Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of wireless communications. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, wherein the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception periods, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception periods include a first discontinuous reception period, the first discontinuous reception period comprises a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period during which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception period, and the second time period is a time period during which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception period; the terminal device receiving a synchronization signal within a time window, wherein the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located within the second time period.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410966240.0, filed on July 17, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] With the evolution of communication technology, wireless communication uses increasingly wider spectrums, and network devices have more and more transmitting antennas, resulting in higher power consumption. Therefore, energy saving has received increasing attention. One of the main technical means to reduce energy consumption is to reduce the signal transmission of network devices. Cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) technology allows network devices to transmit downlink data to terminal devices only during designated time periods, and not during other time periods, thus achieving network energy saving through shutdown technology.

[0005] Cell DTX / DRX configuration can include one or more of the following information: cycle length, start time, stop time, start duration, or stop duration. The start time refers to the beginning of the active period within the cell DTX / DRX cycle, the stop time is the beginning of the inactive period within the cell DTX / DRX cycle, the start duration is the duration of the active period, and the stop duration is the duration of the inactive period.

[0006] Within a single cell DTX / DRX cycle, there are active and inactive periods in chronological order. During the inactive period, network devices at least cease downlink service transmission with terminal devices and may also cease transmission of certain periodic signals, such as at least one of the following: synchronization signal block (SSB), channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). During the active period, network devices and terminal devices perform downlink service transmission. Taking synchronization signals as an example, if network devices stop sending synchronization signals during the inactive period, and terminal devices directly transmit data after entering the active period, the accuracy of data transmission will be low because the terminal devices and network devices have not completed synchronization. To ensure data transmission accuracy, if the terminal device transmits synchronization signals simultaneously with data transmission (e.g., the synchronization signal and data transmission are in the same time slot or subframe), the terminal device cannot correctly demodulate the data in the current time slot or subframe, resulting in a large data transmission delay.

[0007] Ensuring the accuracy and latency of data transmission between network devices and terminal devices during the Cell DTX activity period is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to ensure that network devices and terminal devices synchronize their time and / or frequency before the activity period, thereby ensuring the accuracy of data transmission between network devices and terminal devices during the activity period.

[0009] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal-side device. The terminal-side device can be a terminal device, a module (such as a chip) within the terminal device, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing terminal device functions. The method includes: receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle; and receiving a synchronization signal within a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located within the second time period.

[0010] In the above implementation method, by introducing a time window for the synchronization signal, the terminal device can be quickly synchronized before the active period when it can transmit data with the network device, thereby improving the accuracy of data transmission.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) during the first time period.

[0012] In the above implementation, since the terminal device has already received the signal for time-frequency synchronization within the time window before the first time period, it can complete time and / or frequency synchronization in a timely manner based on the signal. Therefore, when the network device starts downlink data transmission at a certain moment within the first time period, the terminal device can ensure that it can receive the PDSCH sent by the network side and realize downlink data transmission.

[0013] In one possible implementation, receiving PDSCH within the first time period includes: receiving PDSCH at the first symbol within the first time period, or at the first time slot within the first time period.

[0014] In one possible implementation, within the first discontinuous period, the first time period is located before the second time period. The method further includes: determining the position of the time window within the second time period within the first discontinuous reception period based on the end position of the second time period within the first discontinuous reception period or the start position of the first time period within the second discontinuous reception period, wherein the second discontinuous reception period is the next discontinuous reception period after the first discontinuous reception period.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the second time period is located before the first time period within the first discontinuous reception period. The method further includes: determining the position of the time window within the second time period based on the end position of the second time period within the first discontinuous reception period or the start position of the first time period within the first discontinuous reception period.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating the length of the time window and / or the transmission period of the period of the synchronization signal.

[0017] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network-side device. The network-side device can be a network device, such as a base station or a wireless access network device. The network-side device can be a network device, a module (such as a chip) within a network device, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing network device functions. The method includes: sending cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle; sending a synchronization signal within a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located within the second time period.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending a PDSCH within the first time period.

[0019] For some possible implementation methods and desired effects of the second aspect, please refer to the first aspect, and I will not elaborate further.

[0020] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, comprising: a network device sending cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being a time period in which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period being a time period in which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle; and a terminal device receiving a synchronization signal within a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located within the second time period.

[0021] Fourthly, a communication system is provided, including a network device and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device can implement the method of the first aspect, and the network device can implement the method of the second aspect.

[0022] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising units for performing the steps of the method provided in the first aspect above. For example, the communication apparatus may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0023] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the method as described in any one of the first aspects, or to perform the method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0024] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided for reading a computer program stored in a memory and executing the method provided in the first or second aspect above. Optionally, the chip may include a processor coupled to the memory for reading the computer program stored in the memory and implementing the method provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the chip may further include components such as a memory, a communication interface, and a power supply module. The memory is used to store the computer program, the communication interface is used to receive and transmit data, and the power supply module is used to supply power to the processor.

[0025] Eighthly, a chip system is provided, including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the methods provided in any one or the second aspect. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0026] A ninth aspect provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the method provided in the second aspect.

[0027] In a tenth aspect, a program product is provided, the program product comprising a program or instructions; when the program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the method provided in the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the active and inactive times within the cell DTX / DRX cycle;

[0030] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the temporal positional relationship between a time window and the first / second time period in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the temporal positional relationship between a time window and the first / second time period in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of signal resources within the time window in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of signal resources within the time window in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing that the cell DTX cycle length is an integer multiple of the time window cycle length in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) communication system, 5th Generation (5G) system, or New Radio (NR), or applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems, etc.

[0039] Referring to Figure 1, this is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal connects wirelessly to the wireless access network device, and the wireless access network device connects to the core network wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network device and the wireless access network device may be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device may be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the wireless access network device. Terminals and wireless access network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0040] Radio access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system; it can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU performs the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Wireless access network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), or a relay node or donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the wireless access network equipment. For ease of description, network equipment will be used as an example of wireless access network equipment in the following description.

[0041] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminals.

[0042] Network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminals.

[0043] The roles of network devices and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, drone 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both network devices and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0044] Communication between network devices and terminals, between network devices, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0045] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes network device functions. This control subsystem, including network device functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0046] In this embodiment, the network device sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal device, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal device sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which the terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of that terminal device.

[0047] This application relates to network energy-saving technology and time / frequency synchronization technology. In order to better understand the embodiments of this application, the network energy-saving technology and time / frequency synchronization technology, as well as other related technologies and terms, will be explained below.

[0048] (1) Network energy-saving technology

[0049] To achieve network energy saving, one possible approach is to configure a cell for a terminal device with a period comprising active time (also known as on-duration or active time) and inactive time (also known as off-duration or inactive time or non-active time). During the inactive time of a period, the terminal device does not receive / transmit certain signals to save power. During the active time of the period, the terminal device can receive / transmit these signals / channels. In this application, the above energy-saving technology is referred to as Cell DTX / DRX. Optionally, Cell DTX / DRX applies to all terminal devices within the first cell, or in other words, the network device instructs all users within the first cell to use Cell DTX / DRX via first indication information, or the Cell DTX / DRX configuration is identical for all users within the first cell.

[0050] Cell DTX / DRX can be configured at the cell level. Network devices can send various cell DTX / DRX configurations to terminal devices via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and enable (or activate) one of the various cell DTX / DRX configurations in a cell via downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0051] It should be understood that cell DTX / DRX is an abbreviation for the aforementioned energy-saving technology. For example, the aforementioned energy-saving technology can also be called energy-saving mode 1, energy-saving configuration 1, etc. This application does not limit the name of the energy-saving technology.

[0052] In this embodiment of the application, the active time within the cell DTX / DRX cycle is referred to as the first time period, and the inactive time within the cell-DRX cycle is referred to as the second time period.

[0053] For example, Figure 2 illustrates the active and inactive times (also referred to as cell DTX off periods, inactive periods, or inactive time) within a cell DTX / DRX cycle. As shown in Figure 2, during the active time period, the network device or cell is in an active state; during the inactive time period, the network device or cell is in a deactivated state. In the active state, the transmission and reception status of the first signal / first channel can be either sending or receiving. For example, during the active time period, the network device can send the first signal, and the terminal device can receive the first signal. In the deactivated state, the transmission and reception status of the first signal / first channel can be either not sending or not receiving. For example, during the inactive time period, the network device can not send the first signal, and the terminal device can not receive the first signal. The first signal may include at least one set of signals from a first group of signals, a second group of signals, a third group of signals, and a fourth group of signals.

[0054] For example, the first set of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled with cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), PDCCH scrambled with configured scheduling radio network temporary identifier (CS-RNTI), PDCCH scrambled with slot format indicators (SFI)-RNTI, PDCCH scrambled with cancellation indication (CI)-RNTI, PDCCH scrambled with transmission power control (TPC-PUCCH) of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (also known as TPC-PUCCH, where TPC is an abbreviation for transmission power control)-RNTI, PDCCH scrambled with TPC (also known as TPC-PUSCH)-RNTI of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), dynamically scheduled PDSCH, and channel sounding reference signal. TPC-RNTI scrambled PDCCH (also known as TPC-SRS) and Availability Indication (AI)-RNTI scrambled PDCCH.

[0055] For example, the second set of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledge (HARQ-ACK) for dynamically scheduled PDSCH, aperiodic SRS (A-SRS), periodic SRS (P-SRS), semi-persistent SRS (SP-SRS), aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI, where CSI is the abbreviation for channel state information), periodic CSI (P-SRS), semi-persistent CSI (SP-SRS), and dynamic grant (DG) PUSCH.

[0056] For example, the third group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: SSB, beam failure recovery (BFR), semi-static scheduling PDSCH (SPS PDSCH), system information (SI) / random access (RA) / temporary cell (TC) / paging / power saving (PS)-RNTI scrambled PDCCH.

[0057] For example, the fourth group of signals includes any one or more of the following signals: authorized PUSCH (CG PUSCH), HARQ-ACK of semi-statically scheduled PDSCH, scheduling request (SR), and physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0058] Of the four groups of signals mentioned above, the first and third groups are downlink signals, while the second and fourth groups are uplink signals. Furthermore, both the first and second groups are affected by the DRX configuration.

[0059] In summary, in the inactive state of cell DTX, the following downlink signals may not be transmitted: SPS PDSCH, UE-specific PDCCH, periodic / semi-static CSI-RS (for CSI reporting), and group PDCCH (e.g., DCI2-0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5); in the inactive state of cell DRX, the following uplink signals may not be received: CG PUSCH, SR, periodic / semi-static CSI reporting, and periodic / semi-static SRS (excluding SRS used for positioning). The exclusion of other downlink signals from transmission or uplink signals from reception is not excluded, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0060] Similarly, cell discontinuous reception (DRX) can also be configured.

[0061] It should be understood that the configurations of cell DRX and cell DTX are independent; they can be configured simultaneously or only one of them can be configured.

[0062] (2) Radio resource control (RRC) status of terminal equipment

[0063] In wireless communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, depending on whether an RRC connection exists between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device has three RRC states: RRC idle state (hereinafter referred to as idle state or Idle state), RRC inactive state (hereinafter referred to as inactive state or Inactive state), and RRC connected state (hereinafter referred to as connected state or Connected state). In this application, the terminal device in the idle state and the terminal device in the inactive state can be collectively referred to as the terminal device in the non-connected state.

[0064] A connected terminal device has an RRC connection with the network device, enabling data transmission and receiving RRC signaling from the network device. A disconnected terminal device does not have an RRC connection with the network device and cannot transmit data, but can receive cell broadcast information such as system messages and paging messages. A connected terminal device can initiate an RRC connection release process upon receiving an RRC connection release message and switch to a disconnected state. A disconnected terminal device can switch to a connected state through a random access procedure.

[0065] (3) Synchronization

[0066] Synchronization can include at least one of time synchronization or frequency synchronization. Time synchronization adjusts clock values ​​distributed in different locations to a certain degree of accuracy or conformity by comparing time points; the former is called absolute time synchronization, and the latter is called relative time synchronization. Frequency synchronization adjusts the rate values ​​of frequency sources distributed in different locations to a certain degree of accuracy or conformity by comparing frequencies; the former is called relative frequency synchronization, and the latter is called relative frequency synchronization. Through time and / or frequency synchronization (hereinafter referred to as time-frequency synchronization), the time / frequency deviation of the crystal oscillator of the terminal device and the crystal oscillator of the network device can be corrected to ensure the accuracy of data transmission. For example, time-frequency synchronization can be based on a synchronization signal; that is, the synchronization signal in this application can be a reference signal, or the synchronization signal in this application can also be a signal specifically for synchronization.

[0067] Currently, in wireless communication systems, signals used for time-frequency synchronization include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and tracking reference signals. Tracking reference signals, for example, include channel status information reference signals (TRS) used for tracking. Terminal devices can first search for frame or time slot boundaries based on the SSB to complete initial time-frequency synchronization, and then complete more refined time-frequency synchronization based on the TRS. Terminal devices can also perform initial access and cell search based on the SSB. After synchronization is complete, the terminal device can perform data transmission (hereinafter referred to as data transmission). To improve data transmission rate and performance, the network side can use higher-order modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for data transmission. This requires the terminal device to achieve fine-grained time-frequency synchronization in order to correctly receive data transmitted using higher-order MCS, thus ensuring data transmission performance.

[0068] SSB is a periodically transmitted common signal, typically with a period of 20ms. When employing network energy-saving technologies, the SSB period is lengthened; for example, it might be extended to 1000ms. TRS can be configured for periodic, semi-static, or aperiodic transmission. To ensure the time-frequency synchronization performance of terminal devices, periodic TRS is generally configured for the terminals.

[0069] The aforementioned cell-DTX technology is effective for connected terminal devices. That is, during the active period of the cell-DTX cycle, the terminal device can normally receive the first signal sent by the network device and can use the higher-order MCS to receive data. During the inactive period of the cell-DTX cycle, the terminal device can normally receive the TRS. Since the TRS and cell DTX are configured independently, the TRS may not exist before the active period of the cell-DTX cycle, preventing the terminal device from completing time-frequency synchronization before the active period of the cell-DTX cycle.

[0070] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus capable of implementing the method. In these embodiments, by introducing the relationship between the time window of the synchronization signal and cell DTX, the terminal device can quickly synchronize before the active time period of its corresponding cell-DTX cycle, thereby improving data transmission performance.

[0071] In this application embodiment, the signal used for downlink time-frequency synchronization can be broadcast by the network device. The signal can be TRS or other signals that can be used for downlink time-frequency synchronization. This application does not limit this.

[0072] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operating methods in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0073] Based on the network system architecture shown in Figure 1 and the related technical descriptions above, Figure 3 exemplarily illustrates a possible flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. The scheme in Figure 3 is described using the interaction between a network device and a terminal device as an example. Specifically, the process is described with the network device being a network device and the terminal device being a terminal. The relevant descriptions of the network device and the terminal device are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0074] As shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0075] Step 301: The network device sends cell DTX configuration information, and the terminal device receives the cell DTX configuration information accordingly.

[0076] Specifically, the cell DTX configuration information can indicate N cell DTX cycles to the terminal device, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, which comprises a first time period and a second time period. The first time period is the time during which data can be transmitted, and the second time period is the time during which data cannot be transmitted. A diagram of the first time period (active time) and the second time period (inactive time) can be found in Figure 2. Taking the first cell DTX cycle included in the N cell DTX cycles as an example, the first cell DTX cycle includes a first time period and a second time period. The network device can transmit the first channel during the first time period, and the terminal device can detect (or receive) the first channel during the first time period. The network device can choose not to transmit the first channel during the second time period, and the terminal device can choose not to receive (or detect) the first channel during the second time period. The specific type of the first channel and the parameters included in the cell DTX configuration information can be found in the previous description.

[0077] Another way to understand the first time period is to refer to all the active time periods in N discontinuous reception cycles as the first time period, and all the inactive time periods in N discontinuous reception cycles as the second time period.

[0078] In one possible implementation, after configuring cell DTX for a terminal device, the network device can activate (or enable) the cell DTX configuration via indication information. Optionally, this indication information can be unicast, multicast, or broadcast RRC signaling, or unicast, multicast, or broadcast MAC CE, or unicast, multicast, or broadcast DCI; this application does not limit this. That is, the network device can first configure cell DTX for the terminal device via cell DTX configuration information, and then activate (or enable) the cell DTX configuration in the cell via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0079] Step 302: The network device sends a synchronization signal within the time window, and the terminal device receives the synchronization signal accordingly within the time window.

[0080] Specifically, this time window is located within the second time period. That is, it is the inactive time period within a cell DTX cycle used for receiving or sending synchronization signals. The specific location of the time window in the second time period is further described below with reference to the attached diagram.

[0081] As shown in Figure 4(a), if the first time segment precedes the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle, then the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the end position of the second time segment. Alternatively, the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the start position of the first time segment within the second cell DTX cycle (i.e., the cell DTX cycle following the first cell DTX cycle). Since the time window in the second time segment is adjacent to the next first time segment, it can be guaranteed that after the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal received within this time window, it can receive the first channel or downlink data sent by the network device in the next first time segment. In other words, the time required for the terminal device to go from completing time-frequency synchronization to receiving the signal in the next first time segment is relatively short (e.g., the length of one or more symbols). This time length is insufficient to cause a large shift in the time and / or frequency of the terminal device, thus ensuring that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the next first time segment.

[0082] Similar to Figure 4(a), if the first time segment precedes the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle, then in some other embodiments, as shown in Figure 4(b), there is a time interval between the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle and the end position of the second time segment, which is less than or equal to the first time interval. Alternatively, there is a time interval between the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle and the start position of the first time segment within the second cell DTX cycle (i.e., the cell DTX cycle following the first cell DTX cycle), which is less than or equal to the first time interval. Because there is a time interval between the end of the time window in the second time period and the beginning of the next first time period, and this time interval is less than or equal to the first time interval, it can be guaranteed that after the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal received within the time window, it can receive the first channel or downlink data sent by the network device in the next first time period after a short interval. In other words, the time required for the terminal device to go from completing time-frequency synchronization to receiving the signal in the next first time period is relatively short (less than or equal to the first time interval). This time length is insufficient to cause a large shift in the time and / or frequency of the terminal device, thus ensuring that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the next first time period. For example, the time interval between the end of the time window in the second time period and the beginning of the next first time period can be equal to one time slot. This ensures that the terminal device can maintain time-frequency synchronization from completing time-frequency synchronization based on the signal within the time window to the beginning of the first time period after a time slot, thereby allowing it to receive the signal sent by the network device in that first time period.

[0083] Optionally, the length of this time interval can be pre-configured or configured by the network device.

[0084] Based on Figure 4(a) above, the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period of the first cell DTX cycle based on the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the second cell DTX cycle. Based on Figure 4(b) above, the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period of the first cell DTX cycle based on the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the second cell DTX cycle, combined with the first time interval.

[0085] As shown in Figure 5(a), if the second time segment is located before the first time segment within the first cell DTX cycle, then the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the end position of the second time segment. Alternatively, the end position of the time window in the second time segment within the first cell DTX cycle is the same as (or aligned with) the start position of the first time segment within that cycle.

[0086] Similar to Figure 5(a), if the second time period precedes the first time period within the first cell DTX cycle, then in some other embodiments, as shown in Figure 5(b), there is a time interval between the end position of the time window in the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle and the end position of the second time period, which is less than or equal to the first time interval. Alternatively, there is a time interval between the end position of the time window in the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle and the start position of the first time period within that cycle, which is less than or equal to the first time interval. For example, the time interval between the end position of the time window in the second time period and the start position of the subsequent first time period can be equal to a time slot. This ensures that when the terminal device completes time-frequency synchronization based on the signal within the time window, it can maintain time-frequency synchronization at the start position of the first time period after a time slot, thus allowing it to receive signals sent by the network device during that first time period.

[0087] Based on Figure 5(a) above, the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period according to the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the first cell DTX cycle. Based on Figure 5(b) above, the terminal device can determine the position of the time window within the second time period according to the end position of the second time period within the first cell DTX cycle or the start position of the first time period within the first cell DTX cycle, combined with the first time interval.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the time window can be a time slot, with the signal used for time-frequency synchronization occupying at least two symbols within that time slot. For example, assuming the time slot contains 14 symbols, as shown in Figure 6(a), the signal used for time-frequency synchronization could be located at the positions of symbols 0, 4, 8, and 12 within that time slot. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6(b), the signal used for time-frequency synchronization could be located at the positions of symbols 1, 5, 9, and 13 within that time slot. In other words, the time window includes four signals, each occupying one symbol.

[0089] In another possible implementation, the time window can be two time slots long, with the signal used for time-frequency synchronization occupying at least two symbols in each of the two time slots. For example, taking a time slot with 12 symbols as shown in Figure 7, the signal used for time-frequency synchronization can be located at the positions of symbols 4 and 8 in time domain 1, and at the positions of symbols 4 and 8 in time slot 2. That is, the time window includes four signals, each occupying one symbol.

[0090] If a time window includes multiple symbols used to transmit the aforementioned signal, then these multiple symbols are not adjacent to each other, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, or at least two symbols are not adjacent. It should be understood that this application does not limit the positional relationship of the multiple symbols used to transmit the signal.

[0091] It should be understood that Figures 6 and 7 only exemplarily illustrate several possible time-domain resources for signals used for time-frequency synchronization within a time window, and this application does not limit them.

[0092] It should also be understood that Figures 6 and 7 only show the time-domain resources of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization within a time window, and the embodiments of this application do not limit the frequency-domain resources of the signal within that time window.

[0093] Optionally, step 303: The terminal device performs time-frequency synchronization based on the synchronization signal.

[0094] The terminal device can perform detection within this time window to determine whether a sequence of signals used for time-frequency synchronization exists within that time window. If the signal sequence is detected, it indicates that the terminal device has received the signal within that time window. The signal sequence can be pre-configured on the terminal device side, configured by the network side, generated by the terminal device according to system-defined rules, or obtained by the terminal device through other means; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0095] Based on the process shown in Figure 3 above, in one possible implementation, the embodiment described in Figure 3 further includes the following steps: the network device sends a PDSCH to the terminal device within a first time period, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the PDSCH within the first time period. Optionally, the network device may send the PDSCH in the first symbol or the first time slot within the first time period. For cases where the network device needs to start data transmission using a higher-order MCS at the beginning of the first time period of the cell-DTX cycle, since a time window is configured before the first time period, the terminal device receives a signal for time-frequency synchronization within the time window before the first time period, thus enabling timely time-frequency synchronization based on this signal. Therefore, when the network device starts downlink data transmission in the first symbol or the first time slot within the first time period, the terminal device can ensure that it can receive the PDSCH sent by the network side, thereby achieving downlink data transmission.

[0096] In one possible implementation, if the network device needs to send downlink data to the terminal device at the first moment of the first time period (e.g., the first symbol or the first time slot), the network device can send a time-frequency synchronization signal within a time window preceding the first time period. If the network device does not need to send downlink data to the terminal device during the first time period, it can refrain from sending the time-frequency synchronization signal within the time window preceding the first time period to save power. The terminal device can detect the time-frequency synchronization signal within each time window.

[0097] In some embodiments of this application, the positional relationship between the time window and the end position of the second time period or the start position of the first time period, and / or the time / frequency resources of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization within the time window, can be indicated by signal configuration information.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the signal configuration information may indicate one or more of the following:

[0099] - Length of the time window. The signal configuration information may include an indication of the length of the time window. For example, the length of the time window may be one time slot or two time slots.

[0100] - Signal period length. The signal used for time-frequency synchronization can be periodically configured, and the signal period length can be understood as the time interval between two adjacent time windows. When the signal is periodically configured, the signal configuration information can include the signal period length. For example, the signal period length can be the same as the cell DTX period length, as shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5. Another example is that the signal period length can satisfy the condition that the cell DTX period length is an integer multiple of the period length of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization. For example, taking the cell DTX period length as twice the period length of the signal used for time-frequency synchronization as shown in Figure 8, it can be ensured that a time window is configured before the first time period, thereby enabling the terminal device to complete time-frequency synchronization within the first time period.

[0101] - Time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources of the signal within the time window. Taking the time-domain resources of the signal within the time window as an example, the signal configuration information may include a symbol index, enabling the terminal device to receive the signal for time-frequency synchronization on the corresponding symbol according to the symbol index. As shown in Figure 6(a), the symbol index may include 0, 4, 8, 12. As another example, the signal configuration information may include the index of the first symbol within the time window and the symbol interval, enabling the terminal device to receive the signal for time-frequency synchronization on that symbol according to the symbol index, and to receive the signal on subsequent symbols according to the symbol interval. As shown in Figure 6, the symbol interval is 3.

[0102] - The number of times the signal is repeated.

[0103] - Trigger bias for aperiodic signals. Signals used for time-frequency synchronization can be configured aperiodicly. For aperiodic signals, this bias can indicate the time interval between the start or end time of the signal (or the time window in which the signal is located) and the start time of a first time period following the signal, or the time interval between the start or end time of the signal (or the time window in which the signal is located) and the end time of a second time period in which the signal is located.

[0104] It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples of some parameters included in the signal configuration information, and this application does not limit the parameters included in the signal configuration information.

[0105] In some embodiments of this application, all or some of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information may be pre-configured. If some of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are pre-configured, the other part of the configuration parameters may be configured by the network device to the terminal device. In another possible implementation, all the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are configured by the network device to the terminal device.

[0106] Optionally, the network device can configure the aforementioned signal configuration information to the terminal device via the cell DTX configuration information. For example, the signal configuration information can be included as part of the cell DTX configuration information and sent to the terminal device. The terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information for time-frequency synchronization from the cell DTX configuration information.

[0107] Optionally, the network device can configure the aforementioned signal configuration information to the terminal device in a manner independent of the cell DTX configuration information (i.e., not included in the cell DTX configuration information). For example, the network device can carry the signal configuration information in a system message, and the terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information by receiving the system message from the network device; or, for another example, the network device can carry the aforementioned signal configuration information in RRC signaling, and the terminal device can obtain the aforementioned signal configuration information based on the received RRC signaling.

[0108] Based on the process shown in Figure 3 above, the terminal device can determine the first time period and the second time period in the N cell DTX cycles corresponding to the terminal device according to the cell DTX configuration information. Taking the first cell DTX cycle in the N cell DTX cycles as an example, since there is a time window within the second time period of the first cell DTX cycle where a signal for time-frequency synchronization can be received, the terminal device can receive (detect) the signal for time-frequency synchronization in the time window before the first time period (if the first time period in the cell DTX cycle comes first, then the first time period in the next cell DTX cycle, or if the first time period in the cell DTX cycle comes later, then the first time period in this cycle). It can then complete time and / or frequency synchronization based on this signal, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can receive the signal sent by the network device in the next first time period after this time window.

[0109] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and terminal device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0110] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be a base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or base station.

[0111] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. The communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0112] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive cell discontinuous reception configuration information, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles including a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle including a first time period and a second time period, the first time period being the time period in which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle, the second time period being the time period in which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle; the processing unit 910 is used to receive a synchronization signal within a time window through the transceiver unit 920, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located within the second time period.

[0113] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the processing unit 910 is used to send cell discontinuous reception configuration information through the transceiver unit 920, the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicating N discontinuous reception cycles, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle includes a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is the time period in which data can be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period is the time period in which data cannot be transmitted within the first discontinuous reception cycle; and, the transceiver unit 920 sends a synchronization signal within a time window, the synchronization signal being used for time and / or frequency synchronization, the time window being located within the second time period.

[0114] A more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0115] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010, or storing input data required by the processor 1010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1010 executes instructions.

[0116] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the method shown in FIG3, the processor 1010 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 920.

[0117] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, which is information sent to the terminal by the network device; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, which is information sent to the network device by the terminal device.

[0118] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) in the network device, which is information sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the network device module sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) in the network device, which is information sent by the network device to the terminal. Here, the network device module can be the baseband chip of the network device, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0119] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0120] This application provides another example of a communication device, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory coupled together. The at least one processor and the at least one memory are used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device performs the methods described in the above embodiments. Taking a communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in FIG10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and a memory 1030. The processor 1010 and the memory 1030 are coupled together. The memory 1030 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 1030 are executed by the processor 1010, the communication device 1000 performs the methods performed by the terminal device or network device described in the above embodiments.

[0121] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or terminal.

[0122] 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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0123] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0124] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0125] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving cell discontinuous reception configuration information, wherein the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle includes a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period is a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; receiving a synchronization signal in a time window, wherein the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located in the second time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the first time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The receiving of the PDSCH in the first time period comprises: receiving the PDSCH in a first symbol in the first time period or in a first slot in the first time period.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, In the first discontinuous cycle, the first time period is located before the second time period, and the method further comprises: determining a position of the time window in the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle or a starting position of the first time period in a second discontinuous reception cycle, wherein the second discontinuous reception cycle is a next discontinuous reception cycle of the first discontinuous reception cycle.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein In the first discontinuous cycle, the second time period is located before the first time period, and the method further comprises: determining a position of the time window in the second time period according to an ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle or a starting position of the first time period in the first discontinuous reception cycle.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Further comprising: receiving signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates a length of the time window and / or a transmission period of a period of the synchronization signal.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending cell discontinuous reception configuration information, wherein the cell discontinuous reception configuration information indicates N discontinuous reception cycles, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the N discontinuous reception cycles include a first discontinuous reception cycle, the first discontinuous reception cycle includes a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is a time period in which data can be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle, and the second time period is a time period in which data cannot be transmitted in the first discontinuous reception cycle; sending a synchronization signal in a time window, wherein the synchronization signal is used for time and / or frequency synchronization, and the time window is located in the second time period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: sending a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the first time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The sending of the PDSCH in the first time period comprises: sending the PDSCH in a first symbol in the first time period or in a first slot in the first time period.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, Further comprising: sending signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates a length of the time window and / or a transmission period of a period of the synchronization signal.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The first time period is located before the second time period in the first discontinuous period; The ending position of the time window is the same as the ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the ending position of the second time period in the first discontinuous reception period is less than or equal to the first time interval; or The ending position of the time window is the same as the starting position of the first time period in the second discontinuous reception period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the starting position of the first time period in the second discontinuous reception period is less than or equal to the first time interval. The second discontinuous reception period is the next discontinuous reception period of the first discontinuous reception period.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The second time period is located before the first time period in the first discontinuous period; The ending position of the time window is the same as the ending position of the second time period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the ending position of the second time period is less than or equal to the first time interval; or The ending position of the time window is the same as the starting position of the first time period, or the time interval between the ending position of the time window and the starting position of the first time period is less than or equal to the first time interval.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein, The length of the time window is one time slot, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in the one time slot; or The length of the time window is two time slots, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in each of the two time slots.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The at least two symbols in the one time slot or the at least two symbols in each of the time slots are not adjacent to each other.

15. The method of claim 6 or 10, wherein, The period of the synchronization signal is equal to the discontinuous reception period, or the discontinuous reception period is an integer multiple of the period of the synchronization signal.

16. A communications device, characterized by The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

17. A communications device, characterized by The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15. The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

18. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The program product comprises a program; when the program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-6 and 11-15, or executes the method of any one of claims 7-15.

19. A chip system, characterized by ​ 20. A program product, characterized by ​

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