referred to the descriptions of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0025] The third aspect provides a communication method. The method can be applied to the terminal side, i.e., the method can be executed by a terminal device or a component (such as a chip or a chip system or a circuit or a communication module) of the terminal device, which will not be limited herein. Hereinafter, the terminal device will be mainly taken as an example for description.

[0026] The method can include: receiving a wake-up signal in a first time domain resource; based on receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource, monitoring a physical downlink control channel PDCCH in a first group of cells; wherein the first group of cells includes at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first time domain resource being one of N groups of time domain resources, different groups of time domain resources of the N groups of time domain resources being used to carry a wake-up signal indicating monitoring PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, N being an integer greater than 1.

[0027] Based on the technical solution, the terminal device can determine in which cell group (or cell) to monitor the PDCCH based on the time domain resource where the received wake-up signal is located. For example, if the terminal device receives the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in the first group of cells, instead of monitoring the PDCCH in the remaining group of cells in the N groups of cells. Based on this, the PDCCH monitoring on different groups of cells can be respectively controlled by the wake-up signal.

[0028] Conversely, if the method of waking up the terminal device only by the unique identifier of the terminal is adopted, the PDCCH monitoring on different groups of cells cannot be respectively controlled by the wake-up signal. In this way, even if the arrived service has only a small amount of data, the network device may still wake up the terminal to monitor the PDCCH on all cells, which will waste power consumption. Therefore, in the above technical solution, the PDCCH monitoring on different groups of cells is respectively controlled by the time domain resource where the wake-up signal is located, which can reduce power consumption.

[0029] Alternatively, conversely, if the bitmap method is used to indicate which group of cells to monitor the PDCCH, at least N bits of bitmap are needed to indicate which group of cells in the N groups of cells to monitor the PDCCH. If the PDCCH is monitored only on a small part of the N groups of cells, then for the group of cells that does not need to monitor the PDCCH, the corresponding bits still need to be carried in the wake-up signal, which will waste a part of the bits and cause the problem of large resource overhead. Therefore, by the present application, different groups of time domain resources correspond to different groups of cells, so that one wake-up signal controls the PDCCH monitoring on one group of cells, and the related information (such as identifier) of the group of cells that does not need to monitor the PDCCH does not need to be sent, thereby solving the problems of bit waste in the wake-up signal and large resource overhead.

[0030] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource, the method further includes: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, the N groups of cells including cells belonging to the M cells, and M being an integer greater than 1.

[0031] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; and a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0032] In some implementations of the third aspect, in combination with the third aspect, the N groups of cells further include a second group of cells including at least one cell, after monitoring the PDCCH in the first group of cells, the method further includes: receiving control information, the control information indicating monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells; and monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

[0033] In some implementations of the third aspect, in combination with the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N groups of time domain resources and the N groups of cells.

[0034] In some implementations of the third aspect, in combination with the third aspect, the wake-up signal includes first information of N information, the first information indicating that one terminal device or one group of terminal devices monitors the PDCCH, different information of the N information indicating that different terminal devices or different groups of terminal devices monitor the PDCCH.

[0035] Based on the above technical solutions, one wake-up signal is used to wake up one terminal device or one group of terminal devices, so that compared with the bitmap mode indicating which terminal device or which group of terminal devices to wake up, the present application can solve the problem of bit waste and large resource overhead in the wake-up signal.

[0036] In some implementations of the third aspect, in combination with the third aspect, the method is applied to a terminal device, and the terminal device is in a connected state.

[0037] A fourth aspect provides a communication method. The method can be applied to a network side, that is, the method can be executed by a network device or a component (such as a chip or a chip system or a circuit or a communication module) of the network device, and the present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, the network device is mainly taken as an example for description.

[0038] The method can include: transmitting a wake-up signal in a first time domain resource, the first time domain resource being one of N groups of time domain resources, different groups of time domain resources of the N groups of time domain resources being used to carry a wake-up signal indicating monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in different groups of cells of N groups of cells, N being an integer greater than 1. Optionally, the method further includes: transmitting the PDCCH in the first group of cells.

[0039] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, in combination with the fourth aspect, the method further includes: transmitting first configuration information, the first configuration information including information of M cells configured for a terminal device, cells included in the N groups of cells belonging to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

[0040] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, in combination with the fourth aspect, the first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 (FR1); all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 (FR2); all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0041] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, in combination with the fourth aspect, the N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, and the method further includes: transmitting control information, the control information indicating to monitor PDCCH within the second group of cells.

[0042] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, in combination with the fourth aspect, the method further includes: transmitting second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N groups of time domain resources and the N groups of cells.

[0043] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, in combination with the fourth aspect, the wake-up signal includes a first information of N information, the first information indicating one terminal device or one group of terminal devices to monitor PDCCH, and different information of the N information indicating different terminal devices or different groups of terminal devices to monitor PDCCH.

[0044] The beneficial effects and possible designs related to the fourth aspect can be referred to the related description of the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which is configured to execute the method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Specifically, the apparatus can include units and / or modules for performing the method in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit.

[0046] In one implementation, the apparatus is a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, or a network device). When the apparatus is a communication device, the communication unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; and the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0047] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, chip system or circuit, or a communication module for a communication device (e.g., a terminal device, or a network device). When the apparatus is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication device, the communication unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit, etc.; and the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit, etc.

[0048] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising: at least one processor configured to cause the device to perform any of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0049] Optionally, the at least one processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to perform the methods of any of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0050] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instructions.

[0051] Optionally, the at least one processor is coupled to a memory for storing the computer program or instructions. The memory may be located externally to the device.

[0052] Optionally, the device also includes a communication interface through which the processor reads instructions from memory. This can be understood as the communication interface being coupled to the processor and used to input computer programs or instructions to the processor, or to output information from the processor.

[0053] Unless otherwise specified, or if the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved do not contradict their actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, they can be understood as output, input, or other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0054] In one implementation, the device is a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0055] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module for communication equipment (such as terminal equipment or network equipment). Optionally, the chip is a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program (e.g., program code) or instructions are stored, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the methods of any one of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0057] Eighthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0058] A ninth aspect provides a communication system, including a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to execute a method provided in any implementation of the first aspect, and the second communication device is configured to execute a method provided in any implementation of the second aspect; or, the first communication device is configured to execute a method provided in any implementation of the third aspect, and the second communication device is configured to execute a method provided in any implementation of the fourth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0059] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0060] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the main circuit and the wake-up circuit.

[0061] Figure 3 is a waveform diagram of the signal when OOK modulation is used.

[0062] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0063] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0064] Figure 6 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0065] Figure 7 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0066] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0067] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0068] Figure 10 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0069] Figure 11 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0070] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0072] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] Before introducing the scheme of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0075] (1) In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, implicit instruction, etc. When describing an instruction information as indicating A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, carries the identifier of A, carries B which is associated with A, carries the identifier of B which is associated with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of an instruction information can determine A based on the instruction information, it can be described as the instruction information indicating A, and the specific method of determination is not limited. When it is understood that the instruction information carries A, "instruction" can be replaced with "includes". In this case, a statement such as "send / receive instruction information, the instruction information indicates A" can be replaced with "send / receive A".

[0076] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information pieces, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information pieces can be the same or different.

[0077] (2) In this application, the expression " / " is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can mean: A or B. The expression "and / or" is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in a relationship of either "and" or "or"; for example, A and / or B can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to indicate any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and / or C can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, B and C exist simultaneously, A and C exist simultaneously, A, B and C exist simultaneously, where A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0078] (3) In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0079] (4) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0080] (5) In this application, "first," "second," and "#1," "#2," and "#A" are merely for descriptive convenience and are used to distinguish objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or sequence of features. It should be understood that such described objects can be interchanged where appropriate so as to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0081] (6) In this application, "predefined" can mean a standard protocol predefined, or it can mean a pre-agreed or pre-negotiated agreement between devices. Here, "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include fourth-generation (4G) protocols. thGeneration 4G network, fifth generation (5G) network th This application does not limit the scope to network protocols such as 5G (generation, 5G), New Radio (NR), 5.5G, and related protocols applied in future communication networks.

[0082] (7) In this application, the words “exemplary,” “for example,” etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an “example” in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word “example” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, “of,” “corresponding, relevant,” and “corresponding” may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0083] First, let me introduce the communication system to which this application applies.

[0084] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication network systems. Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication.

[0085] As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal equipment. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal equipment. Satellite base stations can also communicate with each other. A satellite can act as a base station or as a terminal device. Here, "satellite" can refer to drones, hot air balloons, low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, etc. "Satellite" can also refer to non-terrestrial base stations or non-terrestrial equipment.

[0086] As an example, V2X communication can include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0087] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The device can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, etc. This application uses a device as an example for description.

[0088] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal device can include various devices with wireless communication capabilities, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer-to-peer, M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. Terminal equipment can be user equipment (UE), terminal, fixed equipment, mobile station equipment or mobile equipment, subscriber unit, handheld device, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, cellular phone, smartphone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, computer with wireless transceiver capability, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, target tracking device, aircraft (e.g., drone, helicopter, multiple helicopters, four helicopters, or airplanes), ship, remote control device, smart home device, industrial equipment, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capability, communication module, or roadside unit with terminal function, all conforming to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard. The device may be a wireless communication unit (RSU), or a device built into the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip in the aforementioned device), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem.

[0089] It should be understood that in certain scenarios, a UE can also be used as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signaling between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or end-to-end.

[0090] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device itself, or it can be any device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed in the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0091] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions. The network device can be a device used to communicate with terminal devices; it can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device, such as a base station. In this application embodiment, the network device can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitter, master station, auxiliary station, multiple standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. Base stations can also be mobile switching centers, devices that perform base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, network-side devices in future communication networks, and devices that perform base station functions in future communication systems. Base stations can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0092] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0093] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, or DU, or devices including CU and DU, or devices with control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and DU nodes.

[0094] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as RRUs, AAUs, or RRHs.

[0095] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a radio access network can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In an O-RAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0096] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed within the network device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions. This embodiment only uses a network device as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the functions of a network device, and does not limit the solution of this embodiment.

[0097] Network devices and terminal devices 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. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0098] The communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application is briefly described below with reference to Figure 1.

[0099] Referring to Figure 1, as an example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a wireless access network 100. The wireless access network 100 may be a next-generation (e.g., future or higher version) wireless access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) may be interconnected or connected to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the wireless access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces.

[0100] When network devices and terminal devices communicate, the network device can manage one or more cells, and a cell can include at least one terminal device. A cell can be understood as an area within the wireless signal coverage range of the network device.

[0101] Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0102] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terms used in this application will be briefly explained.

[0103] 1. Wake-up circuit: Also known as a wake-up receiver / radio (WUR), low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR), or wake-up module, it can be understood as a single, low-power small circuit, such as the circuit used by a terminal device in the idle state. This low-power small circuit can be implemented using a simple, single small circuit or chip with low power consumption. It is understood that the term "wake-up circuit" is merely a designation for differentiation, and its specific naming does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, without loss of generality, a wake-up circuit can also be described as a first circuit (or first module). The following description will uniformly refer to it as a wake-up circuit.

[0104] The signal received by the terminal device through the wake-up circuit can be referred to as being transmitted on the wake-up link. The wake-up link represents a connection relationship between the terminal device and the network device; it is a logical concept, not a physical entity. It is understood that the term "wake-up link" is merely a designation for differentiation, and its specific naming does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, without loss of generality, a wake-up link can also be described as a first link. Hereinafter, it will be uniformly referred to as a wake-up link.

[0105] The signal received by the terminal device using the wake-up circuit can be called a wake-up signal (WUS) or a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS). It is understood that the term "wake-up signal" is merely a designation for differentiation, and its specific name does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, without loss of generality, a wake-up signal can also be called a signal. The following description will consistently use "wake-up signal".

[0106] 2. Main Circuit: Also known as the main receiver (MR) or main module, it can be understood as the circuit used by the terminal device during normal data transmission, or the circuit used by the terminal device during data transmission in a connected state. The terminal device consumes a significant amount of power when transmitting data through the main circuit. It is understood that the term "main circuit" is merely a designation for differentiation and does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, without loss of generality, the main circuit can also be described as a second circuit (or second module). The following text will uniformly describe it as the main circuit.

[0107] Signals received by a terminal device through the main circuit can be referred to as being transmitted on the main link. The main link represents a connection between the terminal device and the network device; it is a logical concept, not a physical entity. It is understood that the term "main link" is merely a designation for distinction, and its specific naming does not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, without loss of generality, the main link can also be described as a second link. The following text will uniformly refer to it as the main link.

[0108] In the following text, for the sake of distinction, the signals transmitted by the main circuit of the terminal device will be referred to as data signals.

[0109] Referring to Figure 2, as an example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the main circuit and the wake-up circuit.

[0110] As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device can receive (or detect, or monitor) a wake-up signal through a wake-up circuit, and can receive data signals through the main circuit. Assume the terminal device receives the wake-up signal through the wake-up circuit. If the terminal device does not detect the wake-up signal, it continues to receive it through the wake-up circuit, and the main circuit can be in a closed state (or sleep state). If the terminal device detects the wake-up signal, it triggers the main circuit to wake up, that is, it puts the main circuit into / switches to an open state (or working state, or active state). After the main circuit is turned on, the terminal device can transmit data signals through the main circuit.

[0111] 3. On-Off-Key (OOK) Modulation: This modulates information based on whether a signal is transmitted or not. The corresponding wake-up circuit can use envelope detection to receive the signal. OOK modulation technology can be demodulated using a low-complexity receiver, thus achieving the low-power goal of the wake-up circuit. To ensure power efficiency, the wake-up signal can use OOK modulation. It is understood that other modulation methods can also be used for the wake-up signal; there are no restrictions on this.

[0112] When a signal is modulated using OOK, each bit (i.e., the encoded bit) corresponds to a symbol. Equivalently, a symbol can also be called a chip, or any other name, which is not limited here.

[0113] For example, when a bit is "1", a signal is transmitted within the symbol length (i.e., the signal transmission power within that symbol length is not 0); when a bit is "0", no signal is transmitted within the symbol length (i.e., the signal transmission power within that symbol length is 0). Alternatively, it can be understood that in OOK modulation, transmitting energy represents "1", and not transmitting energy represents "0".

[0114] For example, when the bit is "0", a signal is transmitted within the symbol length (i.e., the signal transmission power within that symbol length is not 0); when the bit is "1", no signal is transmitted within the symbol length (i.e., the signal transmission power within that symbol length is 0). Alternatively, it can be understood that in OOK modulation, transmitting energy represents "0", and not transmitting energy represents "1".

[0115] For ease of description, the following text will primarily use the example of a signal being emitted within the symbol length when the bit is "1" and no signal being emitted within the symbol length when the bit is "0" as an example for illustration.

[0116] Furthermore, for ease of description, if a symbol emits a signal, it is denoted as an ON symbol; if a symbol emits no signal, it is denoted as an OFF symbol. Taking the example that when a bit is "1", a signal is emitted within the length of the symbol; and when a bit is "0", no signal is emitted within the length of the symbol, the ON symbol represents an information bit of "1", and the OFF symbol represents an information bit of "0". The ON symbol can also be called an ON signal, and the OFF symbol can also be called an OFF signal; for consistency, the ON and OFF symbols will be used in the following descriptions.

[0117] Wherein, the signal amplitude of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and the signal amplitude of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, in other words, the signal amplitude of the ON symbol is greater than the signal amplitude of the OFF symbol; or, within a preset time period, the signal amplitude of the ON symbol is greater than the signal amplitude of the OFF symbol; or, within a preset time period, the signal power of the ON symbol is greater than the signal power of the OFF symbol; or, within a preset time period, the signal power of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal power of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, within a preset time period, the signal power of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal power of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, within a preset time period, the signal power of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal amplitude of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold. The signal power of the FF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, the signal level of the ON symbol is greater than the signal level of the OFF symbol; or, within a preset time period, the signal level of the ON symbol is greater than the signal level of the OFF symbol; or, the signal level of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal level of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, within a preset time period, the signal level of the ON symbol is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal level of the OFF symbol is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, the ON symbol indicates (or corresponds to, or represents) the first bit value, and the OFF symbol indicates (or corresponds to, or represents) the second bit value. Wherein, the first bit value and the second bit value are different. For example, the first bit value is "1", and the second bit value is "0".

[0118] Furthermore, the OOK symbol mentioned below refers to a symbol obtained by OOK modulation. An OOK symbol can be either an ON symbol or an OFF symbol. For example, if the information bit is "1", the OOK symbol obtained by OOK modulation is an ON symbol; if the information bit is "0", the OOK symbol obtained by OOK modulation is an OFF symbol. The OOK symbol can also be called an OOK signal; for consistency, it will be described as an OOK symbol below.

[0119] Referring to Figure 3, as an example, Figure 3 is a waveform diagram of a signal using OOK modulation.

[0120] As an example, suppose that when the bit is "1", a signal is transmitted within the length of the OOK symbol; when the bit is "0", no signal is transmitted within the length of the OOK symbol. Therefore, the waveform shown in Figure 3 can represent the four bits "0100", that is, the first is the OFF symbol, the second is the ON symbol, and the third and fourth are both OFF symbols. As shown in Figure 3, communication systems generally use a certain frequency to transmit, and the transmitted signal needs to be modulated onto the carrier wave. At the receiving end, the receiver detects the envelope (or energy) of the received signal to determine whether the OOK symbol corresponds to a bit "0" or a bit "1", thereby completing demodulation.

[0121] After a signal passes through a channel, it may be distorted due to factors such as channel conditions. Therefore, to determine whether the signal corresponds to a bit "0" or a bit "1", the receiver can compare the received signal level with a threshold. For example, if the received signal level is greater than the threshold, it means the signal corresponds to a bit "1"; if the received signal level is less than the threshold, it means the signal corresponds to a bit "0". However, setting the threshold is difficult. For instance, an inappropriate threshold selection may lead to demodulation errors. To solve this problem, one possible approach is to use Manchester encoding.

[0122] Manchester encoding is a biphase encoding method that uses high-low level switching to represent bits "0" or "1". For example, Manchester encoding can encode a raw bit "0" as bit "10" and a raw bit "1" as bit "01". To distinguish them, the encoded bits, such as bits "10" and "01", are called encoded bits. When transmitting a signal, the transmitter can use two OOK symbols to send one bit of original information. If the raw bit "0" is encoded as bit "10" and the raw bit "1" is encoded as bit "01", then the raw bit "0" corresponds to one ON symbol followed by one OFF symbol, and the raw bit "1" corresponds to one OFF symbol followed by one ON symbol. When demodulating the Manchester-encoded signal, the receiver can compare the relative magnitude of the signal power (or signal amplitude) within two adjacent OOK symbols. If the signal power (or signal amplitude) in the preceding OOK symbol is greater than that in the following OOK symbol, the received information bit is considered "0"; otherwise, it is considered "1". In this way, we can avoid using an absolute threshold to make a decision.

[0123] It is understood that the above example of encoding a raw bit "0" as bit "10" and a raw bit "1" as bit "01" is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, a raw bit "0" can be encoded as bit "01" and a raw bit "1" can be encoded as bit "10".

[0124] 4. Methods of carrying wake-up information in wake-up signals: Currently, wake-up information carried by wake-up signals includes the following two forms: 1) bitmap form; 2) codepoint form. These two forms are briefly introduced below.

[0125] 1) bitmap

[0126] Specifically, the wake-up signal includes a bitmap that can wake up at least one terminal device or at least one group of terminal devices. In this mode, one wake-up signal can be used for multiple terminal devices or multiple groups of terminal devices. Each terminal device can correspond to one or more bits in the bitmap carried by the wake-up signal. For example, one wake-up signal can be used for four terminal devices, carrying a 4-bit bitmap. Assume a bit value of "1" indicates being woken up, and a bit value of "0" indicates not being woken up. If the bitmap in the wake-up signal is 1001, it means that the first and fourth terminal devices are woken up to monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while the second and third terminal devices are not woken up (i.e., continue monitoring the wake-up signal); or, if the bitmap in the wake-up signal is 1001, it means that the first and fourth terminal device groups are woken up to monitor the PDCCH, while the second and third terminal device groups are not woken up (i.e., continue monitoring the wake-up signal).

[0127] 2) codepoint

[0128] Specifically, the wake-up signal includes a codepoint (or codepoint value, or identifier, ID) that can wake up a terminal device or a group of terminal devices. In this method, one wake-up signal can be used for one terminal device or a group of terminal devices, and the signal carries the codepoint corresponding to that device or group. For example, assuming there are 16 terminal devices or 16 groups of terminal devices, a 4-bit codepoint can be used to indicate that a specific terminal device or group has been woken up.

[0129] 5. FR1 and FR2: One possible implementation is that the spectrum resources can be divided into the following two frequency ranges (FR) (or spectrum ranges): FR1 and FR2.

[0130] FR1: Low-frequency band. As an example, the frequency range corresponding to FR1 can be 450MHz to 6000MHz.

[0131] FR2: High-frequency millimeter-wave band with abundant spectrum resources. As an example, the frequency range corresponding to FR2 can be 24250MHz to 52600MHz.

[0132] It is understood that the naming of FR1 and FR2 should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other names to represent the same or similar meanings in future agreements. For distinction, they will be referred to as FR1 and FR2 respectively in the following embodiments.

[0133] It is also understood that the frequency ranges corresponding to FR1 and FR2 listed above are merely examples, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0134] 6. Carrier aggregation (CA): To improve spectrum utilization, the system supports aggregation between different component carriers (CCs) (also known as member carriers, constituent carriers, etc.). The technique of aggregating two or more carriers together to support a larger transmission bandwidth is called carrier aggregation.

[0135] Different terminal devices can be configured with different CCs, and each CC can correspond to an independent cell. In the embodiments of this application, as one possible implementation, a CC can be equated with a cell. For example, the primary cell (PCell) corresponds to the primary CC (or primary carrier), which can be the cell for initial connection establishment for the terminal, the cell for radio resource control (RRC) connection reconstruction, or the primary cell designated during handover. The secondary cell (SCell) corresponds to the secondary CC (or secondary carrier), which can be a cell added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources.

[0136] For a terminal device in a connected state, if carrier aggregation is not configured, the terminal device has one serving cell; if carrier aggregation is configured, the terminal device can have multiple serving cells, which can be called a serving cell set. For example, the primary cell and secondary cell mentioned above constitute the serving cell set of the terminal device. In other words, the serving cell set includes at least one primary cell and at least one secondary cell. Or, a terminal device configured with carrier aggregation can be connected to one PCell and one or more SCells.

[0137] Considering that in connected mode, when the terminal device is configured with CA, it may also monitor the wake-up signal, the wake-up signal may operate in one of the following two ways:

[0138] One approach is to use the wake-up signal only to trigger the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH on a single cell. For example, if the terminal device is configured with cells #1, #2, and #3, the wake-up signal only triggers the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH on the PCell (e.g., cell #1). In this approach, a single wake-up signal is used only to trigger the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH on a single cell, resulting in lower flexibility.

[0139] Another approach is to use a wake-up signal to trigger the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH on multiple cells, where the relationship between these cells and the wake-up signal is pre-configured. For example, the terminal device is configured with cells #1, #2, and #3. The network device pre-configures cells #1 and #2 to be associated with the wake-up signal. In this case, the wake-up signal can trigger the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH on cells #1 and #2. This method requires pre-configuration of the cell and wake-up signal relationship, making it a semi-static configuration method with limited flexibility. Furthermore, based on this method, even if the incoming service involves very little data (e.g., a small amount that can be quickly transmitted using only cell #1), the network device may still need to wake up the terminal to monitor the PDCCH on all cells configured and associated with the wake-up signal (e.g., cells #1 and #2), which wastes power.

[0140] In view of this, this application proposes a scheme in which a network device can determine N pieces of information, each corresponding to a different CC (or different CC groups, or different cells, or different cell groups, or different frequency ranges, etc.). If the wake-up signal carries information corresponding to a certain CC (or CC group, or cell, or cell group, or frequency range, etc.), it means that the terminal device monitors the PDCCH on that CC (or CC group, or cell, or cell group, or frequency range, etc.). This method allows for the separate control of PDCCH monitoring on different CCs (or CC groups, or different cells, or different cell groups, or different frequency ranges, etc.) via the wake-up signal. It not only combines the wake-up signal with CA (Callable Controller) but also allows for separate control of PDCCH monitoring on different cell groups, offering flexibility and reduced power consumption. Furthermore, compared to using a multi-bit bitmap to indicate which CCs to monitor the PDCCH on, this method solves the problems of bit waste and high resource overhead, reducing signaling overhead. Specifically, assuming there are X CCs (X is an integer greater than 1), a bitmap of at least X bits is needed to indicate which CC(s) among these X CCs are monitored for PDCCH. If PDCCH is only monitored on a small number of these X CCs (e.g., X1 CCs), then the corresponding bits for CCs that do not require PDCCH monitoring still need to be carried in the wake-up signal. This results in at least (X-X1) bits of idle bits. In other words, regardless of whether PDCCH is monitored on a CC, the bits corresponding to X CCs (e.g., X bits) must be sent, leading to significant resource overhead.

[0141] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by this application can be applied to the scenarios shown in the above figures and are not limited thereto. Furthermore, the terms used below are explained in the preceding text and will not be repeated hereafter. For ease of description, terminal devices and network devices are used as examples for illustrative purposes. The terminal device can be replaced by a terminal device or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module), and the network device can be replaced by a component of a network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). Furthermore, the steps described below as being performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into steps performed by multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0142] Referring to Figure 4, as an example, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 400 shown in Figure 4 may include the following steps.

[0143] S410, the network device sends a wake-up signal. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the wake-up signal.

[0144] The wake-up signal includes a first identifier, which indicates that the PDCCH is being monitored within the first group of cells. The first identifier indicating PDCCH monitoring within the first group of cells can also be replaced by any of the following descriptions: the first identifier indicates the first group of cells; or, the first identifier indicates that the cell monitoring the PDCCH is a cell within the first group of cells.

[0145] The first group of cells includes at least one cell. The first group of cells is one group of cells in N groups of cells, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0146] Each of the N cell groups includes at least one cell. The number of cells in different cell groups may be the same or different, and there is no limit to this.

[0147] For example, suppose there are 5 residential areas, named #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5. These 5 residential areas can be divided into two groups: one group includes #1, #2, and #3, and the other group includes #4 and #5. Alternatively, these 5 residential areas can be divided into three groups: one group includes #1, #2, and #3, another group includes #4 and #5, and the third group includes all the residential areas, namely #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5.

[0148] As an example, a group of cells can also be referred to as a single cell when a group of cells includes a single cell.

[0149] As an example, different groups of cells may include some overlap between cells.

[0150] For example, one of the N groups of cells may include at least two other groups of cells; that is, one of the N groups of cells may be the union of at least two other groups of cells. For example, taking the above 5 cells as an example, one group of cells (e.g., cell group #1) includes cell #1, cell #2, and cell #3; another group of cells (e.g., cell group #2) includes cell #4 and cell #5; and yet another group of cells (e.g., cell group #3) includes cells from cell group #1 and cell group #2. In other words, cell group #3 includes all cells.

[0151] For another example, one group of N cells may include some or all of the cells in at least one other group. For instance, taking the above 5 cells as an example, one group includes cell #1, cell #2, and cell #3, while another group includes cell #1, cell #4, and cell #5.

[0152] The first identifier is one of N identifiers, and these N identifiers correspond (or are associated with) N groups of cells. In other words, each of the N identifiers corresponds one-to-one with a group of cells; that is, a group of cells can be identified through a single identifier. Specifically, different identifiers among the N identifiers indicate PDCCH monitoring within a corresponding group of cells. In other words, different identifiers among the N identifiers indicate PDCCH monitoring within different groups of cells within the N groups of cells. Based on this, network devices can control the PDCCH monitoring of terminal devices in different cells.

[0153] For example, suppose N=3, the N identifiers are named #1, #2, and #3, and the N cell groups are named #1, #2, and #3. Assume that identifier #1 corresponds to cell group #1, identifier #2 corresponds to cell group #2, and identifier #3 corresponds to cell group #3. Then, if the wake-up signal received by the terminal device includes identifier #1, or in other words, the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing identifier #1, then the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cell group #1; if the wake-up signal received by the terminal device includes identifier #2, or in other words, the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing identifier #2, then the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cell group #2; and if the wake-up signal received by the terminal device includes identifier #3, or in other words, the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing identifier #3, then the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cell group #3.

[0154] In one example, N identifiers are represented by N IDs. In another example, N identifiers are represented by N values, such as N codepoint values.

[0155] The specific form of the N identifiers is not limited. For example, in addition to ID and value, they can also be in other forms, such as strings, text, letters, etc. Any identifier that can distinguish different groups of cells is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0156] S420, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells based on the first identifier. Optionally, the network device also transmits the PDCCH within the first group of cells. In other words, the wake-up signal transmitted by the network device carries the first identifier, and correspondingly, the network device transmits the PDCCH within the first group of cells.

[0157] Specifically, when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing a first identifier, since the first identifier corresponds to the first group of cells, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells, rather than monitoring the PDCCH within the remaining groups of cells in the N groups. As mentioned above, different groups of cells may overlap; therefore, the phrase "not monitoring the PDCCH within the remaining groups of cells in the N groups" is relative to the group. Specifically, if the first group of cells includes some or all of the cells in other groups, then the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within that first group of cells. This includes the terminal device monitoring the PDCCH within those cells or all of them; in other words, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells, but this does not exclude the possibility that the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within cells in the first group that overlap with other groups. Two examples will be used to illustrate this below.

[0158] For example, suppose cell group #1 includes cell #1 and cell #2, cell group #2 includes cell #3 and cell #4, and cell group #3 includes all cells, namely cell #1, cell #2, cell #3, and cell #4. In other words, cell group #3 includes all cells in cell groups #1 and #2. In this case, if the first group of cells is cell group #3, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells, instead of monitoring the PDCCH in the remaining groups of N cells. This means that for cell groups #1, #2, and #3, the terminal device only monitors the PDCCH in all cells within cell group #3, that is, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cells #1, #2, #3, and #4. At this time, the terminal device does not monitor PDCCH in cell group #1 and cell group #2. This can be understood as the terminal device not monitoring PDCCH in cell group #1 and cell group #2. However, it is not ruled out that the terminal device actually monitors PDCCH in cells included in cell group #1 (i.e., cell #1 and cell #2) and cells included in cell group #2 (i.e., cell #3 and cell #4).

[0159] For example, suppose cell group #1 includes cell #1 and cell #2, and cell group #2 includes cell #1 and cell #3. In this case, if the first group of cells is cell group #2, then the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells, rather than monitoring the PDCCH in the remaining groups of N cells. This means that for cell groups #1 and #2, the terminal device only monitors the PDCCH in all cells within cell group #2, that is, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cells #1 and #3. The fact that the terminal device does not monitor the PDCCH in cell group #1 can be understood as the terminal device not monitoring the PDCCH on a per-cell-group basis, but it does not preclude the possibility that the terminal device actually monitors the PDCCH in cells included in cell group #1 (such as cell #1).

[0160] There are no restrictions on how the N groups of cells are divided.

[0161] One possible implementation is to group cells based on whether they are FR1 or FR2 cells. Based on this, the first group of cells may include any of the following: all cells configured for the terminal device located in FR1, all cells configured for the terminal device located in FR2, or all cells configured for the terminal device located in both FR1 and FR2 (or simply all cells configured for the terminal device).

[0162] For example, N=2, and one group of cells is all the cells located in FR1 configured for the terminal device, and another group of cells is all the cells located in FR2 configured for the terminal device; or, one group of cells is all the cells located in FR1 configured for the terminal device, and another group of cells is all the cells located in both FR1 and FR2 configured for the terminal device.

[0163] For example, N=3, and one group of cells is all the cells located in FR1 configured for the terminal device, another group of cells is all the cells located in FR2 configured for the terminal device, and yet another group of cells is all the cells located in both FR1 and FR2 configured for the terminal device.

[0164] Another possible implementation is that the network device divides all the cells configured for the terminal device into N groups of cells. Based on this, the first group of cells is one of the N groups of cells configured by the network device.

[0165] Specifically, considering that the wake-up signal indicates which cells or cells are used to monitor the PDCCH, the network device can group all the cells configured for the terminal device. Then, by carrying the identifier (such as ID or value) corresponding to which cell group the wake-up signal carries, the network device can determine which cell group the terminal device is monitoring the PDCCH in. For example, if there are M cells configured for the terminal device (M is an integer greater than 1), the network device can divide some or all of these M cells into N cell groups. The wake-up signal carrying the identifier (such as ID or value) corresponding to which cell group the terminal device is monitoring the PDCCH in will indicate which cell group the terminal device is monitoring.

[0166] Alternatively, M = N, and M cells form N groups of cells. In this case, N groups of cells are N cells (i.e., M cells). The identifier corresponding to the cell carried in the wake-up signal indicates which cell the terminal device is monitoring the PDCCH in.

[0167] Alternatively, N = M + 1, and M of the N groups of cells each contain one cell, with the remaining group containing M cells. Assume M = 2, i.e., cell #1 and cell #2, and the N groups of cells (i.e., 3 groups of cells) are: cell #1, cell #2, and cell #1 and cell #2. If the wake-up signal carries the identifier corresponding to cell #1, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cell #1; if the wake-up signal carries the identifier corresponding to cell #2, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in cell #2; if the wake-up signal carries the identifier corresponding to the group of cells containing cell #1 and cell #2, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in both cell #1 and cell #2.

[0168] Optionally, method 400 further includes: the terminal device receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information including information about M cells configured for the terminal device. For example, if the terminal device is configured with a CA, the network device can send configuration information (i.e., the first configuration information) to the terminal device, which indicates relevant information about the CA, such as information about the CCs (i.e., the M cells) configured for the terminal device.

[0169] Optionally, after the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in the first group of cells, method 400 further includes: the terminal device receiving control information, the control information indicating that the PDCCH is monitored in the second group of cells; and monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

[0170] The second group of cells includes at least one cell, and the second group of cells is a group of cells in the N groups that are different from the first group of cells.

[0171] The control information indicates that the PDCCH should be monitored in the second group of cells, or it can be replaced by: the control information triggers the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH in the second group of cells. In other words, after receiving the control information, the terminal device begins to monitor the PDCCH in the second group of cells.

[0172] Control information refers to signaling received by the terminal device through the main circuit. For example, control information may include any of the following: medium access control (MAC) signaling (e.g., MAC control element (MAC CE / MAC-CE)), downlink control information (DCI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, etc.

[0173] Optionally, the terminal device determines the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells. Based on this, the terminal device determines the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells, and then, upon receiving a wake-up signal, can determine which cell (or cell group) to monitor the PDCCH based on the identifiers carried in the wake-up signal, thus enabling the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH in different cells.

[0174] One possible implementation is that the terminal device receives second configuration information, which indicates the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells. For example, the cell groups and the identifiers corresponding to each group of cells are configured, so the network device can indicate the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells to the terminal device.

[0175] Another possible implementation is that the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells is predefined.

[0176] As an example, cell grouping is predefined, and the identifiers corresponding to each group of cells are configured. For instance, multiple cells can be divided into N groups based on their frequency and location. For example, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, and cells within FR2 into another; or, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, and cells within FR1 and FR2 into another; or, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, cells within FR2 into another, and cells within FR1 and FR2 into yet another group.

[0177] The above is an illustrative example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the cell grouping and the identifiers corresponding to each group of cells are predefined. As another example, the cell grouping is configured, and the identifiers corresponding to each group of cells are predefined.

[0178] The following examples illustrate N identifiers as N IDs, combining two scenarios.

[0179] In the examples below, "monitoring PDCCH within FR1" and "monitoring PDCCH on each cell within FR1" are sometimes used interchangeably, but they mean the same thing: monitoring the PDCCH on each cell within FR1 configured by the network device. Similarly, "monitoring PDCCH within FR2" and "monitoring PDCCH on each cell within FR2" are sometimes used interchangeably, but they mean the same thing: monitoring the PDCCH on each cell within FR2 configured by the network device.

[0180] In scenario one, there is a one-to-one correspondence between N IDs and N frequency ranges.

[0181] The following examples use FR1 and FR2 as examples to illustrate several points.

[0182] As an example, the correspondence between IDs and frequency ranges can exist in the form of tables, functions, text, or strings, such as storage or transmission. For clarity, the following example uses a table.

[0183] Example 1: The two IDs correspond to FR1 and FR2 respectively.

[0184] In Example 1, the correspondence between ID and frequency range is shown in Table 1.

[0185] Table 1

[0186] The implementation of Example 1 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 5(A) and Table 1.

[0187] Referring to Figure 5, as an example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0188] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH in FR1, that is, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell in FR1. As shown in Figure 5(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH in FR1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH in FR2.

[0189] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling to the terminal device (for distinction, referred to as signaling #A, which is also an example of control information).

[0190] Here, signaling #A is the signaling received by the terminal device through the main circuit. As an example, signaling #A is MAC signaling (e.g., MACCE, DCI, RRC signaling, etc.).

[0191] One possible implementation is that if the terminal device is configured with SCell dormancy, the network device can trigger the terminal device to start monitoring the PDCCH on each cell within FR2 using the signaling corresponding to the SCell dormancy function (i.e., an example of signaling #A). As an example, the signaling corresponding to the SCell dormancy function includes any of the following: DCI format 2_6, DCI format 1_1, DCI format 1_0, DCI format 2_1, or DCI format 2_0.

[0192] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH in FR2, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2. As shown in Figure 5(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device selects to monitor the PDCCH in each cell within FR2, instead of monitoring the PDCCH in FR1.

[0193] Optionally, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) through other signaling sent to the terminal device (for distinction, referred to as signaling #B, which is also an example of control information). Here, signaling #B is the signaling received by the terminal device through the main circuit. As an example, signaling #B can be MAC signaling (e.g., MAC CE), DCI, RRC signaling, etc.

[0194] Example 2: The two IDs correspond to FR1 and FR1 & FR2 respectively.

[0195] In Example 2, the correspondence between ID and frequency range is shown in Table 2.

[0196] Table 2

[0197] The implementation of Example 2 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 6(A) and Table 2.

[0198] Referring to Figure 6, as an example, Figure 6 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0199] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH in FR1, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR1. As shown in Figure 6(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH in FR1 instead of in FR2.

[0200] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) through other signaling sent to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in FR1 and FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 6(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. One possible scenario is that when the amount of incoming traffic data is small, the network device can carry ID#1 in the wake-up signal, meaning the terminal device can monitor the PDCCH only in each cell of FR1; when the amount of incoming traffic data is large, the network device can carry ID#2 in the wake-up signal, meaning the terminal device can monitor the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and FR2.

[0202] Example 3: The three IDs correspond to FR1, FR2, and FR1&FR2 respectively.

[0203] In Example 3, the correspondence between ID and frequency range is shown in Table 3.

[0204] Table 3

[0205] The implementation of Example 2 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 7(A) and Table 2.

[0206] Referring to Figure 7, as an example, Figure 7 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between ID and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0207] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH in FR1, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell in FR1. As shown in Figure 7(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH in FR1 instead of in FR2.

[0208] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) through other signaling sent to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details, which will not be repeated here.

[0209] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH in FR2, or in other words, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH on each cell in FR2. As shown in Figure 7(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH in FR2 instead of in FR1.

[0210] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) through other signaling sent to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in FR1 and FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 7(A), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2.

[0212] The above examples 1-3 illustrate the scenarios corresponding to N IDs and N frequency ranges. The following examples 4-6 illustrate the scenarios corresponding to N IDs and N cell groups.

[0213] Scenario 2: N IDs correspond one-to-one with N cell groups.

[0214] Each of the N cell groups includes at least one cell. There may be overlap between different cell groups in the N cell groups (for example, cell group #1 and cell group #2 may include the same cells; or a cell group may be the union of the other two cell groups), or there may be no overlap between different cell groups in the N cell groups, which is not a limitation.

[0215] As an example, the mapping between IDs and cell groups can exist in the form of tables, functions, text, or strings, such as being stored or transmitted. For clarity, the following example uses a table.

[0216] As examples, the division method of cell group #1 and cell group #2 in Examples 4-6 below is not limited. For example, they can be divided by frequency range, such as cell group #1 consisting of cells within FR1 and cell group #2 consisting of cells within FR2. Another example is division by network coverage area of ​​the cells. Yet another example is division by cell type, such as cell group #1 being PCell and cell group #2 being SCell.

[0217] Example 4: The two IDs correspond to cell group #1 and cell group #2, respectively.

[0218] In Example 1, the correspondence between ID and cell group is shown in Table 4.

[0219] Table 4

[0220] The implementation of Example 4 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 5(B) and Table 4. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0221] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 5(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0222] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details.

[0223] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 5(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #2 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1.

[0224] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] Example 5: The two IDs correspond to cell group #1 and cell group #1 & cell group #2 respectively.

[0226] In Example 5, the correspondence between ID and cell group is shown in Table 5.

[0227] Table 5

[0228] The implementation of Example 5 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 6(B) and Table 5. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0229] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 6(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0230] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details.

[0231] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 and cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 6(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2.

[0232] Example 6: The three IDs correspond to cell group #1, cell group #2, and cell group #1 & cell group #2, respectively.

[0233] In Example 6, the correspondence between ID and cell group is shown in Table 6.

[0234] Table 6

[0235] The implementation of Example 6 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 7(B) and Table 6. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0236] For example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device starts monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 7(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0237] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details.

[0238] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device will start monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 7(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #2 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1.

[0239] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 for further details, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] For another example, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 and cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 7(B), when the terminal device receives a wake-up signal containing ID#3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2.

[0241] Examples 1 to 6 above are illustrative examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, Examples 1-3 above may include a larger number of IDs and corresponding frequency ranges. As another example, Examples 4-6 above may include a larger number of IDs and corresponding cell groups. As yet another example, FR1 in Examples 1-3 above can be replaced with a first frequency range, and FR2 can be replaced with a second frequency range. As yet another example, cell groups in Examples 4-6 above can be replaced with cells.

[0242] The above, with reference to Figures 4 to 7, describes how the terminal device determines the cell (or cell group, or cell within the frequency range) to monitor the PDCCH based on the identifier carried in the wake-up signal. The following, with reference to Figures 8 to 11, describes how the terminal device determines which cell (or cell group, or cell within the frequency range) to monitor the PDCCH based on the time-domain location of the wake-up signal.

[0243] Referring to Figure 8, as an example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 800 shown in Figure 8 may include the following steps.

[0244] In S810, the network device sends a wake-up signal on the first time domain resource. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the wake-up signal on the first time domain resource.

[0245] The terminal device receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource can be understood as monitoring the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource. This monitoring can be continuous or discontinuous, such as the terminal device monitoring the wake-up signal in some time domain resources within the first time domain resource and not monitoring the wake-up signal in other time domain resources; there is no limitation on this.

[0246] Here, the first time-domain resource is one set of time-domain resources from N sets of time-domain resources. The wake-up signals received from different sets of time-domain resources in the N sets of time-domain resources indicate the monitoring of PDCCH in different sets of cells in the N sets of cells, where N is an integer greater than 1. Furthermore, for network devices, they can send wake-up signals on a portion of the time-domain resources in one set of time-domain resources (such as the first time-domain resource); for terminal devices, they can monitor wake-up signals on a portion of the time-domain resources in one set of time-domain resources (such as the first time-domain resource).

[0247] N sets of time-domain resources correspond to (or are associated with) N sets of cells. Specifically, different sets of time-domain resources in the N sets are used to carry wake-up signals indicating PDCCH monitoring in different sets of cells within the N sets of cells. In other words, the wake-up signals received by the different time-domain resources of the N sets indicate PDCCH monitoring in the corresponding set of cells; or, the wake-up signals received by the different time-domain resources of the N sets indicate PDCCH monitoring in different sets of cells within the N sets of cells. Based on this, network devices can control terminal devices to monitor PDCCH in different cells.

[0248] For example, suppose N=3, and the N groups of time-domain resources are named: Time-domain resource #1, Time-domain resource #2, and Time-domain resource #3, and the N groups of cells are named: Cell group #1, Cell group #2, and Cell group #3. Assume that Time-domain resource #1 corresponds to Cell group #1, Time-domain resource #2 corresponds to Cell group #2, and Time-domain resource #3 corresponds to Cell group #3. Then, if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal on a time-domain resource in Time-domain resource #1, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in Cell group #1; if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal on a time-domain resource in Time-domain resource #2, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in Cell group #2; and if the terminal device receives a wake-up signal on a time-domain resource in Time-domain resource #3, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in Cell group #3.

[0249] For the relevant schemes regarding N groups of cells, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Method 400 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] In this context, the unit of each time-domain resource in the N groups of time-domain resources can be, for example, MO. For instance, the first time-domain resource includes K MOs, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0251] Optionally, each set of time-frequency resources can occur periodically. Each periodic occurrence includes K MOs.

[0252] S820, the terminal device receives a wake-up signal based on the first time domain resources and monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells. Optionally, the network device also transmits the PDCCH within the first group of cells. In other words, the network device transmits a wake-up signal using the first time domain resources, where the first time domain resources are used to carry a wake-up signal indicating PDCCH monitoring within the first group of cells; correspondingly, the network device transmits the PDCCH within the first group of cells.

[0253] Specifically, the terminal device receives a wake-up signal on the first time domain resource. If the terminal device receives a wake-up signal within the first time domain resource, it monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells corresponding to that first time domain resource, instead of monitoring the PDCCH within the remaining groups of cells in the N groups. Different groups of cells may overlap; therefore, the phrase "not monitoring the PDCCH within the remaining groups of cells in the N groups" is relative to the group. Specifically, if the first group of cells includes some or all of the cells in other groups, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within that first group of cells. This includes the terminal device monitoring the PDCCH within those cells or all of them; in other words, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within the first group of cells, but this does not exclude the possibility that the terminal device monitors the PDCCH within cells in the first group that overlap with cells in other groups. Refer to the relevant description in method 400 above for further details; it will not be repeated here.

[0254] Optionally, the wake-up signal includes a first piece of information from N pieces of information. The first piece of information indicates that a terminal device or a group of terminal devices is monitoring the PDCCH, and the different pieces of information from the N pieces of information indicate that different terminal devices or different groups of terminal devices are monitoring the PDCCH. Specifically, a wake-up signal is used to wake up a terminal device or a group of terminal devices. The N pieces of information can be, for example, N codepoint values, and the first piece of information is one of the N codepoint values.

[0255] Optionally, method 800 further includes: the terminal device receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information including information about M cells configured for the terminal device. For example, if the terminal device is configured with a CA, the network device can send configuration information (i.e., the first configuration information) to the terminal device, which indicates relevant information about the CA, such as information about the CCs (i.e., the M cells) configured for the terminal device.

[0256] Optionally, after the terminal device monitors the PDCCH in the first group of cells, method 800 further includes: the terminal device receiving control information, the control information instructing the monitoring of the PDCCH in the second group of cells; and monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information. Refer to the relevant description in method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0257] Optionally, the terminal device determines the correspondence between N sets of time-domain resources and N sets of cells. Based on this, the terminal device determines the correspondence between N sets of time-domain resources and N sets of cells, and then, upon receiving a wake-up signal, can determine which cell (or cell group) to monitor the PDCCH based on the time-domain resources where the wake-up signal is located, thereby enabling the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH in different cells.

[0258] One possible implementation involves the terminal device receiving second configuration information indicating the correspondence between N groups of time-domain resources and N groups of cells. For example, the cell grouping and the N groups of time-domain resources are configured, so the network device can indicate the correspondence between the N groups of time-domain resources and the N groups of cells to the terminal device.

[0259] Another possible implementation is that the correspondence between N sets of time-domain resources and N sets of cells is predefined.

[0260] As an example, cell grouping is predefined, and N groups of time-domain resources are configured. For instance, multiple cells can be divided into N groups based on their frequency deployment location. For example, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, and cells within FR2 into another; or, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, and cells within FR1 and FR2 into another; or, cells within FR1 can be grouped into one group, cells within FR2 into another, and cells within FR1 and FR2 into yet another group.

[0261] The above is an illustrative example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the cell grouping and N groups of time-domain resources are predefined. As another example, the cell grouping is configured, and the N groups of time-domain resources are predefined.

[0262] Below, we will introduce several examples based on two different scenarios.

[0263] In the examples below, "monitoring PDCCH within FR1" and "monitoring PDCCH on each cell within FR1" are sometimes used interchangeably, but they mean the same thing: monitoring the PDCCH on each cell within FR1 configured by the network device. Similarly, "monitoring PDCCH within FR2" and "monitoring PDCCH on each cell within FR2" are sometimes used interchangeably, but they mean the same thing: monitoring the PDCCH on each cell within FR2 configured by the network device.

[0264] Scenario 1: There is a one-to-one correspondence between N sets of time-domain resources and N sets of frequency ranges.

[0265] The following examples use FR1 and FR2 as examples to illustrate several points.

[0266] As an example, the correspondence between time-domain resources and frequency ranges can exist in the form of tables, functions, text, or strings, such as in storage or transmission. For ease of illustration, the following example uses a table.

[0267] Example 7: The two sets of time-domain resources correspond to FR1 and FR2, respectively.

[0268] In Example 7, the correspondence between time-domain resources and frequency ranges is shown in Table 7.

[0269] Table 7

[0270] The implementation of Example 7 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 9(A) and Table 7.

[0271] Referring to Figure 9, as an example, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0272] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH within FR1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR1. As shown in Figure 9(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH within FR1 instead of within FR2.

[0273] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for further details; it will not be repeated here.

[0274] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH within FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 9(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH within FR2 instead of within FR1.

[0275] Optionally, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) through other signaling sent to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information). Here, signaling #B is the signaling received by the terminal device through the main circuit. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] Example 8: The two sets of time-domain resources correspond to FR1 and FR1 & FR2, respectively.

[0277] In Example 8, the correspondence between time-domain resources and frequency ranges is shown in Table 8.

[0278] Table 8

[0279] The implementation of Example 8 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 10(A) and Table 8.

[0280] Referring to Figure 10, as an example, Figure 10 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0281] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH within FR1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR1. As shown in Figure 10(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH within FR1 instead of within FR2.

[0282] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for further details; it will not be repeated here.

[0283] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in FR1 and FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 10(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, it begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. One possible scenario is that when the amount of incoming traffic data is small, the terminal device can monitor the PDCCH only in each cell of FR1; when the amount of incoming traffic data is large, the terminal device can monitor the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and FR2.

[0284] Example 9: The three time-domain resources correspond to FR1, FR2, and FR1 & FR2, respectively.

[0285] In Example 9, the correspondence between time-domain resources and frequency ranges is shown in Table 9.

[0286] Table 9

[0287] The implementation of Example 9 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 11(A) and Table 9.

[0288] Referring to Figure 11, as an example, Figure 11 is another schematic diagram of the relationship between time-domain resources and frequency range or cell group applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0289] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH within FR1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR1. As shown in Figure 11(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH within FR1 instead of within FR2.

[0290] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell within FR2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling to the terminal device (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information). Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for further details; it will not be repeated here.

[0291] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH within FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 11(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH within FR2 instead of within FR1.

[0292] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #3, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in FR1 and FR2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2. As shown in Figure 11(A), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH in each cell of FR1 and each cell of FR2.

[0294] The above examples 7-9 illustrate the scenarios corresponding to N groups of time-domain resources and N groups of frequency ranges. The following examples 10-12 illustrate the scenarios corresponding to N groups of time-domain resources and N cell groups.

[0295] Scenario 2: N sets of time-domain resources correspond one-to-one with N cell groups.

[0296] Each of the N cell groups includes at least one cell. There may be overlap between different cell groups in the N cell groups (for example, cell group #1 and cell group #2 may include the same cells; or a cell group may be the union of the other two cell groups), or there may be no overlap between different cell groups in the N cell groups, which is not a limitation.

[0297] As an example, the mapping between time-domain resources and cell groups can exist in the form of tables, functions, text, or strings, such as in storage or transmission. For ease of illustration, the following example uses a table.

[0298] As examples, the division method of cell group #1 and cell group #2 in Examples 10-12 below is not limited. For example, they can be divided by frequency range, such as cell group #1 consisting of cells within FR1 and cell group #2 consisting of cells within FR2. Another example is division by network coverage area of ​​the cells. Yet another example is division by cell type, such as cell group #1 being PCell and cell group #2 being SCell.

[0299] Example 10: The two sets of time-domain resources correspond to cell group #1 and cell group #2, respectively.

[0300] In Example 10, the correspondence between time-domain resources and cell groups is shown in Table 10.

[0301] Table 10

[0302] The implementation of Example 10 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 9(B) and Table 10. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0303] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 9(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0304] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0305] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 9(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #2 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1.

[0306] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0307] Example 11: The two sets of time-domain resources correspond to cell group #1 and cell group #1 & cell group #2, respectively.

[0308] In Example 11, the correspondence between time-domain resources and cell groups is shown in Table 11.

[0309] Table 11

[0310] The implementation of Example 11 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 10(B) and Table 11. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0311] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 10(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0312] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0313] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 and cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 10(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2.

[0314] Example 12: The three time-domain resources correspond to cell group #1, cell group #2, and cell group #1 & cell group #2, respectively.

[0315] In Example 12, the correspondence between time-domain resources and cell groups is shown in Table 12.

[0316] Table 12

[0317] The implementation of Example 12 will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 11(B) and Table 12. Assume that cell group #1 includes PCell.

[0318] For example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1. As shown in Figure 11(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #1, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #1 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2.

[0319] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #A, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0320] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 11(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #2, the terminal device chooses to monitor the PDCCH on cell group #2 instead of monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1.

[0321] Alternatively, after the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #2 (i.e., an example of the first group of cells), the network device can instruct (or trigger) the terminal device to also begin monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 (i.e., an example of the second group of cells) by sending other signaling (i.e., signaling #B, which is also an example of control information) to the terminal device. Refer to the relevant description in Example 1 of Method 400 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0322] For another example, if the terminal device monitors for a wake-up signal on time domain resource #3, then upon detecting the wake-up signal, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on cell group #1 and cell group #2, or in other words, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2. As shown in Figure 11(B), when the terminal device detects a wake-up signal on time domain resource #3, the terminal device begins monitoring the PDCCH on each cell of cell group #1 and each cell of cell group #2.

[0323] Examples 7 to 12 above are illustrative examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, examples 10-12 above may include a greater number of time-domain resources and corresponding cell groups. As another example, cell groups in examples 10-12 above may be replaced by cells. As yet another example, examples 7-9 above may include a greater number of time-domain resources and corresponding frequency ranges.

[0324] It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, "monitoring" can be used interchangeably with "receiving," "detecting," or "reading." For example, "receiving a wake-up signal" can also be replaced with "monitoring a wake-up signal," "detecting a wake-up signal," or "reading a wake-up signal."

[0325] It is also understood that in some embodiments of this application, FR1 and FR2 are used as examples for illustration, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, FR1 can be replaced with a first frequency range, and FR2 can be replaced with a second frequency range.

[0326] It is also understood that in the various embodiments of this application, if the terminal device learns that it has been woken up, such as by learning that it has been woken up based on a wake-up signal, the terminal device can immediately access the network device, or the terminal device can access the network device at intervals, without restriction.

[0327] It is also understood that in some of the above embodiments, the main circuit and wake-up circuit are mainly used as examples for illustrative purposes, and this application is not limited thereto. For example, "wake-up circuit" can also be replaced with "first module", or "wake-up link", or "in a first state", or "in a first mode". For example, "the terminal device receives a signal using the wake-up circuit" can also be replaced with "the terminal device receives a signal through the first module or the terminal device receives a signal on the wake-up link". "Main circuit" can also be replaced with "second module", or "main link", or "in a second state", or "in a second mode". For example, "the terminal device receives a signal using the main circuit" can also be replaced with "the terminal device receives a signal through the second module or the terminal device receives a signal on the main link".

[0328] It is also understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, the interaction between a terminal device and a network device is mainly used as an example for illustrative purposes. This application is not limited thereto. The terminal device can be replaced by a receiving device, which can be either a terminal device or a network device; the network device can be replaced by a sending device, which can be either a terminal device or a network device. For example, "terminal device" can be replaced by "first terminal device," and "network device" can be replaced by "second terminal device."

[0329] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 4 to 11. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 12 to 14. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0330] Referring to Figure 12, as an example, Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1200 includes a transceiver unit 1210. The transceiver unit 1210 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1210 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit. Optionally, the communication device 1200 further includes a processing unit 1220. The processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing, such as determining which cell group the PDCCH is monitored in.

[0331] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 1220 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0332] In a first possible design, the device 1200 can be the terminal device in the foregoing embodiments, which can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1210 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0333] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1210 is configured to receive a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal including a first identifier, the first identifier indicating monitoring of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) within a first group of cells, the first group of cells including at least one cell, the first group of cells being a group of cells in N groups of cells, the first identifier being one of N identifiers, different identifiers among the N identifiers indicating monitoring of the PDCCH within different groups of cells in the N groups of cells, where N is an integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to monitor the PDCCH within the first group of cells according to the first identifier.

[0334] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to receive first configuration information, which includes information on M cells configured for the terminal device, wherein the N groups of cells include cells belonging to M cells, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0335] Optionally, the first group of cells can be any of the following: all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 1FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 2FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; or a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0336] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is also configured to receive control information, the control information indicating that PDCCH is monitored in the second group of cells; and to monitor PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

[0337] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is also used to receive second configuration information, which indicates the correspondence between N identifiers and N groups of cells.

[0338] Another possible implementation is that the transceiver unit 1210 is used to receive a wake-up signal in the first time domain resource; the transceiver unit 1210 is also used to monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in the first group of cells based on receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource; wherein, the first group of cells includes at least one cell, the first group of cells is a group of cells in N groups of cells, the first time domain resource is a group of time domain resources in N groups of time domain resources, and different groups of time domain resources in N groups of time domain resources are used to carry a wake-up signal indicating monitoring the PDCCH in different groups of cells in N groups of cells, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0339] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to receive first configuration information, which includes information on M cells configured for the terminal device, wherein the N groups of cells include cells belonging to M cells, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0340] Optionally, the first group of cells can be any of the following: all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 1FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 2FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; or a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

[0341] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is also configured to receive control information, the control information indicating that PDCCH is monitored in the second group of cells; and to monitor PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

[0342] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is also used to receive second configuration information, which indicates the correspondence between N groups of time-domain resources and N groups of cells.

[0343] Optionally, the wake-up signal includes the first piece of information among N pieces of information, the first piece of information indicating that a terminal device or a group of terminal devices monitors the PDCCH, and the different pieces of information among the N pieces of information indicating that different terminal devices or different groups of terminal devices monitor the PDCCH.

[0344] In a second possible design, the device 1200 can be a network device as described in the foregoing embodiments. This device 1200 can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device corresponding to those described in the method embodiments above. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1210 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the network device described in the method embodiments above, and the processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the network device described in the method embodiments above, or operations other than transceiver operations (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0345] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1210 is configured to transmit a wake-up signal. The wake-up signal includes a first identifier, which indicates monitoring of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) within a first group of cells. The first group of cells includes at least one cell and is one of N groups of cells. The first identifier is one of N identifiers, and different identifiers among the N identifiers indicate monitoring of the PDCCH within different groups of cells in the N groups of cells, where N is an integer greater than 1. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to transmit the PDCCH within the first group of cells.

[0346] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1210 is configured to transmit a wake-up signal on time-domain resources within a first time-domain resource. The first time-domain resource is one of N groups of time-domain resources. Different groups of time-domain resources within the N groups are used to carry wake-up signals indicating PDCCH monitoring within different groups of cells in the N groups, where N is an integer greater than 1. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is also configured to transmit PDCCH within the first group of cells.

[0347] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0348] It should also be understood that the device 1200 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1200 can be specifically the communication device in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0349] The apparatus 1200 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described methods. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by processors, each performing the transceiver operations and related processing operations in the respective method embodiments.

[0350] In addition, the transceiver unit 1210 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

[0351] It should be noted that the device in Figure 12 can be the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0352] Referring to Figure 13, as an example, Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1300 includes a processor 1310, which is coupled to a memory 1320. The memory 1320 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1310 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1320, or to read the data stored in the memory 1320, in order to execute the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0353] Optionally, there may be one or more processors 1310.

[0354] Optionally, the memory 1320 may be one or more.

[0355] Alternatively, the memory 1320 can be integrated with the processor 1310, or it can be set separately.

[0356] Optionally, as shown in FIG13, the device 1300 further includes a transceiver 1330 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 1310 is used to control the transceiver 1330 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0357] As an example, processor 1310 may have the functions of processing unit 1220 shown in FIG12, memory 1320 may have the functions of storage unit, and transceiver 1330 may have the functions of transceiver unit 1210 shown in FIG12.

[0358] As one option, the device 1300 is used to implement the operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0359] For example, processor 1310 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 1320 to implement the relevant operations of the communication device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0360] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0361] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0362] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0363] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0364] Referring to Figure 14, as an example, Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system 1400 (or may also be referred to as a processing system) includes logic circuitry 1410 and an input / output interface 1420.

[0365] The logic circuit 1410 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1400. The logic circuit 1410 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 1400 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 1420 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1400, outputting processed information from the chip system 1400, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1400 for processing.

[0366] As one approach, the chip system 1400 is used to implement operations performed by communication devices (such as terminal devices or network devices) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0367] For example, logic circuit 1410 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 1420 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments.

[0368] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described method embodiments. For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) performs the above-described methods (such as method 400 or method 800).

[0369] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the methods described above as performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device). For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) performs the methods described above (such as method 400 or method 800).

[0370] This application also provides a communication system that includes the terminal device and / or network device described in the preceding embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in the embodiment of FIG4. As another example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in the embodiment of FIG8.

[0371] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0372] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0373] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0374] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: receiving a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal comprising a first identifier, the first identifier indicating to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells, the first group of cells comprising at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first identifier being one of N identifiers, different identifiers of the N identifiers indicating to monitor the PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, N being an integer greater than 1; monitoring the PDCCH in the first group of cells according to the first identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before receiving the wake-up signal, the method further comprises: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information comprising information of M cells configured for the terminal device, cells included in the N groups of cells belonging to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 (FR1); all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 (FR2); all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The N groups of cells further comprise a second group of cells, the second group of cells comprising at least one cell, after monitoring the PDCCH in the first group of cells, the method further comprises: receiving control information, the control information indicating to monitor the PDCCH in the second group of cells; monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N identifiers and the N groups of cells.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal device, and the terminal device is in a connected state.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: receiving a wake-up signal in a first time domain resource; monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells based on receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource; wherein the first group of cells comprises at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first time domain resource being one of N groups of time domain resources, different groups of time domain resources of the N groups of time domain resources being used to carry a wake-up signal indicating to monitor the PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, N being an integer greater than 1.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Before receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource, the method further comprises: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information comprising information of M cells configured for the terminal device, cells included in the N groups of cells belonging to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 (FR1); all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 (FR2); all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The N groups of cells further comprise a second group of cells, the second group of cells comprising at least one cell, after monitoring the PDCCH in the first group of cells, the method further comprises: receiving control information, the control information indicating to monitor the PDCCH in the second group of cells; monitoring the PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information. monitor PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N groups of time domain resources and the N groups of cells.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The wake-up signal includes first information of N information, the first information indicating that one terminal device or one terminal device group monitors PDCCH, and different information of the N information indicating that different terminal devices or different terminal device groups monitor PDCCH.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal device in a connected state.

14. A communication method, comprising: comprising: sending a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal including a first identifier, the first identifier indicating monitoring of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells; sending the PDCCH in the first group of cells; wherein the first group of cells includes at least one cell, the first group of cells is one of N groups of cells, the first identifier is one of N identifiers, different identifiers of the N identifiers indicate monitoring of the PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, and N is an integer greater than 1.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, Before sending the wake-up signal, the method further includes: sending first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, and cells included in the N groups of cells belong to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the first group of cells is any one of: all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 1 (FR1); all cells configured for the terminal device within a frequency range 2 (FR2); all cells configured for the terminal device; or a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that, The N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, the second group of cells including at least one cell, and the method further includes: sending control information indicating monitoring of PDCCH in the second group of cells.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N identifiers and the N groups of cells.

19. A method of communication, comprising: comprising: sending a wake-up signal in a first time domain resource; sending a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a first group of cells; wherein the first group of cells includes at least one cell, the first group of cells is one of N groups of cells, the first time domain resource is one of N groups of time domain resources, different groups of time domain resources of the N groups of time domain resources are used to carry a wake-up signal indicating monitoring of PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, and N is an integer greater than 1.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The method further includes: sending first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, and cells included in the N groups of cells belong to the M cells, M being an integer greater than 1.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein The first group of cells is any one of the following: all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 1 FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 2 FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

22. The method of any one of claims 19-21, wherein, The N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, the second group of cells including at least one cell, and the method further includes: sending control information indicating monitoring PDCCH in the second group of cells.

23. The method of any one of claims 19-22, wherein, The method further includes: sending second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N groups of time domain resources and the N groups of cells.

24. The method of any one of claims 19-23, wherein, The wake-up signal includes first information of N information, the first information indicating that one terminal device or one terminal device group monitors PDCCH, and different information of the N information indicating that different terminal devices or different terminal device groups monitor PDCCH.

25. A method of communication, comprising: includes: receiving a wake-up signal in a first time domain resource; monitoring a physical downlink control channel PDCCH in a first group of cells based on receiving a wake-up signal in the first time domain resource; wherein the first group of cells includes at least one cell, the first group of cells being one of N groups of cells, the first time domain resource being one of N groups of time domain resources, different groups of time domain resources of the N groups of time domain resources being used to carry a wake-up signal indicating monitoring PDCCH in different groups of cells of the N groups of cells, and N being an integer greater than 1.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, Before receiving the wake-up signal in the first time domain resource, the method further includes: receiving first configuration information including information of M cells configured for the terminal device, the cells included in the N groups of cells belonging to the M cells, and M being an integer greater than 1.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, The first group of cells is any one of the following: all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 1 FR1; all cells configured for the terminal device within frequency range 2 FR2; all cells configured for the terminal device; a group of cells configured for the terminal device.

28. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein, The N groups of cells further include a second group of cells, the second group of cells including at least one cell, and the method further includes: receiving control information indicating monitoring PDCCH in the second group of cells; monitoring PDCCH in the second group of cells according to the control information.

29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein, The method further includes: receiving second configuration information indicating a correspondence between the N groups of time domain resources and the N groups of cells.

30. The method of any one of claims 25-29, wherein, The wake-up signal includes first information of N information, the first information indicating that one terminal device or one terminal device group monitors PDCCH, and different information of the N information indicating that different terminal devices or different terminal device groups monitor PDCCH.

31. A communications device, characterized by comprise a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 7-13; or comprise a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 14-18; or comprise a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 19-24; or comprise a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 25-30.

32. A communications device, characterized by comprise a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-6; or configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 7-13; or configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 14-18; or configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 19-24; or configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 25-30.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein, The apparatus further comprises a memory and / or a communication interface, The memory, coupled to the processor, for storing computer programs or instructions; The communication interface, coupled to the processor, for inputting and / or outputting information.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon computer programs or instructions, which, when executed on a communication apparatus, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-6; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 7-13; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 14-18; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 19-24; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 25-30.

35. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions, which, when executed on a communication apparatus, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-6; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 7-13; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 14-18; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 19-24; or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 25-30.

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