SSB measurement method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide an SSB measurement method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by a network device; and the terminal device, on the basis of the first SMTC, measures a first SSB from the network device, and / or, on the basis of the first SMTC or the second SMTC, measures a second SSB from the network device.

Description

Ssb measurement method and apparatus TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology. BACKGROUND

[0002] As an important part of global new infrastructure construction, 5G communication networks have developed rapidly in the world in recent years. Network scale is getting larger and larger, and energy consumption of operators continues to grow. For example, according to the data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, energy consumption will increase by about 80% in 2022 compared with 2015.

[0003] With the construction of 5G and the large-scale commercialization of 5G active antenna processing units (AAU), compared with the remote radio unit (RRU) mainly used in 3G and 4G, the energy consumption of AAU will increase exponentially due to its high power consumption. 5G defines three major service types: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type of communication (mMTC), and ultra reliable low latency communication (URLLC), which makes the bursty service of 5G small packets increase continuously. The base station works uninterruptedly for 24 hours, and the daily energy consumption of the 5G site will be more than twice that of the 4G site.

[0004] 3GPP introduced key technologies such as massive MIMO and larger radio frequency bandwidth in the 5G era. 5G supports higher data rates and larger data traffic, requiring more transmission bandwidth. The deployment of high-frequency bands will also be the main frequency band for future expansion of 5G. The transmission characteristics of high-frequency bands limit the coverage of the site, so that 5G sites are deployed more densely, and the energy consumption brought by increasing the number of sites will bring huge operating cost pressure to operators. Therefore, network energy saving is of great significance to saving operating costs, and network energy saving has become one of the problems to be solved in the 5G and even 6G era.

[0005] In order to achieve energy saving, network devices can perform energy saving processing in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, and / or energy domain according to network load conditions. For example, in the spatial and energy domains, network devices can close part of the antennas when the load is low to achieve energy saving, and in the time domain, network devices can adjust the period or time domain position of the cell common reference signal (such as SSB / SIB) in the case of few users and small load to achieve the purpose of network device energy saving.

[0006] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of clearly and completely describing the technical scheme of the present application and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. The above technical scheme cannot be considered as known to those skilled in the art merely because it is described in the background section of the present application.

[0007] SUMMARY

[0008] The inventors find that, in terms of time domain, for a serving cell which is only a secondary cell, when there is no load and no data transmission on the serving cell, the network device can turn off / stop the transmission of the common reference signal (e.g. SSB) of the serving cell to achieve the purpose of energy saving; when there is load and data transmission on the serving cell, the network device activates / triggers the common reference signal of the serving cell through signaling for L1 / L3 measurement of the terminal device, fast activation of the secondary cell and other operations. This energy-saving method of turning on or off the common reference signal transmission according to the change of traffic can not only ensure the normal communication of the terminal device, but also achieve the purpose of network device energy saving. How to measure the on-demand SSB has become a problem to be solved in network energy-saving technology.

[0009] To solve at least one of the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide an SSB measurement method and device.

[0010] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an SSB measurement method is provided, comprising:

[0011] The terminal device receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by the network device;

[0012] The terminal device measures a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0013] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an SSB measurement device is provided, comprising:

[0014] A receiving unit receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by the network device;

[0015] A processing unit measures a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0016] According to another aspect of embodiments of the present application, a method for SSB measurement configuration is provided, comprising:

[0017] sending, by a network device, at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to a terminal device; and

[0018] sending, by the network device, a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device; wherein the terminal device measures the first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0019] According to another aspect of embodiments of the present application, a device for SSB measurement configuration is provided, comprising:

[0020] a sending unit configured to send at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to a terminal device, and to send a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device;

[0021] wherein the first SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the first SSB, and / or the first SMTC or the second SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the second SSB.

[0022] According to another aspect of embodiments of the present application, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0023] a network device configured to send at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC), and to send a first SSB and / or a second SSB;

[0024] a terminal device configured to measure the first SSB according to the first SMTC, and / or to measure the second SSB according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0025] One of the beneficial effects of embodiments of the present application is that in some scenarios (e.g. power saving mode) of wireless communication application, the terminal device measures the SSB according to the first SMTC and / or the second SMTC, whereby the network device and the terminal device can quickly and flexibly adjust the SSB transmission, which can improve the network gain (e.g. power saving gain) and ensure normal transmission of the terminal device.

[0026] Specific embodiments of this application are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of this application can be adopted. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, embodiments of this application include many changes, modifications, and equivalents.

[0027] Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0028] It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprises" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, or components. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The elements and features described in one drawing or embodiment of this application may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, similar reference numerals denote corresponding parts in several drawings and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the time-frequency structure of SSB;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of SSB candidates;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 5 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB triggering according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 6 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB triggering according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 7 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 8 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 9 is another example of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 10 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 11 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 12 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 13 is another example diagram showing the on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 14 is another example diagram showing the on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 15 is another example diagram showing the on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measuring device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement configuration device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0050] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other features of this application will become apparent from the following description. Specific embodiments of this application are specifically disclosed in the description and drawings, illustrating partial implementations in which the principles of this application may be employed. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the described embodiments; rather, it includes all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0051] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish different elements by name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one or more of the terms listed in association and all combinations thereof. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc., refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components, or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or assemblies.

[0052] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc., including the plural forms, should be broadly understood as "a kind" or "a class" rather than limited to the meaning of "an." Furthermore, the term "the" should be understood to include both the singular and plural forms, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0053] In the embodiments of this application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that conforms to any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0054] Furthermore, communication between devices in a communication system can be carried out according to communication protocols at any stage, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), future 6G, etc., and / or other currently known or future communication protocols.

[0055] In the embodiments of this application, the term "network device" refers, for example, to a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to a communication network and provides services to that terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0056] Base stations can include, but are not limited to: NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs or eNBs), and 5G base stations (gNBs), IAB hosts, etc. They can also include Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can encompass some or all of their functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage to a specific geographic area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0057] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "User Equipment" (UE) or "Terminal Equipment" (TE) refer, for example, to a device that accesses a communication network and receives network services through a network device. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), station, etc.

[0058] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, the following devices: cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, machine-type communication device, laptop computer, cordless phone, smartphone, smartwatch, digital camera, etc.

[0059] For example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), terminal devices can also be machines or devices for monitoring or measurement, such as including but not limited to: machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, and so on.

[0060] Furthermore, the terms "network side" or "network equipment side" refer to one side of the network, which can be a base station or include one or more network devices as described above. The terms "user side," "terminal side," or "terminal equipment side" refer to the side of the user or terminal, which can be a UE or include one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified, "equipment" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0061] The following examples illustrate the scenarios of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0062] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application, illustrating the case of a terminal device and a network device as examples. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103. For simplicity, Figure 1 only illustrates the case of two terminal devices and one network device, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0063] In this embodiment of the application, network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103 can transmit existing services or services that can be implemented in the future. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0064] It is worth noting that Figure 1 shows that both terminal devices 102 and 103 are within the coverage area of ​​network device 101, but this application is not limited to this. Both terminal devices 102 and 103 may be outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101, or one terminal device 102 may be within the coverage area of ​​network device 101 while the other terminal device 103 may be outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101.

[0065] System message design is a crucial concept in wireless communication systems. Cell-level system messages primarily serve to configure cell camping, provide user access, and facilitate interoperability. 5G NR has simplified system messages to some extent, and its design differs from 4G in terms of synchronization signals and system message design, thus necessitating a re-evaluation.

[0066] Unlike 4G, which separates the cell downlink synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel, 5G couples the cell synchronization signal (SS) and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to some extent, presenting them as SS / PBCH resource blocks, or simply synchronization signal blocks (SSBs).

[0067] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the time-frequency structure of SSB. As shown in Figure 2, in 5G NR, SSB occupies 20 consecutive physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain, with a maximum of 240 consecutive resource elements (REs). Among them, the synchronization signals (including the primary synchronization signal PSS and the secondary synchronization signal SSS) occupy 127 consecutive REs in the first and third OFDM symbols of SSB, respectively. The frequency domain center position of SSB can be flexibly configured and adjusted according to local conditions.

[0068] After the UE achieves SSB synchronization through frequency search, it decodes the Master Information Block (MIB) in the Physical Broadcast Channel. In LTE systems, in addition to configuring the MIB, the cell also configures SIB1 according to a fixed transmission period, and transmits the necessary parameter configurations for resolving SIB2 to SIBN through SIB1. 5G NR provides an optimized system message configuration mechanism, namely, on-demand configuration; SIB1 is not necessarily configured according to a fixed period in principle. However, SIB1 transmits important information related to cell selection, and even if not configured according to a fixed period, it still needs to be configured semi-statically through RRC signaling. Since the PDCCH carries limited content, and cell-level system messages generally do not change dynamically, PDCCH is generally not used to carry system messages in the design. In 5G NR, configuration is achieved semi-statically through RRC messages.

[0069] The "on-demand" design concept of 5G NR system messages greatly reduces the resource consumption overhead of system messages, while terminal devices can also reduce the power consumption caused by periodically listening to system messages to a certain extent. In 5G NR, the parameter `ssb-SubcarrierOffset` in the MIB determines whether SIB1 is configured in the PDCCH common search space `CORESET#0`. This parameter represents the subcarrier offset of the SSB's frequency domain start position relative to the common PRB. For 5G cell carriers in the FR1 (sub 6GHz) band, the UE, in conjunction with the PBCH, adds 1 bit representing the time domain payload to jointly determine the SSB's subcarrier offset relative to the common PRB, with a value ranging from 0 to 31. If this value is not greater than 23, the UE considers the cell to have configured system message SIB1; otherwise, the SIB1 content does not appear as a system message. For 5G cell carriers in the FR2 band, the UE only uses the parameter `ssb-SubcarrierOffset` to determine the subcarrier offset, with a value ranging from 0 to 15. If this value is not greater than 11, the UE considers the cell to have configured system message SIB1; otherwise, the SIB1 content does not appear as a system message. If this parameter is not configured, the UE determines the SSB's frequency domain subcarrier offset through frequency search.

[0070] 5G NR introduces the concept of shaped narrow beams. The beam pattern is not explicitly defined; within a single SSB transmission cycle, the shaped narrow beams transmitted by the SSB at different candidate transmission times are not identical. The protocol specifies that a maximum of one SSB transmission occurs every 80ms, meaning that the higher-layer content carried by the SSB will not change for at least an 80ms higher-layer scheduling period. The physical layer transmission cycle of the SSB can be configured via the higher-layer parameter `ssb-periodicityServingCell`, with values ​​ranging from {5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 160ms}. Setting the SSB repetition cycle is primarily for SSB transmission rate matching considerations. A larger cycle means less time-domain resources are occupied by the SSB, potentially lengthening the UE's listening period. If this parameter is not configured, the UE defaults to a 5ms SSB transmission cycle. The protocol stipulates that during initial cell selection, the UE can assume a 20ms cycle to search for half-frames containing SSBs, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing the downlink synchronous network search mechanism.

[0071] For different subcarrier spacings, the candidate positions of the SSB in each half-frame transmission are defined as follows:

[0072] A: With a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band not exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission times for the SSB can be configured at the {2, 8} OFDM positions in time slots 0 and 1, resulting in a total of 4 candidate times; while for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission times for the SSB can be configured at the {2, 8} OFDM positions in time slots 0, 1, 2, and 3, resulting in a total of 8 candidate times.

[0073] B: With a subcarrier spacing of 30kHz, for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band not exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission times for the SSB can be configured at the {4, 8, 16, 20} OFDM positions calculated starting from slot 0, resulting in a total of 4 candidate times; while for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission times for the SSB are configured at the {4, 8, 16, 20} OFDM positions calculated starting from slots 0 and 2, resulting in a total of 8 candidate times.

[0074] C: With a subcarrier spacing of 30kHz, in 5G FDD spectrum mode, for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band not exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission time of the SSB can be configured at the {2, 8} OFDM position in time slots 0 and 1, resulting in a total of 4 candidate times; while for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band exceeding 3GHz, the candidate transmission time of the SSB is configured at the {2, 8} OFDM position in time slots 0, 1, 2, and 3, resulting in a total of 8 candidate times. In 5G TDD spectrum mode, for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band not exceeding 2.4GHz, the candidate transmission time of the SSB can be configured at the {2, 8} OFDM position in time slots 0 and 1, resulting in a total of 4 candidate times; while for NR carrier frequencies within the FR1 band exceeding 2.4GHz, the candidate transmission time of the SSB is configured at the {2, 8} OFDM position in time slots 0, 1, 2, and 3, resulting in a total of 8 candidate times.

[0075] D: The subcarrier spacing is 120kHz. For the NR carrier frequency within the FR2 band, the candidate transmission times of the SSB are configured in slots 0, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 34, and 36, which are the initial calculation OFDM positions {4, 8, 16, 20}, for a total of 64 candidate times.

[0076] E: Subcarrier spacing 240kHz. For NR carrier frequencies within the FR band, the candidate transmission times of SSB are configured in time slots 0, 4, 8, 12, 20, 24, 28, and 32, which are the initial calculated OFDM positions {8, 12, 16, 20, 32, 36, 40, 44}, for a total of 64 candidate times.

[0077] For the SSB candidate location pattern ABCDE transmitted within a half-frame, the UE can determine the specific index position of the currently transmitted SSB by decoding the PBCH payload bits. For a half-frame containing 4 SSB candidate transmission positions, the index is determined using 2 least significant bits (LSB). For a half-frame containing 8 SSB candidate transmission positions, the index is determined using 3 least significant bits (LSB). In both cases, the PBCH index corresponds one-to-one with the initial sequence index of the pseudo-random sequence of the DMRS in the SSB. When determining 2 or 3 least significant bits, the UE does not directly obtain this information by decoding the PBCH transmission bits, but rather indirectly performs a logical mapping by decoding the DMRS. A half-frame contains 64 SSB candidate transmission positions. The DMRS index in the transmitted SSB is mapped cyclically using 3 least significant bits (8 SSB cycles). The UE combines the 3 least significant bits (LSB) with the 3 additional most significant bits (MSB) of the PBCH payload to jointly determine the transmission index of the SSB. The PBCH payload consists of 32 bits, including 23 bits carrying RRC content. Of these 23 bits, 6 bits are used as the high-order 6 bits for calculating the radio frame. In addition to these 23 bits, the physical layer adds 4 bits related to the transmission time as the low-order 4 bits for calculating the radio frame, 1 bit as the half-frame identifier in the radio frame, 3 bits as the high-order 3 bits for determining the SSB index, and the remaining 1 bit is not specified by the protocol. The MAC layer entity fills it in to align with the transmitted bytes.

[0078] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of SSB candidates. As shown in Figure 3, different frequencies and subcarrier spacings can correspond to different numbers of SSB candidates. For example, when the frequency band is less than or equal to 3 GHz and the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz, the number of SSB candidates is 4.

[0079] The SSB diagram shows the possible candidate locations of SSBs and the maximum value L of SSBs within the SSB burst set. max The actual number of activated SSBs can be less than L. max The base station notifies the UE which SSBs are activated and used via SIB1 or the higher-layer parameter ssb-PositionInBurst in UE-specific RRC signaling. For SSB-related RRC parameters, please refer to relevant technical documentation.

[0080] This application embodiment can perform secondary cell SSB measurements. The smtc IE in the SCellConfig IE of the secondary cell is used to configure the measurement timing configuration (SMTC) of the secondary cell SSB, that is, the measurement timing configuration of the SSB on the secondary cell. Table 1 shows an example of the secondary cell configuration.

[0081] Table 1

[0082] Table 2 shows examples of relevant descriptions.

[0083] Table 2

[0084] The SMTC configuration adds the SSB period / offset / duration of the target cell to the NR secondary cell list. The network setting `periodicityAndOffset` indicates the same period as the `ssb-periodicityServingCell` parameter in `sCellConfigCommon`. The SSB-MTC IE is used to configure measurement timing, such as the timing of UE SSB measurements, including the period and offset of the SMTC window for receiving the SSB, and the duration of the SMTC window. Table 3 shows an example of the SSB-MTC IE.

[0085] Table 3

[0086] Table 4 shows examples of related descriptions.

[0087] Table 4

[0088] The above description illustrates the SSB-related content of the embodiments of this application. This application is not limited thereto, and related technologies can be referenced. Furthermore, the above content, as part of the embodiments of this application, can be combined with the following embodiments.

[0089] Network devices can configure SSBs for secondary cells, and terminal devices perform measurement and synchronization operations based on the SSBs configured at fixed periods. Alternatively, network devices can choose not to configure an SSB on the secondary cell, but instead configure a reference cell. Terminal devices can then perform measurement and synchronization based on the reference cell's SSB. By default, the reference cell and the current secondary cell are synchronized and co-located. Terminal devices can perform time-frequency synchronization operations for the current secondary cell based on the reference cell's SSB. This supports SSB-based QCL reference, SSB-based CSI measurement and reporting, and SSB-based RLM and BFD / BFR.

[0090] In network energy-saving technologies, network devices aim to disable Service Shield Buses (SSBs) on secondary cells when there is no load and trigger / activate them when there is load. This type of SSB, which transmits only when needed and not when not needed, is a novel SSB not found in existing protocols. For this novel on-demand SSB (OD-SSB), existing protocols do not support measurement and reporting based on OD-SSB, nor do they support OD-SSB measurement time configuration. In the embodiments of this application, OD-SSB can be used to replace the on-demand SSB.

[0091] In the embodiments of this application, higher-layer signaling may be, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; for example, referred to as an RRC message, including MIB, system information, dedicated RRC messages; or referred to as an RRC information element. Higher-layer signaling may also be, for example, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling; or referred to as a MAC control element. However, this application is not limited to these.

[0092] In the following description, without causing confusion, the terms "PDCCH" and "Physical Downlink Control Channel" or "Downlink Control Information" are interchangeable, and the terms "PDSCH" and "Physical Downlink Data Channel" or "Downlink Data" are also interchangeable. Furthermore, transmitting or receiving a PDCCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink control information carried by the PDCCH; transmitting or receiving a PDSCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink data carried by the PDSCH. In the embodiments of this application, the terms "indicator," "activate," and "trigger" are interchangeable, or can be used in combination; for example, "indicator / trigger" can be replaced by "activate / deactivate" or "enable / deactivate," etc.

[0093] First aspect of the embodiments

[0094] This application provides an SSB measurement method, described from the perspective of a terminal device. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0095] 401, The terminal device receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by the network device;

[0096] 402, the terminal device measures the first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0097] It is worth noting that Figure 4 above is only an illustrative description of the embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description in Figure 4 above.

[0098] In this embodiment, the network device can configure one or more secondary cells (Scells) for the terminal device via RRC, and can configure SSBs (e.g., always-on SSB / CD-SSB or on-demand SSB, OD-SSB) for one or more secondary cells (Scells). The configured secondary cells are activated / deactivated via MAC CE or RRC signaling, and / or the on-demand SSB of the configured secondary cells is activated / deactivated, and / or the trigger offset of the on-demand SSB is indicated.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first SSB is configured as a periodic always-on SSB or a cell-defined SSB (CD-SSB); the second SSB is configured as a semi-persistent SSB or an on-demand SSB. The first SMTC is configured for measurement timing of a periodic always-on SSB or CD-SSB; the second SMTC is configured for measurement timing of a semi-persistent SSB or an on-demand SSB.

[0100] In some embodiments, the terminal device is a UE that supports network power saving (e.g., referred to as a Rel-19 NES capable UE), and the measurement is an RRM measurement, but this application is not limited to this. The network device sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device via RRC signaling. The terminal device performs intra-frequency / inter-frequency / inter-system measurements according to the measurement configuration information, and then reports the measurement results to the network device. Both the first SMTC and the second SMTC belong to the measurement configuration information. For specific details regarding the measurement, please refer to the foregoing embodiments or related technologies.

[0101] The following section will first use an always-on SSB and an on-demand SSB as examples to illustrate the scenarios supported by the serving cell that supports on-demand SSB secondary cell operation.

[0102] In some embodiments, an on-demand SSB is an SSB for Layer 1 / Layer 3 (L1 / L3) measurements indicated / triggered by a network device on a secondary cell; the secondary cell does not transmit an SSB before triggering the on-demand SSB, or the secondary cell transmits an always-on SSB (e.g., a regular non-on-demand SSB of an existing protocol); the network device indicates / triggers the on-demand SSB at the moment of sending a secondary cell activation command (a secondary cell activation command based on RRC or MAC CE), or indicates / triggers the on-demand SSB while the secondary cell is configured but not activated.

[0103] Figure 5 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB triggering according to an embodiment of this application, showing an example where there is no always-on SSB, and the cell activates / deactivates on-demand SSB as needed. As shown in Figure 5, the network device indicates / triggers on-demand SSB when sending the secondary cell activation command, or it can indicate / trigger on-demand SSB during the period when the secondary cell is configured but not yet activated.

[0104] Figure 6 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB triggering according to an embodiment of this application, showing an example of always-on SSB. As shown in Figure 6, on-demand SSB can be indicated / triggered at the time of sending the secondary cell activation command, or it can be indicated / triggered during the period when the secondary cell is configured but not yet activated; always-on SSB exists before or after the on-demand SSB is triggered.

[0105] The following describes the first SSB configuration and / or the second SSB configuration.

[0106] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives at least one first SSB configuration and / or at least one second SSB configuration sent by the network device; the terminal device also receives first indication information sent by the network device for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SSB configurations. If the terminal device receives only one second SSB configuration sent by the network device, the terminal device also receives the first indication information sent by the network device for indicating / triggering the second SSB configuration. The first indication information may be RRC and / or MAC CE and / or DCI; the second SSB configuration may be sent separately from the first indication information, or it may be sent together in the same message, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0107] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports indication / triggering of on-demand SSB based on RRC and / or MAC CE, or the terminal device supports activation / deactivation and enable / disable of on-demand SSB based on RRC and / or MAC CE.

[0108] For example, the activation / deactivation of the on-demand SSB is independent of the activation / deactivation of the SCell. One MAC CE can be used to activate / deactivate the on-demand SSB, and another MAC CE can be used to activate / deactivate the SCell; this application is not limited to this.

[0109] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports simultaneous activation / deactivation of on-demand SSB and secondary cell (SCell) based on the same RRC and / or MAC CE, or the terminal device supports simultaneous enable / de-enable of on-demand SSB and secondary cell (SCell) based on the same RRC and / or MAC CE.

[0110] For example, the activation / deactivation of the on-demand SSB is associated with the activation / deactivation of the SCell. A MAC CE can be used to activate / deactivate the SCell, and this MAC CE can also be used to activate / deactivate the on-demand SSB; this application is not limited to this.

[0111] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports activation / deactivation of secondary cells (SCells) based on existing RRC and / or MAC CE. Meanwhile, the terminal assumes / defaults that the on-demand SSB is activated after receiving a secondary cell (SCell) activation signaling, and / or the on-demand SSB is deactivated after receiving a secondary cell (SCell) deactivation signaling.

[0112] In some embodiments, if a terminal device receives multiple on-demand SSB configurations configured by a network device, the network device may indicate / trigger / activate / enable at most one on-demand SSB configuration within the same cell at any given time. If the terminal device receives only one on-demand SSB configuration configured by the network device, the network device may indicate / activate that on-demand SSB configuration.

[0113] In some embodiments, an on-demand SSB configuration information includes at least the following:

[0114] The frequency of on-demand SSB;

[0115] The on-demand SSB position within the burst is similar to the parameters of ssb-PositionsInBurst;

[0116] on-demand SSB period parameters;

[0117] Subcarrier spacing in on-demand SSB;

[0118] The physical cell ID of the serving cell where the on-demand SSB is located;

[0119] The location of the on-demand SSB burst, including its time-domain location and / or frequency-domain location;

[0120] Downlink transmission power of on-demand SSB; etc.

[0121] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives multiple on-demand SSB configurations configured by the network device, and the terminal device is instructed to different on-demand SSBs, for example, by indicating / triggering / activating / enabling different on-demand SSB configurations through RRC or MAC CE to achieve on-demand SSB adjustment.

[0122] For example, a network device configures two on-demand SSBs via RRC, with on-demand SSB 1 configured with a long period and on-demand SSB 2 configured with a short period. During SCell activation, the network device needs to send frequent, dense on-demand SSBs to achieve rapid activation of the secondary cell. At this time, the network device sends RRC or MAC CE signaling to the terminal device to indicate / trigger / activate / enable on-demand SSB 2, while simultaneously not activating / deactivating / deactivating on-demand SSB 1. Once the secondary cell is fully activated, the network device only needs to send sparse, long-period on-demand SSBs for measurement. At this time, the network device sends RRC or MAC CE signaling to the terminal device to indicate / trigger / activate / enable on-demand SSB 1, while simultaneously not activating / deactivating / deactivating on-demand SSB 2.

[0123] In some embodiments, the terminal device sends capability reporting information to the network device, the capability reporting information indicating at least the maximum number of second SSB configurations that the terminal device can support / can be configured; and / or, the terminal device receives capability indication information from the network device, the capability indication information indicating at least the maximum number of second SSB configurations.

[0124] For example, the UE can report the maximum number of on-demand SSBs it can support to the base station, and the base station can respond with indication information indicating the maximum number of on-demand SSBs. Alternatively, the UE can report the maximum number of on-demand SSBs it can support to the base station, and the base station will use that maximum number of on-demand SSBs by default. Yet another example is that the base station can directly send indication information indicating the maximum number of on-demand SSBs to the terminal device.

[0125] The above illustrations illustrate some scenarios of on-demand SSB. The parameters for the first and second SSB configurations will be explained below. In the following description, "SSB parameters" refers to, for example, higher-level parameters related to the SSB, such as SSB-related RRC parameters, etc., but this application is not limited to these.

[0126] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are the same.

[0127] For example, if the parameter names of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are the same and the value range is also the same, other parameters can be used to indicate which configurations belong to the first SSB configuration and which configurations belong to the second SSB configuration.

[0128] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are different.

[0129] For example, the second SSB configuration can use a different IE than the first SSB configuration. The first and second SSB configurations may have the same parameter names and value ranges, but at least one parameter value may differ, such as the value of the period parameter. Alternatively, the first and second SSB configurations may have different parameter names but the same value range. Yet another example is that the first and second SSB configurations may have different parameter names and different value ranges.

[0130] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are at least partially the same.

[0131] For example, the first SSB configuration may include more parameters; the second SSB configuration may include fewer parameters; the parameters in the second SSB configuration are a subset of those in the first SSB configuration. Some parameters in the second SSB configuration have the same names as some parameters in the first SSB configuration, but their values ​​are different; parameters not included in the second SSB configuration use the parameters and their values ​​from the first SSB configuration by default.

[0132] For example, if a network device only configures one SSB configuration for a terminal device, then the terminal device will use the parameters of the SSB configuration for both the first and second SSBs by default.

[0133] For example, the OD-SSB configuration may include some SSB-related parameters. Parameters that are not included indicate that the value of the parameter in the OD-SSB configuration is exactly the same as the value in the SSB (always-on SSB or CD-SSB) configuration. For instance, the OD-SSB configuration may only include the OD-SSB period parameter, which can be configured with a value different from the SSB (always-on SSB or CD-SSB) period. This OD-SSB configuration may not include the SSB subcarrier spacing parameter, indicating that the OD-SSB subcarrier spacing is the same as the SSB (always-on SSB or CD-SSB) subcarrier spacing and does not need to be reconfigured in the OD-SSB configuration.

[0134] In some examples, the higher-level configuration information / parameters of the OD-SSB can either reuse the existing SSB (always-on SSB or CD-SSB) configuration parameters or define new parameters. For example, the SSB position parameter of the OD-SSB burst can reuse the existing parameter ssb-PositionsInBurst or define a new parameter, such as ssb-PositionsInBurst-r19; another example is that the OD-SSB subcarrier spacing can reuse the existing parameter ssbSubcarrierSpacing or define a new parameter, such as ssbSubcarrierSpacing-r19.

[0135] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and / or the second SSB configuration include at least one of the following: SSB period, SSB frequency, SSB position within a burst, SSB burst time-domain position, SSB subcarrier spacing, SSB subcarrier offset, and SSB downlink transmission power. This application is not limited thereto.

[0136] In some embodiments, the location of the SSB burst includes at least one of the following: offset information, half-frame indication information.

[0137] In some examples, offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols offset within an OD-SSB period. For example, the value of this offset is independent of the time / location at which the OD-SSB activation / trigger / indication / enable signaling is received.

[0138] Figure 7 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application; and Figure 9 is yet another example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application.

[0139] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the period of OD-SSB is 20 subframes (i.e., 20ms), with an offset of the 5th subframe. Although the timing of the OD-SSB trigger / indication signaling differs in Figures 7 to 9, the location of the OD-SSB burst remains the same; the location of the OD-SSB burst does not change due to the different trigger / indication signaling times.

[0140] In some examples, offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols between the time-domain location of the first indication information or the time-domain location of the HARQ feedback information containing the first indication information and the time-domain location of the predetermined second SSB burst; half-frame indication information is used to indicate whether the second SSB burst is located in the first or second half of the frame. In some examples, the predetermined second SSB burst can be the first second SSB burst after being indicated / triggered.

[0141] For example, offset information could be a triggering offset, indicating the time / location / subframe / frame from the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation signaling to the time / location / subframe / frame of the HARQ feedback signaling of the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation signaling, and the number of frames / subframes between the slot / frame containing the signaling that triggers / indicates OD-SSB transmission and the slot / frame in which the 1 st (OD-SSB burst is transmitted). For example, an offset value of 0 corresponds to 0 subframes, a value of 1 corresponds to 1 subframe, and so on. In this example, the time / frame / subframe position of OD-SSB burst transmission is related to the time / position / frame / subframe of OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation / enable signaling transmission.

[0142] Figure 10 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application, and Figure 11 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB being triggered according to an embodiment of this application.

[0143] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, when the terminal device receives OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation / enable signaling, the first valid half-frame after the trigger offset of the signaling transmission time / position / frame / subframe is the transmission time / position / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB burst. The valid half-frame refers to either the first or second half of the frame structure. It can be seen that the time / time domain position of OD-SSB burst transmission is related to the time / position of OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling transmission.

[0144] Furthermore, the start time of the trigger offset can be calculated from the subframe in which the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling is transmitted, or from the subframe in which the OD-SSB triggers / activates / indicates the MAC CE HARQ feedback signaling is transmitted. The figure uses the subframe in which the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling is transmitted as an example. As shown in Figure 10, the OD-SSB burst is in the first half of the frame; as shown in Figure 11, the OD-SSB burst is in the second half of the frame. The position of the OD-SSB burst will change when the timing or location of the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication / enable signaling is different.

[0145] In some examples, half-frame indication information is used to indicate whether the OD-SSB burst is located in the first or second half of a frame; for example, the indication information is based on 1 bit, where a value of 0 (or 1) indicates that the OD-SSB burst is located in the first half of a frame, and a value of 1 (or 0) indicates that the OD-SSB burst is located in the second half of a frame.

[0146] Half-frame indication information can be related to offset information. When the offset information represents an offset within a fixed period, half-frame indication information is unnecessary; when the offset information represents the offset from the time / location of OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation signaling transmission to the time / location of the first OD-SSB burst transmission, half-frame indication information is required, and this information, together with the offset information, determines the time-domain location of the OD-SSB burst. Furthermore, half-frame indication information and offset information can be two different parameters, or they can be the same parameter, which indicates both the offset information and the preceding / following half-frame information.

[0147] The above provides an illustrative explanation of on-demand SSB. The following section will further explain SMTC.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the first SSB or the first SMTC window, and the second SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the second SSB or the second SMTC window.

[0149] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the first SMTC window or the first SSB in the secondary cell based on the first SMTC, and / or the terminal device determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB in the secondary cell based on the second SMTC.

[0150] In some examples, the terminal device receives a first SMTC or a second SMTC sent by the network device to configure the measurement time configuration of the OD-SSB of the target cell in the NR secondary cell addition list, that is, the terminal device receives the configuration of the SMTC window of the OD-SSB of the target cell in the NR secondary cell addition list; or it is used to indicate the period / offset / duration of the OD-SSB of the target cell in the NR secondary cell addition list, and the network device sets the period information contained in the first configuration information to the period information in the OD-SSB configuration information.

[0151] In some examples, the terminal device measures the second SSB from the network device based on the first SMTC, where the first SMTC is the smtc parameter in the existing protocol's SCellConfig IE. The network device configures the measurement time configuration information of the secondary cell OD-SSB through the smtc parameter, and the smtc parameter type is SSB-MTC IE. The network sets the period information of the smtc parameter to the period information in the OD-SSB configuration information.

[0152] For example, if a serving cell supporting OD-SSB does not transmit always-on SSB, and the terminal device is configured with at least one OD-SSB configuration but not always-on SSB, the terminal device defaults to / assumes that the smtc parameter (or the first SMTC) in the existing protocol's SCellConfig IE is used for OD-SSB measurement time configuration; the terminal device receives the configuration information of the smtc parameter in the existing SCellConfig IE, determines the OD-SSB measurement period / offset / duration based on the smtc configuration information, and realizes the measurement of OD-SSB.

[0153] In some examples, the terminal device measures a second SSB from the network device based on the first SMTC. The second SMTC is a newly introduced / defined OD-SSB measurement time configuration parameter or SSB measurement time configuration, such as being named smtc-nes, od-smtc, or smtcN, etc., where N is a positive integer greater than zero. The type of the second SMTC can be an existing SSB-MTC IE or a newly defined IE, such as OD-SSB-MTC or SSB-MTC-M, where M is a positive integer greater than zero, such as M=5. The second SMTC can be contained in an SCellConfig IE.

[0154] In some examples, the network device configures the measurement timing configuration information of the secondary cell (i.e., the target cell in the NR secondary cell addition list) OD-SSB via a second SMTC, including information such as the period, offset, and duration of the OD-SSB's SMTC window. Alternatively, the second SMTC can be used to indicate the period / offset / duration of the secondary cell's OD-SSB, and the network device sets the period information contained in the second SMTC to the period information in the OD-SSB configuration information. The terminal device determines the period, offset, and duration of the OD-SSB's SMTC window based on the second SMTC to perform OD-SSB measurement.

[0155] For example, in a serving cell supporting OD-SSB, always-on SSB is transmitted. The terminal device is configured with at least one OD-SSB configuration and also with always-on SSB. By default, the terminal device configures the measurement timing of always-on SSB based on the smtc parameter in the SCellConfig IE of the existing protocol. The terminal device also receives a second SMTC sent by the network device. This second SMTC, contained in the SCellConfig IE, is used to configure the measurement timing of OD-SSB, i.e., the SMTC window configuration when the terminal device receives OD-SSB. Based on the second SMTC, the terminal device determines the period, offset, and duration of the SMTC window for OD-SSB, thereby achieving OD-SSB measurement.

[0156] For example, a serving cell supporting OD-SSB does not transmit always-on SSB. The terminal device is configured with at least one OD-SSB configuration but not always-on SSB. The terminal device receives a second SMTC sent by the network device. This second SMTC is used to configure the measurement time configuration of OD-SSB, i.e., the SMTC window configuration when the terminal device receives OD-SSB. Based on the second SMTC, the terminal device determines the period, offset, and duration of the SMTC window for OD-SSB, thereby achieving OD-SSB measurement.

[0157] The following is an illustrative explanation of the indication / triggering of the second SMTC.

[0158] For example, for a serving cell that supports OD-SSB secondary cell operation, the network supports RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling to indicate OD-SSB transmission, i.e., triggering / indicating / activating / enabling OD-SSB and activating / deactivating / enabling OD-SSB. The terminal device receives the OD-SSB indication information carried by RRC or MAC CE, i.e., the first indication information, and determines the OD-SSB transmission based on this first indication information, i.e., determining when the OD-SSB starts transmitting, when it stops transmitting, or whether it is currently transmitting, whether it has been triggered / indicated / activated / enabling, or whether it has been deactivated / deactivated. If the network configures multiple OD-SSBs through higher-layer parameters, the first indication information is used to indicate / trigger an OD-SSB configuration to determine which OD-SSB is currently transmitting or being triggered / indicated / activated / enabling.

[0159] In addition, the terminal device also receives a second indication message sent by the network device, which is used to trigger / indicate the second SMTC window. The word 'indication' in this text can be replaced with trigger, activate, enable, activate / deactivate, enable / de-enable, etc. The second indication message can be RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first indication information is also used to indicate / trigger one of the at least one second SMTC. For example, the first indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0161] In some examples, the second indication information and the OD-SSB indication information (first indication information) are the same or common information / signaling. That is, the terminal device receives the OD-SSB indication information (first indication information), which is used to indicate the transmission of OD-SSB and also to indicate the OD-SSB measurement time configuration. Based on the first indication information, the terminal device determines the transmission status / activation / deactivation, enable / deactivation status of OD-SSB, and simultaneously determines the activation / deactivation, enable / deactivation status of OD-SSB measurement time configuration.

[0162] In some embodiments, during the period when a second SSB configuration is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled by a first indication message, one of at least a second SMTC is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled, and the indicated / triggered second SMTC corresponds to the indicated / triggered second SSB configuration.

[0163] In some examples, the terminal device receives a first indication information, determines the transmission of OD-SSB (second SSB) based on the first indication information, and the terminal device does not receive a second indication information. By default, the OD-SSB (second SSB) measurement time is configured to be valid or indicated / activated / triggered / enabled only during the transmission / activation / indication / enablement / triggering of OD-SSB (second SSB). That is, the terminal device only performs measurements during the transmission of OD-SSB (second SSB).

[0164] For example, the terminal is configured with at least one OD-SSB configuration and at least one RRC parameter is configured to indicate the transmission of OD-SSB. One value of the RRC parameter indicates that the OD-SSB is in a transmitting state or a triggered / activated / enabled state, and also indicates the triggered / activated / enabled state of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration or SMTC window. Alternatively, the terminal device defaults to one value of the RRC parameter indicating that the OD-SSB measurement time configuration or SMTC window is only in a valid activated / enabled state when the OD-SSB is transmitting or in a triggered / activated / enabled state, instructing the terminal device to measure the OD-SSB according to the OD-SSB measurement time configuration. The other value of the RRC parameter indicates that the OD-SSB does not exist or is deactivated / disabled, and also indicates that the OD-SSB measurement time configuration or SMTC window is deactivated / disabled. Alternatively, the terminal device defaults to another value of the RRC parameter indicating that the OD-SSB measurement time configuration or SMTC window is in an invalid / deactivated / disabled state when the OD-SSB does not exist or is deactivated / disabled, instructing the terminal device not to measure the OD-SSB.

[0165] For example, an OD-SSB configuration message may contain a `state` parameter. When this parameter appears or is configured to a certain value (e.g., `active`), it indicates that the OD-SSB is in an active / enabled state or is transmitting. The OD-SSB measurement time is configured to trigger / indicate / activate / enable state or the terminal device's default OD-SSB measurement time configuration is valid, and the terminal device measures the OD-SSB based on the OD-SSB measurement time configuration. When this parameter does not appear or is configured to another value (e.g., `inactive`), it indicates that the OD-SSB is in an inactive / disabled state or does not exist. The OD-SSB measurement time is configured to inactive / disabled state or the terminal device's default OD-SSB measurement time configuration is valid / active / enabled, and the terminal device does not need to measure the OD-SSB.

[0166] For example, a terminal device is configured with at least one OD-SSB, and simultaneously receives MAC CE signaling to indicate at least one OD-SSB. The MAC CE is used to trigger / indicate at least one OD-SSB, and also activate / enable the measurement time configuration or SMTC window of the OD-SSB, or the terminal device defaults to the OD-SSB's measurement time configuration or SMTC window being in a valid / activated / enabled state. The terminal device can then measure the OD-SSB based on the indicated / triggered OD-SSB measurement time configuration. Conversely, the MAC CE can also deactivate / deactivate at least one OD-SSB, and simultaneously deactivate / deactivate the OD-SSB's measurement time configuration or SMTC window, or the terminal device defaults to the OD-SSB's measurement time configuration or SMTC window being in an invalid / deactivated / deactivated state, and the terminal device does not need to measure the OD-SSB.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives second indication information sent by the network device for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SMTC. The second indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0168] In some examples, the second indication information and the first indication information indicating OD-SSB transmission can be different separate information / signaling. That is, the terminal device receives the OD-SSB indication information (first indication information) and determines the transmission status or activation / deactivation, enable / disable status of OD-SSB based on the indication information; the terminal device also receives the second indication information and determines the second SMTC, i.e., the activation / deactivation, enable / disable status of OD-SSB measurement time configuration, based on the second indication information.

[0169] For example, the terminal device receives RRC or MAC CE to indicate / trigger OD-SSB, that is, to activate / deactivate or enable / disable OD-SSB; the terminal device also receives second indication information to indicate the activation / deactivation or enable / disable SMTC window of OD-SSB, and the terminal device measures or does not measure OD-SSB based on the second indication information.

[0170] The above provides an illustrative explanation of the indications of the second SMTC. The following provides an illustrative explanation of the relevant parameters of the second SMTC.

[0171] In some embodiments, the second SMTC includes at least one of the following: a period parameter, an offset parameter, or a duration parameter. The period parameter indicates the period of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, the offset parameter indicates the time offset of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, and the duration parameter indicates the duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB.

[0172] For example, a terminal device receives first configuration information sent by a network device, the first configuration information being used to indicate the measurement time configuration information of the OD-SSB. The first configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0173] --Periodicity parameter, used to indicate the period of the SMTC window for the terminal to receive OD-SSB;

[0174] --Offset parameter, used to indicate the offset parameter of the SMTC window for the terminal to receive OD-SSB;

[0175] --Duration parameter, used to indicate the duration of the SMTC window for the terminal to receive OD-SSB.

[0176] For example, the period parameter represents the OD-SSB measurement time period, or the SMTC window period, or the OD-SSB period; the period parameter and duration parameter can be configured based on RRC. The offset parameter and period parameter can be the same parameter, such as periodicityAndOffset, which is used to configure the period and offset; or they can be two separate and different parameters.

[0177] In some embodiments, the offset parameter represents the number of frames / subframes / symbols that the SMTC window offsets within the SMTC period; or, the offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the first indication information used to indicate / trigger the second SSB to the time domain position of the predetermined second SMTC window; or, the offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the second indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SMTC to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window; or, the offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the second SSB transmission that is indicated / trigger / activate / enable to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window.

[0178] For example, the offset parameter can represent the number of frames / subframes / symbols of the SMTC window offset within the measurement period, which is the same as the meaning of offset in the existing protocol; or, the offset parameter can represent the offset of the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation / enable signaling transmission to the starting position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window; or, the offset parameter can represent the offset of the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger / indication / activation signaling (second indication information) transmission to the starting position / time of the first OD-SSB SMTC window; or, the offset parameter can represent the offset of the time frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB transmission after OD-SSB is triggered / indicated / activated to the starting position / time frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window.

[0179] In some examples, the offset parameter represents the offset of the SMTC window within the measurement period, and the offset parameter and the period parameter are the same parameter. For example, the configuration information of the period and offset parameter periodicityAndOffset in the OD-SSB measurement time configuration can be shown in Table 3. For example, when periodicityAndOffset is set to sf20 INTEGER 5, it means that the period of the OD-SSB SMTC window is 20 subframes, and the SMTC window offset is the 5th subframe within the 20-subframe period.

[0180] In these examples, the time-domain position of the OD-SSB is fixed, meaning that the period and offset of the OD-SSB are also based on higher-level parameter configuration and do not change over a period of time; the OD-SSB measurement time configuration can also be based on higher-level parameter configuration, and the time-domain position of the OD-SSB and the time-domain position of the OD-SSB SMTC window will not change due to the OD-SSB indication signaling at different times.

[0181] Figure 12 is an example diagram of on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the period of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration is sf20, and the offset is 10. The offset will not change due to different times / locations of OD-SSB triggering / activation / indication signaling transmission.

[0182] In some examples, the offset parameter (also known as the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset) represents the number of frames / subframes / symbols of the offset from the time domain position of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window. That is, the number of frames / subframes / symbols of the offset from the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation signaling transmission to the starting position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window.

[0183] Figure 13 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device is configured with OD-SSB trigger offset and OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameters. The OD-SSB trigger offset is included in the OD-SSB configuration information, and the OD-SSB trigger offset represents the number of frames / subframes offset from the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation / enable signaling transmission to the frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB burst transmission. The OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter is included in the second SMTC, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter represents the number of frames / subframes offset from the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / indication signaling (first indication information) transmission to the starting position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSBSMTC (second SMTC) window. The terminal equipment determines the time / location / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB burst transmission based on the time / location / frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / indication / activation / enable signaling transmission and the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, and determines the position of the OD-SSB-MTC based on the time / location / frame / subframe of the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling transmission and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter.

[0184] In some examples, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter are two separate parameters; the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter is included in the OD-SSB (second SSB) configuration information, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter is included in the second SMTC configuration. The two parameters may indicate the same content; for example, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter indicates the offset of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter also indicates the offset of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window. Alternatively, the two parameters may indicate different content; for example, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter indicates the offset of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter indicates the offset of the second indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window.

[0185] In some examples, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB-MTC trigger offset parameter are the same parameter. That is, the offset indicated by this parameter simultaneously represents the offset information of both the OD-SSB burst and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration. In other words, the network configures the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter to the terminal but not the OD-SSB-MTC trigger offset parameter. In this case, the terminal receives OD-SSB configuration information, which includes the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, and simultaneously receives second SMTC configuration information, which does not include the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter. The terminal determines the OD-SSB offset information based on the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, thereby determining the time-domain position of the OD-SSB. Simultaneously, the terminal determines the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset information based on the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, thereby determining the time-domain position of the OD-SSB's SMTC window. The example in Figure 13 shows that the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter are two separate parameters.

[0186] In some examples, the offset parameter (also known as the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset) can represent the number of subframes / symbols offset from the frame / subframe of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger / indication / activation signaling transmission to the start position / time of the first OD-SSB SMTC window.

[0187] Figure 14 is another example diagram of on-demand SSB and SMTC being triggered according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the terminal device is configured with OD-SSB trigger offset and OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameters. The terminal device determines the time / location of the first OD-SSB burst transmission based on the time / location frame / subframe of OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling transmission and the OD-SSB trigger offset parameters. The terminal device determines the time / location of the first OD-SSB-MTCSMTC window based on the time / location frame / subframe of OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger / activation / indication signaling transmission and the OD-SSB-MTC trigger offset parameters.

[0188] In some examples, the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger / activation / indication signaling can be two different separate signaling signals. In other examples, the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling and the OD-SSB-MTC trigger / activation / indication signaling can also be the same signaling signaling.

[0189] In some instances, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter are two separate parameters; the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter is included in the OD-SSB (second SSB) configuration information, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter is included in the second SMTC configuration. The two parameters may indicate the same content; for example, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter indicates the offset of the first indication information to a predetermined second SMTC window, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter also indicates the offset of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window. Alternatively, the two parameters may indicate different content; for example, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter indicates the offset of the first indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window, and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter indicates the offset of the second indication information to the predetermined second SMTC window.

[0190] In some examples, the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter are the same parameter. That is, the offset indicated by this parameter simultaneously represents the offset information of both the OD-SSB burst and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration. Alternatively, the network configures the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter to the terminal but not the OD-SSB-MTC trigger offset parameter. In this case, the terminal receives OD-SSB configuration information, which includes the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, and simultaneously receives second SMTC configuration information, which does not include the OD-SSB measurement time configuration offset parameter. The terminal determines the OD-SSB offset information based on the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, thereby determining the temporal location of the OD-SSB. Simultaneously, the terminal determines the offset information of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration based on the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter, thereby determining the temporal location of the OD-SSB's SMTC window.

[0191] In the example of Figure 14, the OD-SSB trigger / activation / indication signaling and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger / activation / indication signaling are different signaling, and the OD-SSB trigger offset parameter and the OD-SSB measurement time configuration trigger offset parameter are also different signaling.

[0192] In some examples, the offset parameter represents the offset from the start / end time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB burst transmission to the start position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window. The offset parameter also represents the offset from the time of the last frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB transmission after OD-SSB is triggered / indicated / activated to the start position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window.

[0193] Figure 15 is another example diagram illustrating the triggering of on-demand SSB and SMTC according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 15, the offset parameter represents the offset from the first frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB transmission after the OD-SSB is triggered / indicated / activated to the starting position / time / frame / subframe of the first OD-SSB SMTC window. In this example, the offset is the offset of the OD-SSB measurement time configuration or the SMTC window relative to the OD-SSB burst.

[0194] In some examples, the offset parameter is a higher-level RRC parameter, and the terminal device is configured with the offset parameter. In some examples, the network device configures multiple candidate offset parameters via RRC, and indicates the specific offset parameter via MAC CE or DCI. The terminal device determines the offset parameter based on the RRC higher-level parameter configuration information and the MAC CE or DCI indication information. In some examples, the network device determines the offset parameter value based on predefined rules, and the terminal device assumes that the offset parameter is a fixed value. For example, the terminal device assumes that the offset from the time of the first OD-SSB transmission after OD-SSB is triggered / indicated / activated to the starting position / time of the first OD-SSB SMTC window is 0, meaning that the terminal device determines that the starting position of OD-SSB-MTC and the starting position of OD-SSB burst are the same.

[0195] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0196] As can be seen from the above embodiments, in some scenarios of wireless communication applications (such as power saving mode), the terminal device measures the SSB according to the first SMTC and / or the second SMTC. As a result, the network device and the terminal device can quickly and flexibly adjust the SSB transmission, which can improve network gain (such as power saving gain) and ensure the normal transmission of the terminal device.

[0197] Second aspect of the embodiments

[0198] This application provides an SSB measurement configuration method, described from the perspective of a network device. The embodiments of the second aspect can be combined with the embodiments of the first aspect, and the content identical to that of the embodiments of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0199] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement configuration method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 16, the method includes:

[0200] 1601, the network device sends at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to the terminal device; and

[0201] 1602, the network device sends a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device.

[0202] As shown in Figure 16, the method may further include:

[0203] 1603, the terminal device measures the first SSB according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0204] It is worth noting that Figure 16 above is only an illustrative description of the embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description in Figure 16 above.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first SMTC is a periodic always-on SSB or CD-SSB measurement time configuration; the second SMTC is a semi-continuous SSB or on-demand SSB measurement time configuration.

[0206] In some embodiments, the first SSB is a periodic always-on SSB or a CD-SSB; the second SSB is a semi-continuous SSB or an on-demand SSB.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the first SSB or the first SMTC window, and the second SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the second SSB or the second SMTC window.

[0208] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the first SMTC window or the first SSB in the secondary cell based on the first SMTC, and / or the terminal device determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB in the secondary cell based on the second SMTC.

[0209] In some embodiments, the network device sends at least one first SSB configuration and / or at least one second SSB configuration; the network device sends first indication information for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SSB configurations.

[0210] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate / trigger at least one second SSB configuration.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first SSB is configured as a periodic always-on SSB or a CD-SSB; the second SSB is configured as a semi-persistent SSB or an on-demand SSB; and the first indication information is carried in RRC signaling and / or MAC CE and / or DCI.

[0212] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are the same, or the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are different, or the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are at least partially the same.

[0213] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and / or the second SSB configuration include at least one of the following: SSB frequency, SSB position within the burst, SSB period, subcarrier spacing, serving cell identifier, time-domain position of the SSB burst, and downlink transmission power.

[0214] In some embodiments, the location of the SSB burst includes at least one of the following: offset information, half-frame indication information.

[0215] In some embodiments, the offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols offset within a period.

[0216] In some embodiments, the offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols between the time domain location of the first indication information or the time domain location of the HARQ feedback information containing the first indication information and the time domain location of the predetermined second SSB burst;

[0217] The half-frame indication information is used to indicate whether the second SSB burst is located in the first or second half of the frame.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first indication information is also used to indicate / trigger one of the at least one second SMTC.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0220] In some embodiments, during the period when a second SSB configuration is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled by the first indication information, one of the at least one second SMTCs is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled.

[0221] In some embodiments, the network device sends a second indication message for instructing / triggering one of the at least one second SMTCs.

[0222] In some embodiments, the second indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0223] In some embodiments, the second SMTC includes at least one of the following: a period parameter, an offset parameter, or a duration parameter.

[0224] In some embodiments, the period parameter is used to indicate the period of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, the offset parameter is used to indicate the time offset of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, and the duration parameter is used to indicate the duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB.

[0225] In some embodiments, the offset parameter represents the number of frames / subframes / symbols the SMTC window offsets within the SMTC period; or,

[0226] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the first indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SSB to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window; or,

[0227] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the second indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SMTC to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window; or,

[0228] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the indicated / triggered / activated / enabled second SSB transmission to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window.

[0229] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0230] As can be seen from the above embodiments, in some scenarios of wireless communication applications (such as power saving mode), the terminal device measures the SSB according to the first SMTC and / or the second SMTC, so that the network device and the terminal device can quickly and flexibly adjust the SSB transmission, which can improve the network gain (such as power saving gain) and ensure the normal transmission of the terminal device.

[0231] Third aspect of the embodiments

[0232] This application provides an SSB measurement device. This device may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or parts configured within a terminal device; details identical to those in the first aspect of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0233] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measuring device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 17, the SSB measuring device 1700 includes:

[0234] The receiving unit 1701 receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by the network device.

[0235] Processing unit 1702 measures a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0236] In some embodiments, the first SMTC is a periodic always-on SSB or CD-SSB measurement time configuration; the second SMTC is a semi-continuous SSB or on-demand SSB measurement time configuration.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first SSB is a periodic always-on SSB or a CD-SSB; the second SSB is a semi-continuous SSB or an on-demand SSB.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the first SSB or the first SMTC window, and the second SMTC is used at least to indicate the period / offset / duration of the second SSB or the second SMTC window.

[0239] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1702 determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the first SMTC window or the first SSB in the secondary cell based on the first SMTC, and / or determines the period and / or offset and / or duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB in the secondary cell based on the second SMTC.

[0240] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1701 further receives at least one first SSB configuration and / or at least one second SSB configuration sent by the network device; and receives first indication information sent by the network device for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SSB configurations.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first SSB is configured as a periodic always-on SSB or a CD-SSB; the second SSB is configured as a semi-persistent SSB or an on-demand SSB; and the first indication information is carried in RRC signaling and / or MAC CE and / or DCI.

[0242] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are the same, or the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are different, or the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are at least partially the same.

[0243] In some embodiments, the SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and / or the second SSB configuration include at least one of the following: SSB frequency, SSB position within the burst, SSB period, subcarrier spacing, serving cell identifier, time-domain position of the SSB burst, and downlink transmission power.

[0244] In some embodiments, the location of the SSB burst includes at least one of the following: offset information, half-frame indication information.

[0245] In some embodiments, the offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols offset within a period.

[0246] In some embodiments, the offset information is used to indicate the number of frames / subframes / symbols between the time domain location of the first indication information or the time domain location of the HARQ feedback information containing the first indication information and the time domain location of the predetermined second SSB burst;

[0247] The half-frame indication information is used to indicate whether the second SSB burst is located in the first or second half of the frame.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first indication information is also used to indicate / trigger one of the at least one second SMTC.

[0249] In some embodiments, the first indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0250] In some embodiments, during the period when a second SSB configuration is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled by the first indication information, one of the at least one second SMTCs is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled.

[0251] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1701 also receives second indication information sent by the network device for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SMTCs.

[0252] In some embodiments, the second indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or to deactivate / deactivate at least one second SMTC.

[0253] In some embodiments, the second SMTC includes at least one of the following: a period parameter, an offset parameter, or a duration parameter.

[0254] In some embodiments, the period parameter is used to indicate the period of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, the offset parameter is used to indicate the time offset of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, and the duration parameter is used to indicate the duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB.

[0255] In some embodiments, the offset parameter represents the number of frames / subframes / symbols the SMTC window offsets within the SMTC period; or,

[0256] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the first indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SSB to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window; or,

[0257] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the second indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SMTC to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window; or,

[0258] The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain position of the indicated / triggered / activated / enabled second SSB transmission to the time domain position of the predetermined SMTC window.

[0259] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG17, the SSB measuring device 1700 may further include:

[0260] The transmitting unit 1703 sends measurement information or reporting information to the network device.

[0261] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the components or modules relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The SSB measuring device 1700 may also include other components or modules, and for details regarding these components or modules, please refer to related technologies.

[0262] Furthermore, for simplicity, Figure 17 only illustrates the connection relationships or signal flow between the various components or modules, but those skilled in the art should understand that various related technologies such as bus connections can be used. The aforementioned components or modules can be implemented using hardware facilities such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers; this application does not limit this implementation.

[0263] Through the embodiments of this application, in some scenarios of wireless communication applications (such as power saving mode), the terminal device measures the SSB according to the first SMTC and / or the second SMTC, thereby enabling the network device and the terminal device to quickly and flexibly adjust the SSB transmission, which can improve network gain (such as power saving gain) and ensure the normal transmission of the terminal device.

[0264] Fourth aspect of the embodiment

[0265] This application provides an SSB measurement and configuration device. This device may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or parts configured within a network device; details identical to those in the first and second aspects will not be repeated.

[0266] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of an SSB measurement configuration apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 18, the SSB measurement configuration apparatus 1800 includes:

[0267] The transmitting unit 1801 transmits at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to the terminal device; and transmits the first SSB and / or the second SSB to the terminal device.

[0268] Wherein, the first SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the first SSB, and / or, the second SMTC or the second SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the second SSB.

[0269] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG18, the SSB measurement configuration device 1800 may further include:

[0270] The receiving unit 1802 receives measurement information or reporting information sent by the terminal equipment.

[0271] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the components or modules relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The SSB measurement configuration device 1800 may also include other components or modules, and for details regarding these components or modules, please refer to related technologies.

[0272] Furthermore, for simplicity, Figure 18 only illustrates the connection relationships or signal flow between the various components or modules, but those skilled in the art should understand that various related technologies such as bus connections can be used. The aforementioned components or modules can be implemented using hardware facilities such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers; this application does not limit this implementation.

[0273] Through the embodiments of this application, in some scenarios of wireless communication applications (such as power saving mode), the terminal device measures the SSB according to the first SMTC and / or the second SMTC, thereby enabling the network device and the terminal device to quickly and flexibly adjust the SSB transmission, which can improve network gain (such as power saving gain) and ensure the normal transmission of the terminal device.

[0274] Fifth aspect of the embodiment

[0275] This application also provides a communication system, which can be referred to FIG1. ​​The contents that are the same as those in the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects will not be repeated.

[0276] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least:

[0277] A network device that transmits at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC); and transmits the first SSB and / or the second SSB;

[0278] A terminal device that measures the first SSB according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0279] This application also provides a terminal device, but the application is not limited thereto and may also include other devices.

[0280] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 may include a processor 1910 and a memory 1920; the memory 1920 stores data and programs and is coupled to the processor 1910. It is worth noting that this figure is exemplary; other types of structures may also be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunications functions or other functions.

[0281] For example, processor 1910 may be configured to execute a program to implement the SSB measurement method as described in the embodiments of the first aspect. For example, processor 1910 may be configured to perform the following control: receive at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by a network device; measure a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC; and / or measure a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0282] As shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 may further include: a communication module 1930, an input unit 1940, a display 1950, and a power supply 1960. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and will not be described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1900 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 19; these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1900 may also include components not shown in Figure 19, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0283] This application also provides a network device, such as a base station, but this application is not limited to this and may also include other network devices.

[0284] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 20, the network device 2000 may include: a processor 2010 (e.g., a central processing unit CPU) and a memory 2020; the memory 2020 is coupled to the processor 2010. The memory 2020 can store various types of data; in addition, it also stores an information processing program 2030, and executes the program 2030 under the control of the processor 2010.

[0285] For example, processor 2010 may be configured to execute a program to implement the SSB measurement configuration method as described in the embodiments of the second aspect. For example, processor 2010 may be configured to perform the following control: sending at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to a terminal device; and sending a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device; wherein the terminal device measures a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0286] In addition, as shown in Figure 20, the network device 2000 may also include a transceiver 2040 and an antenna 2050, etc.; the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here. It is worth noting that the network device 2000 does not necessarily have to include all the components shown in Figure 20; furthermore, the network device 2000 may also include components not shown in Figure 20, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0287] This application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to perform the SSB measurement method described in the first aspect of the embodiment.

[0288] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a terminal device to perform the SSB measurement method described in the first aspect of the embodiment.

[0289] This application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to perform the SSB measurement configuration method described in the second aspect of the embodiment.

[0290] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a network device to perform the SSB measurement configuration method described in the second aspect of the embodiment.

[0291] The apparatus and methods described above in this application can be implemented in hardware or in combination with software. This application relates to a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the apparatus or components described above, or to implement the various methods or steps described above. This application also relates to storage media for storing the above programs, such as hard disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, DVDs, flash memory, etc.

[0292] The methods / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. For example, one or more and / or combinations of one or more functional block diagrams shown in the figures can correspond to various software modules in a computer program flow, or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figures, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented, for example, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to embed these software modules.

[0293] The software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium can be coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The software module can be stored in the memory of a mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a high-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a high-capacity flash memory device, the software module can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the high-capacity flash memory device.

[0294] One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0295] The present application has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application based on its spirit and principles, and these modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0296] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following notes are also disclosed:

[0297] 1. A method for measuring SSB, comprising:

[0298] The terminal device receives at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) sent by the network device;

[0299] The terminal device measures the first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0300] 2. An SSB measurement configuration method, comprising:

[0301] The network device sends at least one first SSB measurement time configuration (first SMTC) and / or at least one second SSB measurement time configuration (second SMTC) to the terminal device; and

[0302] The network device sends a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device; wherein the terminal device measures the first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

[0303] 3. A terminal device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to execute the computer program to implement the SSB measurement method as described in Appendix 1.

[0304] 4. A network device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program and the processor being configured to execute the computer program to implement the SSB measurement configuration method as described in Appendix 2.

[0305] 5. A computer program product comprising at least a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes a terminal device to perform the SSB measurement method as described in Appendix 1.

[0306] 6. A computer program product comprising at least a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes a network device to perform the SSB measurement configuration method as described in Appendix 2.

Claims

1. An SSB measurement apparatus, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive at least one first SMTC and / or at least one second SMTC transmitted by a network device; a processing unit configured to measure a first SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC, and / or measure a second SSB from the network device according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first SMTC is a measurement time configuration of a periodic always-on SSB or CD-SSB; the second SMTC is a measurement time configuration of a semi-persistent SSB or on-demand SSB. The first SSB is a periodic always-on SSB or CD-SSB; the second SSB is a semi-persistent SSB or on-demand SSB.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first SMTC is used to indicate at least a periodicity / offset / duration of a first SSB or a first SMTC window, and the second SMTC is used to indicate at least a periodicity / offset / duration of a second SSB or a second SMTC window.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein The processing unit is configured to determine a periodicity and / or offset and / or duration of a first SMTC window or a first SSB in a secondary cell according to the first SMTC, and / or determine a periodicity and / or offset and / or duration of a second SMTC window or a second SSB in the secondary cell according to the second SMTC.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein The receiving unit is further configured to receive at least one first SSB configuration and / or at least one second SSB configuration transmitted by the network device, and receive first indication information transmitted by the network device for indicating / triggering one of the at least one second SSB configuration.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The first SSB configuration is a periodic always-on SSB configuration or a CD-SSB configuration; the second SSB configuration is a semi-persistent SSB or on-demand SSB configuration; and the first indication information is carried in RRC signaling and / or MAC CE and / or DCI.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and the second SSB configuration are the same, or different, or at least partially the same.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The SSB parameters of the first SSB configuration and / or the second SSB configuration comprise at least one of: SSB frequency, SSB position within a burst, SSB periodicity, subcarrier spacing, identity of a serving cell, time domain position of a SSB burst, downlink transmission power.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The position of the SSB burst comprises at least one of: offset information, half frame indication information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The offset information is used to indicate a number of frames / subframes / symbols of an offset within a periodicity.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The offset information is used to indicate the frame / subframe / symbol number between the time domain location of the first indication information or the time domain location of the HARQ feedback information containing the first indication information to the time domain location of a predetermined second SSB burst. The half frame indication information is used to indicate whether the second SSB burst is located in the first half frame or the second half frame within a frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The first indication information is also used to indicate / trigger one of the at least one second SMTC. The first indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or, is used to deactivate / disable at least one second SMTC.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, During the period that the one second SSB configuration is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled by the first indication information, one of the at least one second SMTC is indicated / triggered / activated / enabled.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The receiving unit further receives second indication information transmitted by the network device and used to indicate / trigger one of the at least one second SMTC.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The second indication information is used to activate / enable at least one second SMTC, and / or, is used to deactivate / disable at least one second SMTC.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The second SMTC at least includes at least one of a periodicity parameter, an offset parameter or a duration parameter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The periodicity parameter is used to indicate the periodicity of a second SMTC window or the second SSB, the offset parameter is used to indicate the time offset of the second SMTC window or the second SSB, and the duration parameter is used to indicate the duration of the second SMTC window or the second SSB.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The offset parameter represents the frame / subframe / symbol number of the SMTC window offset within the SMTC period; or, The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain location of the first indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SSB to the time domain location of a predetermined SMTC window; or, The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain location of the second indication information used to indicate / trigger / activate / enable the second SMTC to the time domain location of a predetermined SMTC window; or, The offset parameter represents the offset from the time domain location of the second SSB transmission indicated / triggered / activated / enabled to the time domain location of a predetermined SMTC window.

19. An SSB measurement configuration apparatus, comprising: a transmitting unit configured to transmit at least one first SMTC and / or at least one second SMTC to a terminal device; and transmit a first SSB and / or a second SSB to the terminal device; wherein the first SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the first SSB, and / or the first SMTC or the second SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the second SSB.

20. A communication system, comprising: a network device configured to transmit at least one first SMTC and / or at least one second SMTC; and transmit a first SSB and / or a second SSB; wherein the first SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the first SSB, and / or the first SMTC or the second SMTC is used by the terminal device to measure the second SSB. ​ ​ A terminal device measures the first SSB according to the first SMTC, and / or measures the second SSB according to the first SMTC or the second SMTC.

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