Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, relating to the technical field of wireless communications. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving paging configuration information; determining M paging occasions on the basis of the paging configuration information, wherein a time window is present prior to a starting position of each of the M paging occasions, the time window comprises a transmission occasion of at least one synchronization signal, the synchronization signal is used for downlink synchronization, the M paging occasions include a first paging occasion, a first time window is present prior to the starting position of the first paging occasion, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and receiving the synchronization signal within the first time window.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410963973.9, filed on July 17, 2024, and entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] In a wireless communication system, a terminal device needs to be synchronized with a network side in downlink before it can ensure signaling transmission or data transmission with the network side.

[0005] For a non-connected state terminal device (e.g., including an idle state terminal device or an inactive state terminal device), the terminal device needs to complete downlink synchronization before a paging occasion. If the terminal device does not complete downlink synchronization before the paging occasion, it cannot receive a paging message at the paging occasion, and will attempt to receive a paging message at the next paging occasion until it completes downlink synchronization before a paging occasion, so as to successfully receive a paging message at the paging occasion.

[0006] Therefore, how to ensure that a terminal device completes downlink synchronization before a paging occasion, so that the terminal device can receive a paging message at the paging occasion when the network side has a paging demand, is a problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to ensure that a terminal device completes downlink synchronization before a paging occasion, so that the terminal device can receive a paging message at the paging occasion.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal side device in a non-connected state. The terminal side device can be a terminal device, or a module (such as a chip) in the terminal device, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing the function of the terminal device. The method comprises: receiving paging configuration information; determining M paging occasions according to the paging configuration information, each paging occasion in the M paging occasions being followed by a time window, the time window including at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal being used for downlink synchronization, the M paging occasions including a first paging occasion, the first paging occasion being followed by a first time window; and receiving a synchronization signal in the first time window.

[0009] In the foregoing implementation, by introducing the first time window for receiving the reference signal, the non-connected state terminal device can complete fast synchronization before receiving the paging message.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining the position of the first time window according to the time domain position of the first paging occasion.

[0011] In the foregoing implementation, the position of the first time window can be determined after the time domain position of the first paging occasion is obtained based on the position relationship between the paging occasion and the time window, thereby reducing the overhead of determining the position of the time window.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining, by the terminal device, the time domain position of the first paging occasion according to an identifier of the terminal device. That is, the terminal device can determine the time domain position of the first paging occasion according to the identifier of the terminal device, and then determine the position of the first time window according to the time domain position of the first paging occasion.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the length of the time window is one time slot, and the reference signal occupies at least two symbols in the one time slot; or the length of the time window is two time slots, and the reference signal occupies at least two symbols in each of the two time slots.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the at least two symbols are not adjacent to each other.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the reference signal is periodically configured.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating a time interval between each of the M paging occasions and a time window before a starting position of a paging occasion.

[0017] Optionally, the network device can send the signal configuration information to the terminal device, and the signal configuration information can also be preconfigured.

[0018] Optionally, the signal configuration information can be included in the paging configuration information, that is, the network device can send the signal configuration information to the terminal device by including the signal configuration information in the paging configuration information.

[0019] Optionally, the network device can send signal configuration information, and the signal configuration information includes the periodic indication information. That is, the network device can send the signal configuration information to the terminal device through the signal configuration information independent of the paging configuration information.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating one or more of: a length of the time window, a time domain position of a transmission occasion of the synchronization signal within the time window, and a quantity of transmission occasions of the synchronization signal within the time window.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the length of the time window is preconfigured.

[0022] In another possible implementation, the length of the time window is included in the paging configuration information.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the reference signal configuration information is carried in system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0024] For example, for a terminal device in an idle state, the terminal device can obtain the reference signal configuration information by receiving system information from a network device; for a terminal device in an active state, the terminal device can obtain the reference signal configuration information according to an RRC connection release message received, and initiate an RRC connection release process and switch to an inactive state.

[0025] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side device. The network side device can be a network device, for example, a base station or a radio access network device. The network side device can be a network device, or a module (for example, a chip) in the network device, or software (for example, a control subsystem) containing a function of the network device. The method includes: sending paging configuration information, the paging configuration information indicating a paging occasion, the paging occasion including M paging occasions corresponding to a first terminal device in a non-connected state, a time window existing before a starting position of each paging occasion in the M paging occasions, the time window including at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal, and the synchronization signal being used for downlink synchronization; and sending the synchronization signal in the time window before the M paging occasions.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating a time interval between each paging occasion in the M paging occasions and the time window before the starting position of the paging occasion.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: sending signal configuration information, the signal configuration information indicating one or more of: a length of the time window, a time domain position of a transmission occasion of the synchronization signal within the time window, and a quantity of transmission occasions of the synchronization signal within the time window.

[0028] Some possible implementation forms and intended effects of the second aspect can refer to the first aspect and will not be described again.

[0029] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: sending, by a network device, paging configuration information, the paging configuration information indicating a paging occasion, the paging occasion comprising M paging occasions corresponding to a first terminal device in a non-connected state, a time window existing before a starting position of each of the M paging occasions, the time window comprising at least one reference signal for downlink time and / or frequency synchronization; sending the reference signal in the time window before the M paging occasions; receiving, by a terminal device, the paging configuration information, determining M paging occasions according to the paging configuration information, and receiving the reference signal in the first time window.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system comprises a network device and a terminal device. The terminal device can implement the method of the first aspect, and the network device can implement the method of the second aspect.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus comprises units for performing respective steps of the method provided in the first aspect. For example, the communication apparatus can comprise a processing unit and a transceiver unit.

[0032] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus comprises one or more processors configured to perform the method of any one of the first aspect or the method of any one of the second aspect.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip is configured to read a computer program stored in a memory and perform the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the chip can comprise a processor coupled to the memory, and the processor is configured to read the computer program stored in the memory and implement the method provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the chip can further comprise a memory, a communication interface, a power supply module, and the like. The memory is configured to store the computer program, the communication interface is configured to receive and send data, and the power supply unit is configured to supply power to the processor.

[0034] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system. The chip system comprises a processor configured to support a computer device to implement the method provided in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect. In a possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory configured to store programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can comprise a chip and other discrete devices.

[0035] In a ninth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the method provided in the second aspect.

[0036] In a tenth aspect, a program product is provided, which contains a program or instructions; when the program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method provided in the first aspect or the method provided in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0038] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of comparison between enabling auxiliary TRS and not enabling auxiliary TRS;

[0039] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a paging resource;

[0041] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a time-domain position relationship between a PO and a time window in embodiments of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of another time-domain position relationship between a PO and a time window in embodiments of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal resource in a time window in embodiments of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal resource in a time window in embodiments of the present application;

[0045] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0046] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication device provided in embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) system or a new radio (NR), or a future communication system or other similar communication system.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1, it is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system 1000 to which the embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 can further include an Internet 300. The radio access network 100 can include at least one radio access network device (for example, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1) and at least one terminal (for example, 120a-120j in FIG. 1). The terminal is connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner, and the radio access network device is connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the radio access network device can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network device can be integrated on the same physical device, or a physical device can integrate the functions of part of the core network device and part of the radio access network device. The terminals and the terminals, and the radio access network devices and the radio access network devices can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can further include other network devices, for example, a wireless relay device and a wireless backhaul device, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0049] The radio access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc. The radio access network device can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete part or all of the functions of the physical layer. For specific descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, reference can be made to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The radio access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), or a micro base station or indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), or a relay node or donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the radio access network device. For ease of description, the network device is taken as an example of the radio access network device in the following description.

[0050] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to 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, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal.

[0051] The network device and the terminal can be fixed in position or movable. The network device and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons and artificial satellites. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal.

[0052] The roles of the network device and the terminal can be relative, for example, the helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile network device, and for the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the unmanned aerial vehicle 120i is a network device; but for the network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between network devices and network devices, at this time, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, the network device and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication apparatus, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with network device function, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with terminal function.

[0053] The network device and the terminal, the network device and the network device, and the terminal and the terminal can communicate through licensed spectrum, can also communicate through unlicensed spectrum, and can also communicate through licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum at the same time; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can also communicate through spectrum above 6 GHz, and can also communicate through spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz at the same time. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem containing the functions of the network device. The control subsystem containing the functions of the network device herein can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device containing the functions of the terminal.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order for the terminal device 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 that has established a wireless connection with the terminal device is referred to as a serving cell of the terminal device.

[0056] The present application relates to time / frequency synchronization technology. In order to more clearly understand the present application, the following first describes time / frequency synchronization and related technologies and terms.

[0057] (1) Radio resource control (RRC) state of terminal device

[0058] In a wireless communication system, for example, a new radio (NR) system, according to whether there is an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device has three RRC states, which are 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 the present application, the terminal device in idle state and the terminal device in inactive state can be collectively referred to as the terminal device in non-connected state.

[0059] The terminal device in connected state has an RRC connection with the network device, can perform data transmission with the network device, and can receive RRC signaling sent by the network device. The terminal device in non-connected state does not have an RRC connection with the network device, cannot perform data transmission with the network device, but can receive broadcast information of the cell, such as system messages, paging messages, etc. The terminal device in connected state can initiate an RRC connection release process according to the received RRC connection release message, and switch to the non-connected state. The terminal device in non-connected state can switch to the connected state through a random access procedure.

[0060] (2) Synchronization

[0061] The synchronization can include at least one of time synchronization or frequency synchronization. The time synchronization is to adjust the time values of clocks distributed in different places to a certain accuracy or a certain compliance through time comparison, and the former is called absolute time synchronization and the latter is called relative time synchronization. The frequency synchronization is to adjust the rate values of frequency sources distributed in different places to a certain accuracy or a certain compliance through frequency comparison, and the former is called 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, the time-frequency synchronization can be implemented based on a synchronization signal, that is, the synchronization signal in the present application can be a reference signal, or the synchronization signal in the present application can also be a signal dedicated for synchronization.

[0062] At present, in a wireless communication system, the reference signals that can be used for time-frequency synchronization include a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a tracking reference signal. The tracking reference signal is, for example, a channel status information reference signal for tracking (TRS). The terminal device can first search the boundary of a frame or a time slot based on the SSB to complete preliminary time-frequency synchronization, and then complete more accurate time-frequency synchronization based on the TRS.

[0063] The SSB is a periodically transmitted common signal, and the period length thereof is generally 20 ms. In the case of using network energy saving technology, the period of the SSB is lengthened, for example, the period length of the SSB can be lengthened to 1000 ms. The TRS can be configured to be periodically transmitted, or semi-statically transmitted or non-periodically transmitted. In order to ensure the time-frequency synchronization performance of the terminal device, the terminal device is generally configured with a periodic TRS.

[0064] (3) Assistance TRS technology

[0065] The assistance TRS (assistance TRS) is a terminal-side power saving energy saving technology proposed in 3GPP Rel-17. When there is a connected terminal device in a cell, the network device always transmits a TRS. For a non-connected terminal device in the cell, the network device can notify the non-connected terminal device of the TRS configuration of the connected terminal device, so that the non-connected terminal device takes the TRS as an assistance TRS and implements time-frequency synchronization based on the SSB and the assistance TRS.

[0066] FIG. 2 exemplarily shows a comparison diagram of enabling auxiliary TRS and not enabling auxiliary TRS. As shown in (a) of FIG. 2, in a scenario of enabling auxiliary TRS, a network device configures a TRS for a terminal device in an unconnected state, and after the terminal device in the unconnected state wakes up before a paging occasion (PO), the terminal device can receive one SSB and one TRS, in which case, the terminal device can complete preliminary time-frequency synchronization based on the SSB and complete fine time-frequency synchronization based on the TRS, so as to receive a paging message sent by the network device in the next PO. As shown in (b) of FIG. 2, in a scenario of not enabling auxiliary TRS, after the terminal device in the unconnected state wakes up before the PO, the terminal device can need to complete fine time-frequency synchronization based on three SSBs, and then can ensure to receive the paging message in the next PO.

[0067] It can be seen that in the case of enabling auxiliary TRS, the density of synchronization signals for time-frequency synchronization of the terminal device in the unconnected state can be increased in the time dimension, compared with the scenario of not enabling auxiliary TRS, the time length of background operations of the terminal device can be reduced, the time length of wake-up of the terminal device can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0068] In the related art, a network device can broadcast and send indication information (for example, layer 1 indication information) through a system message (for example, SIB17), the indication information can indicate that a TRS is valid for a terminal device in an unconnected state in the next period of time, and the terminal device can receive the TRS at a position indicated by TRS configuration information sent by the network device according to the indication information.

[0069] Optionally, the indication information can be paging downlink control information (Paging DCI, where DCI is an abbreviation of downlink control information) or early paging indication (PEI).

[0070] Optionally, when the PEI is configured, the indication is performed through the PEI, and when the PEI is not configured, the indication is performed through the Paging DCI.

[0071] In the above scenario of enabling the auxiliary TRS, the time relationship between the TRS and the paging occasion is random, that is, the above auxiliary TRS technology is a best-effort technology. For example, for a terminal device in an unconnected state, if there is a TRS just before a paging occasion of the terminal device, the terminal device can perform time-frequency synchronization based on the TRS, and after completing the time-frequency synchronization, receive a paging message at the paging occasion; if there is no TRS before the paging occasion of the terminal device, the terminal device needs to continue to receive 2-3 SSBs or wait to receive the next TRS to complete the time-frequency synchronization, which may cause the terminal device to fail to receive a paging message sent by a network device at the paging occasion in time.

[0072] To this end, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related devices capable of implementing the method. In embodiments of the present application, for a terminal device in an unconnected state, a synchronization signal for downlink synchronization can be configured in a period (such as 1 time slot or 2 time slots) before a corresponding paging occasion of the terminal device, so that the terminal device can complete time-frequency synchronization based on the synchronization signal before the corresponding paging occasion, thereby ensuring that a paging message from a network side is received at a subsequent paging occasion.

[0073] The synchronization signal for downlink synchronization in embodiments of the present application can be broadcasted by a network device, and the reference signal can be a TRS or other signals that can be used for downlink synchronization, which is not limited in the present application.

[0074] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The specific operation methods in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0075] Based on the network system architecture shown in FIG. 1 and the content of the above related technology introduction, FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a possible flowchart of a communication method provided by embodiments of the present application. The scheme in FIG. 3 is introduced by taking the interaction between a network device and a terminal device as an example, and specifically, the flowchart is described by taking a network device as a network device and a terminal device as a terminal. For related descriptions of the network device and the terminal device, refer to the foregoing content, and details are not described herein.

[0076] The terminal device in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is a terminal device in an unconnected state, such as a terminal device in an idle state or a terminal device in an inactive state. Embodiments of the present application describe the following scenario: for the terminal device in the unconnected state, paging configuration information sent by a network device indicates that the terminal device corresponds to M (M is an integer greater than or equal to 1) POs.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes:

[0078] Step 301: The network device sends the paging configuration information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the paging configuration information.

[0079] The paging configuration information can include a paging cycle, a time domain offset of a paging frame (PF), and the like. The paging configuration information is used to indicate a paging resource, or in other words, the terminal device can determine the paging resource according to the paging configuration information. The paging resource can include a paging frame (PF), a paging occasion (PO), and the like. The paging configuration information can indicate the paging resource for a group of terminal devices. The network device can send a paging message in a PO in the PF indicated by the paging configuration information. Each PO can be allocated to one or more terminal devices, and the terminal device can wait for the paging message in the allocated PO.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 4, a paging resource diagram is exemplarily shown. As shown in FIG. 4, for a paging cycle with a length of T, N PFs (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) are included. In 38.304 Clause 7.1, the system frame number (SFN) of the PF satisfies the following relationship: (SFN + PF offset ) mod T = (T div N) * (UE ID mod N) …………………… (1)

[0081] Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the PF, PF offset is the time domain offset of the PF, T is the length of the paging cycle, N is the number of PFs included in one paging cycle, UE ID is the terminal device identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0082] The network device can notify the terminal device of the configuration of PF offset and T / N through the nAndPagingFrameOffset field under the DownlinkConfigCommonSIB field (or information field) in the system information block 1 (SIB1). Based on PF offset and T / N, the terminal device can know the location of the PF corresponding to the terminal device.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of POs are included in one PF, and the network device sends the paging message of the corresponding terminal device on the PO resource. In 38.304 Clause 7.1, the corresponding relationship between the i_s-th PO and the terminal device satisfies the following formula:

[0084] wherein N is the number of PFs contained in a paging cycle, N s is the number of POs contained in a PF, UE ID is the terminal device identity, mod is the modulo operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0085] Each PO can contain one or more slots, and the paging message in each PO is carried on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) resource. The first detection opportunity of the PDCCH carrying the PO can be configured by the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO field in the SIB1. The terminal device calculates the corresponding paging resource according to its own device identity and the paging configuration parameters given in the SIB1, and performs detection and reception of the paging information on the paging resource.

[0086] The network device can send the paging configuration information through a system message or dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). The idle-state terminal device or the inactive-state terminal device can obtain the paging configuration information from the system message. The network device can also send an RRC connection release message including the paging configuration information to the connected-state terminal device; the connected-state terminal device obtains the paging configuration information according to the RRC connection release message, initiates an RRC connection release procedure, and switches to the inactive state.

[0087] Step 302: The terminal device determines M POs according to the paging configuration information.

[0088] The terminal device can determine the M POs corresponding to the terminal device according to the paging configuration information and the identity of the terminal device, so that the terminal device can wake up in the corresponding PO to detect (or receive) the paging message. For example, the terminal device can determine the PF and the PO corresponding to the terminal device according to the above formula (1) and formula (2).

[0089] In the embodiments of the present application, a time window exists before the starting position of each PO in the M POs, and the time window includes at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal for downlink synchronization. Specifically, the synchronization signal can be used for downlink time-frequency synchronization. Taking the first PO in the M POs as an example, a first time window exists before the starting position of the first PO, and the first time window includes at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal.

[0090] For example, FIG. 5A shows a schematic diagram of the time-domain position relationship between a PO and a time window. As shown in FIG. 5A, for a PO, the cutoff position of the time window before the PO is the boundary of the PO (i.e., the starting position of the PO in the time domain). Optionally, the length of the time window can be one slot or two slots.

[0091] As another example, FIG. 5B shows a schematic diagram of another time-domain location relationship between a PO and a time window. As shown in FIG. 5B, for a PO, there is a small time interval between the end position of the time window before the PO and the boundary of the PO (i.e., the starting position of the PO in the time domain). Optionally, the length of the time window can be one slot, and the time interval can be one slot.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the length of the time window can be one slot, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in the slot. For example, taking a slot with 14 symbols as an example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the synchronization signal can be located at the positions of symbol 0, symbol 4, symbol 8, and symbol 12 in the slot. Alternatively, as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the synchronization signal can be located at the positions of symbol 1, symbol 5, symbol 9, and symbol 13 in the slot. That is, the time window includes four transmission occasions of the synchronization signal, and each synchronization signal (or transmission occasion of the synchronization signal) occupies one symbol.

[0093] In another possible implementation, the length of the time window can be two slots, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in each of the two slots. For example, taking a slot with 12 symbols as an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the synchronization signal can be located at the positions of symbol 4 and symbol 8 in slot 1, and the positions of symbol 4 and symbol 8 in slot 2. That is, the time window includes four transmission occasions of the synchronization signal, and each synchronization signal (or transmission occasion of the synchronization signal) occupies one symbol.

[0094] If a plurality of symbols for transmitting the synchronization signal are included in a time window, the plurality of symbols are not adjacent to each other, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, or at least two symbols are not adjacent. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the position relationship of the plurality of symbols for transmitting the synchronization signal.

[0095] It should be understood that FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 only exemplarily show several possible time-domain resources of the synchronization signal in a time window, and the present application does not limit this.

[0096] It should also be understood that FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 only show the time-domain resources of the synchronization signal in a time window, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the frequency-domain resources of the synchronization signal in the time window.

[0097] In a possible implementation, the terminal device can determine a time window before each PO according to the time domain position of the M POs corresponding to the terminal device. Taking the first time window before the start position of the first PO as an example, the terminal device can determine the time domain position of the first PO according to the identifier of the terminal device, and then determine the position of the first time window according to the time domain position of the first PO. For example, if the length of the time window is 1 slot or 2 slots, the position relationship between the first PO and the time window before the first PO can be as shown in FIG. 5A; for another example, if the length of the time window is 1 slot and the time window is separated from the boundary of the PO by 1 slot, the position relationship between the first PO and the time window before the first PO can be as shown in FIG. 5B.

[0098] In another possible implementation, the time window is determined in a manner similar to the determination of the PO. The terminal device can determine the PO corresponding to the terminal device according to the identifier of the terminal device and the related configuration parameter in the paging configuration information, and similarly, the terminal device can also determine the time window corresponding to the terminal device according to the identifier of the terminal device and the related configuration parameter of the synchronization signal. For example, a formula for determining the time window can be designed based on the above formula (2), and it is ensured that there is a time window before each PO, and the position relationship between the time window and the PO meets the requirements of the embodiments of the present application, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B.

[0099] Step 303: The network device sends a synchronization signal in the first time window before the first paging occasion corresponding to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the synchronization signal in the first time window.

[0100] Specifically, the synchronization signal is used for downlink time-frequency synchronization.

[0101] Optionally, if the network device needs to page the terminal device, the network device can also send a paging message in part or all of the M POs corresponding to the terminal device.

[0102] Taking the first PO of the M POs corresponding to the terminal device as an example, the network device can send a synchronization signal in the first time window before the first PO, and send a paging message in the first PO.

[0103] In a possible implementation, for a PO, if the network device determines that all terminal devices corresponding to the PO do not need to be paged, the network device can not send a synchronization signal in the time window before the PO. When the network device determines that a terminal device needs to be paged, the network device can send a synchronization signal in the time window before the PO corresponding to the terminal device. Through the above implementation, network energy saving can be achieved.

[0104] The terminal device can detect in a time window to detect whether the sequence of the synchronization signal exists in the time window, and if the sequence of the synchronization signal is detected, it indicates that the terminal device receives the synchronization signal in the time window. The sequence of the synchronization signal can be pre-configured at the terminal device side, or configured by the network side to the terminal device, or generated by the terminal device according to the system defined rule, or the terminal device obtains the sequence of the synchronization signal in other ways, which is not limited in the present application.

[0105] Step 304: The terminal device receives the synchronization signal in the time window before the corresponding PO.

[0106] After the terminal device receives the synchronization signal, the downlink time-frequency synchronization is performed based on the synchronization signal.

[0107] The terminal device can monitor the PO after the time window, and if the network device sends a paging message in the PO after the time window, the terminal device can receive the paging message sent by the network device in the PO because the time-frequency synchronization has been completed. Taking the first PO in the M POs corresponding to the terminal device as an example, the terminal device can receive the synchronization signal in the first time window before the first PO, perform time-frequency synchronization according to the synchronization signal, and receive the paging message in the subsequent first PO.

[0108] In some embodiments of the present application, the relationship between the time window and the position of the PO, and / or the time / frequency resource of the synchronization signal in the time window, etc. can be indicated by the signal configuration information.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the signal configuration information can indicate one or more of the following:

[0110] The length of the time window. The signal configuration information can include indication information of the length of the time window. For example, the length of the time window can be one slot or two slots.

[0111] The period length of the synchronization signal. The synchronization signal can be periodically configured, and the period length of the synchronization signal can be understood as the time interval between two adjacent time windows. In the case of periodic configuration of the synchronization signal, the period length of the synchronization signal can be included in the synchronization signal configuration information. For example, the period length of the synchronization signal can be the same as the period length of the PO, or the period length of the PO can be an integer multiple of the period length of the synchronization signal.

[0112] - a time interval between the time window and the PO. The time interval can be a time interval between an ending position of the time window and a starting position of the PO. Optionally, for a terminal device, the time interval between each of the M POs corresponding to the terminal device and the time window before the PO is equal. The time interval can be a small time length. For example, the time interval can be one time slot. This can ensure that the time length required for the terminal device to complete time-frequency synchronization to receiving the paging message in the next PO is short, and the time length is not enough for the terminal device to have a large time and / or frequency offset, so that the terminal device can receive the paging message sent by the network device in the next PO.

[0113] - time domain resource and / or frequency domain resource of the synchronization signal in the time window. For example, the time domain resource of the synchronization signal in the time window, the signal configuration information can include a time domain position of the synchronization signal (or a transmission occasion of the synchronization signal), for example, a symbol index of the synchronization signal, so that the terminal device can receive the synchronization signal on the corresponding symbol according to the symbol index. For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the symbol index can include 0, 4, 8, and 12. For another example, the signal configuration information can include an index of the first symbol in the time window and a symbol interval, so that the terminal device can receive the synchronization signal on the symbol according to the symbol index, and can receive the synchronization signal on the subsequent symbol according to the symbol interval. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the symbol interval is 3. Optionally, the signal configuration information can include a number of the synchronization signals (or a transmission occasion of the synchronization signal). For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the number of the synchronization signals is 4.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, all or part of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information can be pre-configured. If part of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are pre-configured, another part of the configuration parameters can be configured by the network device to the terminal device. In another possible implementation, all of the configuration parameters in the signal configuration information are configured by the network device to the terminal device.

[0115] Optionally, the network device can configure the signal configuration information to the terminal device through the paging configuration information. For example, the signal configuration information can be included in the paging configuration information as a part of the paging configuration information and sent to the terminal device. The terminal device can obtain the signal configuration information from the paging configuration information.

[0116] Optionally, the network device can configure the signal configuration information to the terminal device in a manner independent of the paging configuration information (i.e. not included in the paging configuration information). For example, the network device can carry the signal configuration information in a system message, and accordingly, the terminal device in the idle state can obtain the signal configuration information by receiving the system message from the network device; for another example, the network device can carry the signal configuration information in RRC signaling (e.g. RRC connection release message), and accordingly, the terminal device in the active state can obtain the signal configuration information according to the received RRC connection release message, initiate the RRC connection release process, and switch to the inactive state.

[0117] In a possible implementation, the network device can send first indication information through a system message, the first indication information indicating that the terminal device in the non-connected state switches from the first mode (or referred to as non-fast synchronization mode, e.g. enabling auxiliary TRS to perform time-frequency synchronization based on TRS) to the second mode (or referred to as fast synchronization mode, i.e. the synchronization mode provided in the embodiments of the present application) in the next period of time, and in the second mode, the terminal device can receive the synchronization signal and the paging message according to the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0118] In another possible implementation, the network device can send second indication information through a system message, the second indication information indicating the effective time of the second mode. The terminal device can receive the synchronization signal and the paging message according to the method provided in the above embodiments in the corresponding time period indicated by the second indication information. In other time periods, the terminal device can perform time-frequency synchronization in the first mode.

[0119] In another possible implementation, the network device can send third indication information through a system message when preparing to page the terminal device, the third indication information indicating that the terminal device receives the paging message and the synchronization signal in the time window before the paging occasion.

[0120] Optionally, the first indication information, the second indication information or the third indication information can be Paging DCI or PEI, and the present application does not limit this.

[0121] Optionally, for the terminal device in the connected state, the network device can send the synchronization signal according to the signal configuration information configured for the terminal device in the connected state, and accordingly, the terminal device in the connected state can receive the synchronization signal according to the signal configuration information configured for it.

[0122] Based on the flow shown in FIG. 3, the non-connected state terminal device can determine M paging occasions corresponding to the terminal device according to the paging configuration information. Taking the first paging occasion in the M paging occasions as an example, since the first time window exists before the starting position of the first paging occasion, at least one synchronization signal (for example, TRS) for time and / or frequency synchronization is included in the first time window, so that the terminal device can receive (detect) the synchronization signal in the first time window before the first paging occasion, and can complete time and / or frequency synchronization based on the synchronization signal. Since the terminal device has completed time and / or frequency synchronization in time based on the synchronization signal before the first paging occasion, it can be ensured that the paging message sent by the network side can be received when the first paging occasion arrives.

[0123] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing various functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0124] FIGS. 8 and 9 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication apparatuses provided by the embodiments of the present application. These communication apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be one of the terminal devices 120a-120j as shown in FIG. 1, or the base station 110a or 110b as shown in FIG. 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or a base station.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 8, the communication apparatus 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiver unit 820. The communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

[0126] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the transceiver unit 820 is configured to receive paging configuration information; the processing unit 810 is configured to determine M paging occasions according to the paging configuration information, a time window exists before the starting position of each paging occasion in the M paging occasions, at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal for downlink synchronization is included in the time window, the M paging occasions include a first paging occasion, a first time window exists before the starting position of the first paging occasion, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to receive the synchronization signal in the first time window.

[0127] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 810 is configured to: send, by the transceiver unit 820, paging configuration information, the paging configuration information indicating a paging occasion, the paging occasion including M paging occasions corresponding to the first terminal device in the non-connected state, a time window existing before the start position of each of the M paging occasions, the time window including at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal being used for downlink synchronization; and the transceiver unit 820 is configured to send the synchronization signal in the time window before the M paging occasions.

[0128] For more detailed description of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 820, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 directly, which will not be repeated here.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920. The processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 910 or storing input data required by the processor 910 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processor 910 runs instructions.

[0130] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3, the processor 910 is configured to implement the function of the processing unit 810 described above, and the interface circuit 920 is configured to implement the function of the transceiver unit 820 described above.

[0131] When the above communication apparatus is a terminal chip, the terminal chip implements the function of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0132] When the communication apparatus is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is 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 an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal. The network device module herein can be a baseband chip of the network device, or a DU or other module, and the DU herein can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0133] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be 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. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0134] In the present application, another example of a communication apparatus is provided, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in the above embodiments. Taking the communication apparatus including one processor and one memory as an example, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes one processor 910 and one memory 930. The processor 910 and the memory 930 are coupled, and the memory 930 stores instructions, when the instructions stored in the memory 930 are executed by the processor 910, the communication apparatus 900 performs the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the above embodiments.

[0135] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the network device or the terminal.

[0136] In the above embodiments, the implementation can be entirely or partially achieved by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the implementation can be 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 programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are entirely or partially performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable devices. The computer programs 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 programs or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; and a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state disk. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0137] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0138] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, where A, B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character " / ", generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", indicates that the associated objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "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.

[0139] It can be understood that various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device in a non-connected state, and the method comprises: receiving paging configuration information; determining M paging occasions according to the paging configuration information, wherein a time window is present before the start position of each paging occasion in the M paging occasions, the time window comprises at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal is used for downlink synchronization, and the M paging occasions comprise a first paging occasion, wherein a first time window is present before the start position of the first paging occasion; receiving the synchronization signal in the first time window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: determining the position of the first time window according to the time domain position of the first paging occasion.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The length of the first 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 first time window is two time slots, and the synchronization signal occupies at least two symbols in each of the two time slots.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The at least two symbols are not adjacent to each other.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Further comprising: receiving signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates the time interval between each paging occasion in the M paging occasions and the time window before the start position of the paging occasion.

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 one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the time domain position of the transmission occasion of the synchronization signal in the time window, and the number of the transmission occasion of the synchronization signal in the time window.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The signal configuration information is carried in system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending paging configuration information, wherein the paging configuration information indicates a paging occasion, the paging occasion comprises M paging occasions corresponding to a first terminal device in a non-connected state, a time window is present before the start position of each paging occasion in the M paging occasions, the time window comprises at least one transmission occasion of a synchronization signal, and the synchronization signal is used for downlink synchronization; sending the synchronization signal in the time window before the M paging occasions.

9. The method of claim 8, 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.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The at least two symbols are not adjacent to each other.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, Further comprising: sending signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates the time interval between each paging occasion in the M paging occasions and the time window before the start position of the paging occasion.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, Further comprising: sending signal configuration information, wherein the signal configuration information indicates one or more of the following: the length of the time window, the time domain position of the transmission occasion of the synchronization signal in the time window, and the number of the transmission occasion of the synchronization signal in the time window.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The signal configuration information is carried in system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

14. A communications device, characterized by The method comprises units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 1-7, or the method comprises units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 8-13.

15. A communications device, characterized by The method comprises: One or more processors configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

16. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The readable storage medium stores programs or instructions, which, when running on a communication device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

17. A chip system, characterized by A computer program product comprising a program; which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

18. A program product, characterized by A computer program product comprising a program; which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

Images