Communication method and apparatus, and readable storage medium, chip and program product

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, and a readable storage medium, a chip and a program product, which can determine slot formats of a plurality of downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of an MBSC. The method comprises: receiving first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating formats of slots corresponding to a plurality of carriers, the plurality of carriers including N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier, the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier belonging to a first cell, and N being an integer greater than or equal to 2; and on the basis of the first indication information, determining the formats of the slots corresponding to the plurality of carriers. The embodiments of the present application are applied to the process of determining a slot format of a cell.

Description

Communication methods, devices, readable storage media, chips and software products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411058227.1, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 1, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Readable Storage Medium, Chip and Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, readable storage medium, chip, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] In related technologies, network devices indicate the serving cell's slot format to the terminal via a slot format indicator (SFI) index. The slot format characterizes the type of each symbol within a slot: uplink symbol, downlink symbol, or flexible symbol. However, current SFI indices typically only indicate the slot format of carriers for a few fixed cell types. For example, they can indicate the slot format of one uplink and one downlink carrier in a frequency division duplex (FDD) cell, the slot format of one TDD carrier in a time division duplex (TDD) cell, or the slot format of one downlink carrier, one normal uplink (NUL) carrier, and one supplementary uplink carrier in a supplementary uplink (SUL) cell. However, there is currently no solution for indicating the slot format of cell carriers with more types. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, readable storage medium, chip, and program product that can solve the problem that the prior art cannot determine the time slot format of more types of cell carriers.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The following description uses the method executed by a terminal as an example. The communication method includes: receiving first indication information; the first indication information indicating the format of time slots corresponding to multiple carriers; the multiple carriers including N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belonging to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and determining the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers based on the first indication information.

[0007] This application provides a communication method in which a terminal determines the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of a first cell by using the time slot format corresponding to the N downlink carriers and the time slot format corresponding to at least one uplink carrier of the first cell indicated by first indication information. In other words, based on the communication method provided by this application, the time slot format of more types of cell carriers can be determined. For example, an MBSC is a cell containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; therefore, the terminal can determine the time slot format of each carrier of the MBSC through the first indication information, thereby solving the current technical problem of being unable to determine the time slot format of the MBSC.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; the combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers.

[0009] Based on this, the first indication information indicates the time slot format corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers through the time slot format indication index in the time slot format table, so that the terminal can determine the time slot format corresponding to each carrier according to the first indication information.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; the time slot corresponding to the first carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; the reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than the reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

[0011] Based on this, the time slot corresponding to a carrier with a larger reference subcarrier spacing will be positioned earlier in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of its corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the size of the reference subcarrier spacing of multiple carriers, and thus determine the time slot format corresponding to the carrier.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a third carrier; if the third carrier is any carrier among the multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is the carrier with the smallest difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among the carriers whose reference subcarrier spacing is smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier; or, if the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

[0013] Based on this, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the fourth carrier. Then, based on the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and the position of the time slots corresponding to the third carrier in the time slot format combination, the terminal determines the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier according to the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot.

[0014] When the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier according to the second preset value, and then determine the time slot corresponding to the third carrier according to the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and the position of the time slot corresponding to the third carrier in the time slot format combination. Finally, the terminal determines the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier according to the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot.

[0015] In one possible implementation, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies the following: a value determined by a first preset value as the base and a preset difference value as the exponent; the preset difference value is the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

[0016] Based on this, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier by using the first preset value as the base and the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier as the exponent. Then, based on the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and the position of the time slots corresponding to the third carrier in the time slot format combination, the terminal can determine the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier according to the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot.

[0017] In one possible implementation, when there are multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is the same.

[0018] Based on this, the terminal can determine that carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing also have the same number of time slots.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; and the frequency of the fifth carrier is greater than the frequency of the sixth carrier.

[0020] Based on this, when the reference subcarrier spacing is the same, the carrier with a larger frequency point has a higher position in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of the corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the frequency point of multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing, and thus determine the time slot format corresponding to the carrier.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; wherein, in the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration, the fifth carrier is in the order of the sixth carrier.

[0022] Based on this, when the reference subcarrier spacing is the same, the carrier whose order is indicated earlier during cell configuration corresponds to the earlier time slot in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of the corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration for multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing, and thus determine the time slot format corresponding to the carrier.

[0023] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device, such as the network device's processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The following description uses the example of this method being executed by a network device. The communication method includes: sending first indication information; the first indication information indicating the format of time slots corresponding to multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; the combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; the time slot corresponding to the first carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; the reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than the reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a third carrier; if the third carrier is any carrier among the multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is the carrier with the smallest difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among the carriers whose reference subcarrier spacing is smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier; or, if the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

[0027] In one possible implementation, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies the following: a value determined by a first preset value as the base and a preset difference value as the exponent; the preset difference value is the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

[0028] In one possible implementation, when there are multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is the same.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; and the frequency of the fifth carrier is greater than the frequency of the sixth carrier.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; wherein, in the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration, the fifth carrier is in the order of the sixth carrier.

[0031] For the technical effects of the second aspect and any of its implementations, please refer to the technical effects of the corresponding implementations of the first aspect; they will not be repeated here.

[0032] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal, such as the terminal's processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The following description uses the method executed by a terminal as an example. The communication method includes: receiving second indication information; the second indication information indicating the format of a time slot corresponding to a preset carrier among multiple carriers; the multiple carriers including N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belonging to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and determining the format of the time slot corresponding to the preset carrier based on the second indication information.

[0033] This application provides a communication method in which a terminal can determine the time slot format of a preset carrier among N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of a first cell through a second indication information.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the preset carrier is either a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

[0035] Based on this, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the path loss reference carrier or radio resource management reference carrier among the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the first cell through the second indication information.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from a second cell; the carriers of the second cell include a seventh carrier, which is any carrier other than a preset carrier among N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the third indication information is used to indicate the time slot format of the seventh carrier; and the time slot format of the seventh carrier is determined based on the third indication information.

[0037] Based on this, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the shared carrier by receiving indications from other cells that share a portion of the carrier with the first cell. Furthermore, the terminal can combine the aforementioned preset carrier time slot format with the shared carrier time slot format to determine the time slot format of all or part of the carriers of the first cell.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device, such as the network device's processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The following description uses the example of this method being executed by a network device. The communication method includes: sending second indication information; the second indication information is used to indicate the format of a time slot corresponding to a preset carrier among multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the preset carrier is either a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

[0040] The technical effects of the fourth aspect and any of its implementation methods can be found in the technical effects of the corresponding implementation methods of the third party, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] Fifthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be a terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device can be a network device as described in the second aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device can be a terminal as described in the third aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device can be a network device as described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the methods described above, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0042] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the transmission and / or reception functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations. The transceiver module may consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations.

[0043] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation methods.

[0044] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: at least one processor; the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods of any of the above aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be a terminal as described in the first aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be a network device as described in the second aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be a terminal as described in the third aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a device included in the terminal, such as a chip. Alternatively, the communication device may be a network device as described in the fourth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip. In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the processor includes logic circuitry and input and / or output interfaces. The output interfaces are used to perform the sending action in the corresponding method, and the input interfaces are used to perform the receiving action in the corresponding method.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface and a communication bus, with the processor, memory, and communication interface connected via the communication bus. The communication interface is used to perform the sending and receiving actions in the corresponding method. The communication interface can also be called a transceiver. Optionally, the communication interface includes a transmitter and a receiver; in this case, the transmitter is used to perform the sending action in the corresponding method, and the receiver is used to perform the receiving action in the corresponding method.

[0047] In some possible designs, the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. When the communication device is a chip, the aforementioned transmitting action / function can be understood as an output, and the aforementioned receiving action / function can be understood as an input.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the foregoing aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0049] In some possible designs, the chip includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0050] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods of any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0051] Ninthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

[0052] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal of the first aspect and the network device of the second aspect; or, the communication system includes the terminal of the third aspect and the network device of the fourth aspect.

[0053] The technical effects of any of the implementation methods in aspects five through ten can be found in the technical effects of the corresponding implementation methods in aspect one or the third party, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] It should be noted that any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects can be combined, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other. Attached Figure Description

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-carrier cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the 16 SFI indices in the DCI when the slot format is indicated by the DCI according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the sorting of four carriers of a first cell from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing that the four carriers of a first cell are sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing according to another embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing that the four carriers of a first cell are sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing according to another embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing that the four carriers of a first cell are sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing according to another embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the type of symbol in the time slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier and the type of symbol in the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a preset carrier among four carriers of a first cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Specific implementation methods

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given first. The brief introduction is as follows:

[0072] 1. Multiple band serving cell (MBSC)

[0073] MBSC refers to a communication technology that provides transmission services to terminals through multiple frequency bands. An MBSC cell is configured as either a set containing multiple downlink frequency bands (DL bands) or a cell containing multiple downlink frequency bands. Terminals can dynamically switch between these downlink frequency bands within the cell, thereby achieving flexible downlink reception.

[0074] The component carrier (CC) composition of an MBSC cell differs from that of other cells. For example, in an FDD cell, a cell includes one downlink carrier and one uplink carrier; in a TDD system, a cell includes one TDD carrier; in an uplink supplementary cell, a cell includes one downlink carrier, one normal UL (NUL) carrier, and one SUL carrier. An MBSC cell, however, includes multiple downlink carriers (DL CC) and one uplink carrier (UL CC).

[0075] For example, as shown in Figure 1, multiple carriers with different bandwidths are divided within the current 1-100GHz frequency band. In traditional network systems, a cell typically corresponds to one downlink carrier bandwidth; however, an MBCS cell may contain multiple downlink carrier bandwidths. For instance, the carriers with the different bandwidths mentioned above belong to cells 1 through 4. Taking cell 1 as an example, cell 1 corresponds to a carrier with an FDD 900MHz bandwidth, an FDD 1800MHz bandwidth, and an FDD 2100MHz bandwidth. The synchronization local carrier offset is less than the cyclic prefix (CP), and the same radio frequency (RF) is shared at the base station. Terminals accessing cell 1 can communicate using these three types of carrier bandwidths.

[0076] Currently, multiple downlink carriers in an MBSC cell can be partially active and partially inactive. Network devices can configure multiple downlink bandwidth parts (BWPs) and multiple uplink BWPs for a terminal via higher-layer signaling radio resource control (RRC) messages, and activate one downlink BWP and one uplink BWP for the terminal via physical layer signaling downlink control information (DCI) messages. In other words, the network device configures multiple downlink BWPs and multiple uplink BWPs for the terminal, but only activates one downlink BWP and one uplink BWP. When it is necessary to switch the active BWP, the network device instructs the terminal to perform a BWP handover via DCI. Generally, the network device instructs the terminal to switch the active downlink BWP via downlink DCI and the active uplink BWP via uplink DCI.

[0077] 2. Subcarrier spacing

[0078] Subcarrier spacing refers to the frequency difference between two adjacent subcarriers. In related technologies, different carriers can have different subcarrier spacings, and different subcarrier spacings correspond to different symbol lengths and / or time slot lengths.

[0079] The subcarrier spacing is typically based on a 15kHz baseline, and can specifically be 15kHz * 2a, where a is a positive integer. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, or 240kHz.

[0080] The symbol length is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing, and is usually the reciprocal of the subcarrier spacing. The different symbol lengths corresponding to different subcarrier spacings are shown in Table 1 below:

[0081] Table 1. Different symbol lengths corresponding to different subcarrier intervals

[0082] In Table 1 above, f0, f1, and f2 refer to three different subcarrier spacings. Specifically, the subcarrier spacing of f2 is twice that of f1, and the subcarrier spacing of f1 is twice that of f0. Correspondingly, the symbol length of f0 is twice that of f1, and the symbol length of f1 is twice that of f2.

[0083] 3. Time slot format

[0084] A time slot format is used to characterize the symbol type of each symbol within a time slot. A time slot typically consists of multiple symbols, which may have different types, such as uplink transmission symbols, downlink transmission symbols, and guard intervals. The composition of the types of each symbol within a time slot is called the time slot format. Optionally, the time slot format can be indicated by a slot format indicator (SFI). As shown in Table 2 below, taking a time slot containing 14 symbols as an example, 256 common time slot formats in related technologies are explained.

[0085] Table 2. Time Slot Format

[0086] In Table 2 above, format numbers 0-55 represent different types of time slot formats. Format numbers 56-254 represent reserved time slot format types. Format number 255 indicates that in tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon2, or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated configurations, flexible symbols are indicated by D or U to indicate reception or transmission configured by a higher layer. Furthermore, it indicates that the current time slot format is the same as the time slot format previously transmitted via DCI 2_0. In Table 2, D indicates the symbol type is downlink symbol, U indicates the symbol type is uplink symbol, and X indicates the symbol type is flexible symbol. The time slot format includes the symbol type of each symbol within a time slot.

[0087] It should be noted that Table 2 above only uses a time slot with 14 symbols as an example. In practical applications, different time slot types include different numbers of symbols, and the corresponding time slot formats are also different. For example, a mini slot contains fewer than 7 symbols (such as 1 symbol, 2 symbols, 4 symbols, etc.), while a slot contains 7 or 14 symbols. The time slot formats corresponding to different numbers of symbols will not be elaborated in this application.

[0088] When configuring the serving cell time slot format for a terminal, network devices can be configured in a semi-static or dynamic manner.

[0089] The semi-static configuration of time slot formats involves the following steps: The terminal is informed of the time slot format for each time slot within one or more cycles via RRC signaling. The terminal determines the time slot format for each time slot through the RRC signaling, and then determines the type of each symbol within the time slot based on the time slot format. The symbol types include uplink (UL), downlink (DL), and flexible (X, also known as unknown or flexible). On flexible symbols, the terminal neither receives nor transmits information. The signaling used for semi-static configuration can be cell-specific signaling, which is received by all terminals accessing the cell; or it can be UE-specific signaling, which is received only by the terminal corresponding to that signaling.

[0090] Dynamic configuration refers to network devices instructing terminals, via DCI signaling, on the time slot format for one or more time slots within a period. Specifically, this DCI signaling can be DCI2_0 signaling. The dynamically configured time slot format can override the symbol state of the flexible symbols indicated in semi-static configuration.

[0091] In some embodiments, as shown in Table 3, a time slot format table is predefined in the protocol, which includes time slot formats for a different number of time slots. DCI signaling can indicate the time slot format of one or more time slots of the serving cell by indicating the index value in the table.

[0092] Table 3. Time Slot Format Table

[0093] The time slot format indication index in the DCI sent by the network device to the terminal is used to indicate the value of the entry in the first column of Table 3. The format of the serving cell's time slot is the time slot format represented by the DCI indication value in Table 3 (the time slot formats of multiple time slots in each row of Table 3 are also called time slot format combinations).

[0094] For example, the DCI sent by the network device to the terminal indicates that the index value of the serving cell of the terminal is 2. In this case, it means that the serving cell corresponds to j time slots. Assuming that the value of j is 5, it means that the serving cell corresponds to 5 time slots. If the time slot format S1-S5 of the 5 time slots are S1=3, S2=4, S3=5, S4=6, S5=7 respectively, then the time slot format of the first time slot of the serving cell is the time slot format of the row with format value 3 in Table 2. That is, the symbol types of the 14 symbols in the first time slot of the serving cell are D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, X respectively. The time slot format for the second time slot is the same as the time slot format in the row with format value 4 in Table 2; the time slot format for the third time slot is the same as the time slot format in the row with format value 5 in Table 2; the time slot format for the fourth time slot is the same as the time slot format in the row with format value 6 in Table 2; and the time slot format for the fifth time slot is the same as the time slot format in the row with format value 7 in Table 2. The time slot formats for the second to fifth time slots can be determined by referring to the corresponding rows in Table 2, and will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0095] As shown in Figure 2, when a network device indicates the cell format of a serving cell through DCI2_0, it can use the 16 information blocks in DCI2_0 to indicate the time slot format of different cells respectively. For example, the 16 information blocks of DCI2_0 include: SFI_index1, SFI_index2, ..., SFI_index16, a total of 16 time slot format indices. SFI_index1 is used to indicate the time slot format of serving cell 1, SFI_index2 is used to indicate the time slot format of serving cell 2, ..., SFI_index16 is used to indicate the time slot format of serving cell 16. The specific interpretation of the SFI_index corresponding to the serving cell can be found in relevant technologies, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0096] The above provides a detailed description of the technologies involved in this application.

[0097] As described in the background section, currently, network devices indicate the time slot format of the serving cell to the terminal through the SFI index. The time slot format is used to characterize the type of each symbol within the time slot, whether it is an uplink symbol, a downlink symbol, or a flexible symbol. However, the current SFI index can usually only indicate the time slot format of carriers of a few fixed cell types. There is currently no solution for indicating the time slot format of cell carriers with more types.

[0098] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method in which a terminal determines the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of a first cell by using the time slot format corresponding to the N downlink carriers and the time slot format corresponding to at least one uplink carrier of the first cell indicated by first indication information, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, an MBSC is a cell containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier. Therefore, the terminal can determine the time slot format of each carrier of the MBSC through the first indication information, thereby solving the current technical problem of being unable to determine the time slot format of the MBSC. Of course, the above solution may also be applicable to other types of cells containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier, and this application does not specifically limit this. This application only uses MBSC as an example for illustration, and the explanation is consistent here and will not be repeated below.

[0099] The following is a detailed description of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Before introducing the embodiments of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0100] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0101] In the description of this application, A sending a message to B can be understood as A sending a message to B through one or more network elements.

[0102] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and / or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0103] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0104] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0105] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0106] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0107] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0108] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0109] The technical solutions provided in this application can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) communication systems, such as 4G (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5G NR systems, future communication network systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, LTE and NR hybrid networking systems, device-to-device (D2D) systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and other future communication systems. Alternatively, the communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, and this application does not limit this.

[0110] The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to scenarios where terminals and network devices communicate.

[0111] For example, as shown in Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 30 provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication system 30 includes a terminal 301 and a network device 302. The network device 302 generates first indication information based on the format of the time slots corresponding to multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal 301, and sends the first indication information to the terminal 301. The first indication information indicates the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal 301. The terminal 301 determines the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers of the serving cell based on the first indication information, and performs corresponding uplink or downlink transmission based on the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers of the serving cell. The multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal 301 include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0112] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application are mainly illustrated using a single terminal as an example. Of course, the number of terminals can be greater than one. In this case, the operations performed by other terminals can be referred to the terminals described in the embodiments of this application below, which will be uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0113] Optionally, the terminal involved in this application can be a UE, access terminal, terminal unit, user station, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, user terminal equipment (TE), mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, tablet computer, handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle-mounted transceiver unit, wearable device, or terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, drone, robot, point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE) or wearable device, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, or other similar device. Wireless terminals can be categorized into various types, including AR (Augmented Reality) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, and smart homes. Alternatively, terminals can be communication-enabled devices within the Internet of Things (IoT), such as terminals in V2X (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication), D2D communication, environmental IoT devices in environmental IoT scenarios, or M2M communication. Terminals can be mobile or fixed.

[0114] The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal can be the terminal itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0115] Optionally, the network device involved in this application (also referred to as access network device or access node, etc.) can be a device used to communicate with a terminal. This network device can be, for example, a network device in a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a network device in a future-oriented evolution system (e.g., a future communication network mobile communication system). Alternatively, the network device can also be a network device in a radio access network (RAN), an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. Alternatively, the network device can also be a network device in a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems; this application does not specifically limit this aspect.

[0116] In one possible scenario, the network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. This network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an in-vehicle device. For example, the network device in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0117] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different network nodes each performing some of the base station's functions. For example, network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0118] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a network device can be a network device or a module of a network device in an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) system. In an ORAN system, CU can also be called open (O)-CU, DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0119] In this embodiment, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that supports the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the network device and terminal in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0121] In one possible implementation, the relevant functions of the terminal or network device in this application embodiment can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0122] In one possible implementation, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The network device and terminal shown in Figure 3 can both adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 4, or include the components shown in Figure 4; or, the components (e.g., chips) in the network device and terminal shown in Figure 3 can all adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 4, or include the components shown in Figure 4. It is understood that the communication device 400 includes means of the necessary form, such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, to be appropriately configured together to implement this solution.

[0123] As shown in Figure 4, the communication device 400 includes one or more processors 41. The processors 41 are used to implement the processing and determination processes performed by the various devices in the following embodiments. The processor 41 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (e.g., RAN node, terminal, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0124] Optionally, in one design, the processor 41 may include a program 43 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 41 to cause the communication device 400 to perform the methods described in the following embodiments.

[0125] Optionally, the communication device 400 may include one or more memories 42 storing a program 44 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 41 to cause the communication device 400 to perform the methods described in the following method embodiments.

[0126] Optionally, the processor 41 and / or memory 42 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module 47 and an AI module 48, which are used to implement AI-related functions. These AI modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a Random Intelligence Controller (RIC) module. For instance, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0127] Optionally, the processor 41 and / or memory 42 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0128] Optionally, the communication device 400 may further include a transceiver 45, which is used to implement the transmission and reception processes performed by the various devices in the following embodiments. The processor 41, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 45, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, may also include an antenna 46.

[0129] It should be noted that the composition shown in Figure 4 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 4, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0130] In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0131] Furthermore, the actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referenced interchangeably without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages exchanged between the various devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations without limitation.

[0132] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0133] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between network elements are just examples. Other names may also be used in other embodiments. The communication method provided in this application does not specifically limit these names.

[0134] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, each network element may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0135] It is understood that this application uses terminals and network devices as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the terminal (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal's functions; similarly, the method executed by the network device in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device's functions. This application does not specifically limit these aspects.

[0136] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the network device indicates to the terminal the time slot format corresponding to N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of a cell. The terminal can determine the time slot format corresponding to the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the cell based on the indication from the network device. The functions and actions of each device in the communication system provided in this embodiment are described below. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0137] Step 501: The network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first instruction message from the network device.

[0138] The first indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier. The N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to the first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0139] In this step, the network device first determines the cell type of the terminal's serving cell (i.e., the first cell). Further, if the serving cell is an MBSC type cell, the network device determines the timeslot format corresponding to each of the multiple carriers of the serving cell (including the timeslot formats corresponding to N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier). After this, the network device generates first indication information based on the timeslot formats corresponding to the multiple carriers of the serving cell and sends the first indication information to the terminal.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the network device pre-sends a timeslot format table similar to Table 3 above to the terminal. During the process of sending the first indication information to the terminal, the network device first determines the number of timeslots corresponding to each carrier among the multiple carriers of the serving cell, and the format of the timeslots corresponding to each carrier. Afterward, the network device determines the combinations of timeslot formats in the timeslot format table sent to the terminal that are identical to the number of timeslots corresponding to each carrier and the format of the timeslots corresponding to each carrier, and determines the row containing that timeslot format combination. Further, the network device generates first indication information carrying the index value (or entry value) of the row containing that timeslot format combination, and sends the first indication information to the terminal.

[0141] Step 502: The terminal determines the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers based on the first indication information.

[0142] In this step, the terminal parses the first indication information, determines the time slot format corresponding to the multiple carriers indicated by the first indication information, and determines the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the first cell according to the time slot format corresponding to the multiple carriers indicated by the first indication information.

[0143] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal parses the first indication information, determines the index value carried in the first indication information, and queries a time slot format table similar to Table 3 above, which is pre-sent to the terminal by the network device, to determine the time slot format combination indicated by the index value. The terminal determines that the time slot format combination is the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the terminal's serving cell, wherein each carrier corresponds to the corresponding time slot format in the time slot format combination.

[0144] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, the terminal determines the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the first cell by using the time slot format corresponding to the N downlink carriers and the time slot format corresponding to at least one uplink carrier of the first cell indicated by the first indication information. Here, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, an MBSC is a cell containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier. Therefore, the terminal can determine the time slot format of each carrier of the MBSC through the first indication information, thereby solving the current technical problem of not being able to determine the time slot format of the MBSC. Of course, the above solution may also be applicable to other types of cells containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this. This application is only illustrative using MBSC as an example, and will not be repeated below.

[0145] In some embodiments, the network device indicates the time slot format combination of the terminal's serving cell via a time slot format indication index. Accordingly, the terminal determines the time slot format combination of its serving cell via the time slot format indication index.

[0146] In one implementation, the first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table. The combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers. In other words, the first indication information indicates the time slot format index in the time slot format table, and the terminal uses the combination of time slot formats indicated by this index as a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers, with each carrier corresponding to the format of a time slot at a corresponding position in the time slot format. Thus, the network device can use the time slot format indication index in the first indication information to indicate the time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers, thereby enabling the terminal to determine the time slot format corresponding to each carrier based on the first indication information.

[0147] For example, referring to Table 3 above, if the value of the time slot format indicator index indicated by the first indicator information is 2, it means that multiple carriers correspond to j time slots. The format of the j time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers is the time slot format in the row with an index value of 2, that is, the j time slot formats S1 to Sj in the row where the Entry is 2 in the 3rd row of Table 3.

[0148] In this scenario, the process by which the network device generates the first indication information is as follows: The network device determines j time slots of the serving cell of the terminal and determines the format of these j time slots. Afterward, the network device looks up a combination of time slot formats in Table 3 where the number of time slots is j and the format of these j time slots is the same as that of the j time slots within the serving cell's period, resulting in a time slot format combination with an entry value of 2. At this point, the network device determines the index value 2 of this time slot format combination, and generates first indication information carrying this index value 2.

[0149] Accordingly, the terminal parses the first indication information as follows: After receiving the first indication information, the terminal parses it to determine that the index value of the time slot format combination is 2. The terminal then queries Table 3 to determine that the number of time slots corresponding to the serving cell is j, and the time slot format of these j time slots is the combination of time slot format values ​​of entry 2 in Table 3. Based on this, the terminal can determine the format of the time slots corresponding to the N downlink carriers of the serving cell and the format of the time slots corresponding to at least one uplink carrier.

[0150] In some other embodiments, the time slots corresponding to multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal are positioned in the time slot format combination and ordered based on the size of the reference subcarrier spacing of the multiple carriers. For example, the carrier with a larger reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers has its corresponding time slot positioned earlier in the time slot format combination.

[0151] In one implementation, the aforementioned multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; the time slot corresponding to the first carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; the reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than the reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier. Thus, the time slot corresponding to a carrier with a larger reference subcarrier spacing is positioned earlier in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of its corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the size of the reference subcarrier spacing of the multiple carriers, and thereby determine the time slot format corresponding to the carrier.

[0152] As an example 1, let's assume a cell includes three downlink carriers and one uplink carrier. The three downlink carriers are DL CC#1, DL CC#2, and DL CC#3, and the one uplink carrier is UL CC#1. The reference subcarrier spacing of these four carriers is in the following order: reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 > reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 > reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#3 > reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1. In this case, the time slot corresponding to DL CC#1 is ranked first in the time slot format combination; the time slot corresponding to DL CC#2 is ranked after the time slot corresponding to DL CC#1; the time slot corresponding to DL CC#3 is ranked after the time slot corresponding to DL CC#2; and the time slot corresponding to UL CC#1 is ranked last in the time slot format combination.

[0153] As an example 2, if the reference subcarrier spacing of the four carriers is in the following order: reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 > reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 > reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 > reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#3. In this case, the time slot corresponding to DL CC#1 is ranked first in the time slot format combination; the time slot corresponding to DL CC#2 is ranked after the time slot corresponding to DL CC#1; the time slot corresponding to UL CC#1 is ranked after the time slot corresponding to DL CC#2; and the time slot corresponding to DL CC#3 is ranked last in the time slot format combination.

[0154] The above explains the ordering of the time slots corresponding to the carriers in the time slot format combination based on the size of the reference subcarrier interval.

[0155] In some embodiments, the number of time slots corresponding to a carrier is also related to the reference subcarrier spacing of the carrier. For example, the number of time slots corresponding to a carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the carrier that follows it.

[0156] In one implementation, the aforementioned multiple carriers include a third carrier; when the third carrier is any carrier among the multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is the carrier with the smallest difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among the carriers whose reference subcarrier spacing is smaller than that of the third carrier; or, when the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

[0157] Thus, when the third carrier is any carrier among multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier based on the difference in reference subcarrier spacing between the third and fourth carriers. Then, based on the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and their position in the time slot format combination, the terminal determines the time slot corresponding to the third carrier. Finally, based on the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot, the terminal determines the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier. When the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier based on a second preset value. Then, based on the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and their position in the time slot format combination, the terminal determines the time slot corresponding to the third carrier. Finally, based on the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot, the terminal determines the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier.

[0158] In one possible implementation, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies the following: a value determined by using a first preset value as the base and a preset difference value as the exponent; the preset difference value is the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier. Thus, the terminal can determine the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier based on the first preset value as the base and the difference between the μ values ​​corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier as the exponent. Then, based on the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier and the position of the time slots corresponding to the third carrier in the time slot format combination, after determining the time slots corresponding to the third carrier, the terminal determines the time slot format corresponding to the third carrier according to the time slot format corresponding to the corresponding time slot.

[0159] Taking the first preset value as 2 and the second preset value as 1 as an example, and in conjunction with Example 1 above, the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is 240kHz, and the corresponding μ value is 4; the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 is 120kHz, and the corresponding μ value is 3; the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#3 is 30kHz, and the corresponding μ value is 1; the reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is 15kHz, and the corresponding μ value is 0.

[0160] In this case, the number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#1 satisfies the formula: 2 4-3 =2; The number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#2 satisfies the formula: 2 3- 1 =4; The number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#3 satisfies the formula: 2 1-0 =2; the number of time slots corresponding to UL CC#1 is 1. Accordingly, the total number of time slots corresponding to multiple carriers of the terminal's serving cell is 9. The number of time slots represented by the time slot format combination indicated by the time slot format index of the network device is also 9.

[0161] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the four carriers of the first cell in Example 1 above being sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing.

[0162] Referring to Example 2 above, the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is 240kHz, with a corresponding μ value of 4; the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 is 120kHz, with a corresponding μ value of 3; the reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is 60kHz, with a corresponding μ value of 2; and the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#3 is 15kHz, with a corresponding μ value of 0.

[0163] In this case, the number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#1 satisfies the formula: 2 4-3 =2; The number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#2 satisfies the formula: 2 3- 2 =2; The number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#3 satisfies the formula: 2 2-0 =4; the number of time slots corresponding to UL CC#1 is 1. Accordingly, the total number of time slots corresponding to multiple carriers of the terminal's serving cell is 9. The number of time slots represented by the time slot format combination indicated by the time slot format index indicated by the network device is also 9.

[0164] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the four carriers of the first cell in Example 2 above being sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing.

[0165] It is understood that the first and second preset values ​​mentioned above can also be other values, and this application does not limit them.

[0166] In one possible implementation, there may be multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal; the following describes the method for determining the number of time slots for multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing, and the method for sorting the time slots corresponding to multiple carriers in the timing format combination.

[0167] In some embodiments, when multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing exist among the multiple carriers of the serving cell of the terminal, the number of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is the same. Based on this, the terminal can determine that the number of time slots corresponding to the carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is also the same.

[0168] As an example (Example 3), let's consider a cell comprising three downlink carriers and one uplink carrier. The three downlink carriers are DL CC#1, DL CC#2, and DL CC#3, and the one uplink carrier is UL CC#1. DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 have the same reference subcarrier spacing. The reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is greater than that of DL CC#2 and DL CC#3, while the reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is less than that of DL CC#2 and DL CC#3. Specifically, the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is 240kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 4; the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 is the same, both at 60kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 2; and the reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is 15kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 0.

[0169] In this case, the number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#1 satisfies the formula: 2 4-2 =4; DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 together correspond to 2×2 2-0 = 8 time slots; UL CC#1 corresponds to 1 time slot. Among them, DL CC#2 corresponds to 4 of the 8 time slots, and DL CC#3 corresponds to 4 of the 8 time slots.

[0170] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the four carriers of the first cell in combination with Example 3 above being sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing.

[0171] As an example (Example 4), let's consider a cell comprising three downlink carriers and one uplink carrier. The three downlink carriers are DL CC#1, DL CC#2, and DL CC#3, and the one uplink carrier is UL CC#1. DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 have the same reference subcarrier spacing, while the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is greater than that of UL CC#1. The reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is greater than that of DL CC#2 and DL CC#3. Specifically, the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#1 is 240kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 4; the reference subcarrier spacing of UL CC#1 is 60kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 2; and the reference subcarrier spacing of DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 is the same, both at 15kHz, corresponding to a μ value of 0.

[0172] In this case, the number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#1 satisfies the formula: 2 4-2 =4; The number of time slots corresponding to UL CC#1 satisfies the formula: 2 2- 0 =4; the number of time slots corresponding to DL CC#2 and DL CC#3 is 1 each.

[0173] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the four carriers of the first cell in combination with Example 4 above, sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing.

[0174] When sorting time slots corresponding to multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing in a timing format combination, the sorting can be based on the carrier frequency. For example, the higher the carrier frequency, the earlier it is sorted; or, it can be sorted based on the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration, with the time slot corresponding to the earlier carrier appearing earlier in the time slot format combination.

[0175] In one implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth and a sixth carrier. The time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination. The frequency of the fifth carrier is greater than that of the sixth carrier. Thus, with the same reference subcarrier spacing, the time slot corresponding to the carrier with the larger frequency is positioned earlier in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of its corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the frequency of the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing, and thus determine the time slot format corresponding to the carrier.

[0176] In another implementation, the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier. The time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination. Specifically, in the carrier order indicated during cell configuration, the fifth carrier is preceding the sixth carrier. Thus, when the reference subcarrier spacing is the same, the time slot corresponding to a carrier whose carrier order is earlier in the cell configuration is positioned earlier in the time slot format combination. The terminal can determine the position of its corresponding time slot in the time slot format combination based on the carrier order indicated during cell configuration for the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing, and thus determine the corresponding time slot format for that carrier.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the reference subcarrier intervals of multiple carriers. In this case, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal needs to determine the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the actual subcarrier intervals based on the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the reference subcarrier intervals, so that the terminal can perform data transmission according to the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the actual subcarrier intervals.

[0178] Accordingly, referring to Figure 5 and as shown in Figure 10, in this case, step 502 can also be implemented through the following step 1001.

[0179] Step 1001: The terminal determines the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the actual subcarrier intervals of the multiple carriers based on the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the reference subcarrier intervals of the multiple carriers indicated by the first indication information.

[0180] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the reference subcarrier intervals of multiple carriers, and the terminal needs to perform data transmission based on the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the actual subcarrier intervals. Therefore, the terminal needs to determine the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the actual subcarrier intervals of multiple carriers based on the type of symbols in the time slots corresponding to the reference subcarrier intervals of multiple carriers indicated by the first indication information.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the type of symbol in the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval based on the correspondence between the transmission time of the symbol in the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval and the transmission time of the symbol in the time slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval. In other words, the type of symbol in the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval is the same as the type of symbol in the time slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval whose transmission time corresponds to that symbol.

[0182] Taking a sixth carrier among multiple carriers as an example, the sixth carrier is any one of the multiple carriers. The type of one or more second symbols in the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier is the same as the type of the first symbol included in the time slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier. The second symbol is a symbol whose transmission time is within the transmission time corresponding to the first symbol in the time slot determined based on the actual subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier.

[0183] For example, based on the reference subcarrier spacing and the actual subcarrier spacing of the sixth carrier, the terminal determines that the length of the first symbol of the sixth carrier is equal to the length of two second symbols. In this case, the terminal determines that the transmission time corresponding to the first symbol includes the transmission time of the two second symbols. If the symbol type of the first symbol is an uplink transmission symbol, then the symbol type of both second symbols is also uplink transmission symbol. If the symbol type of the first symbol is a downlink transmission symbol, then the symbol type of both second symbols is also downlink transmission symbol.

[0184] In other words, based on the reference subcarrier spacing and the actual subcarrier spacing of the sixth carrier, the terminal determines that the length of the first symbol of the sixth carrier is equal to the length of two second symbols. Assuming the terminal determines the transmission time corresponding to the first symbol as the first transmission time, and the terminal determines the second symbol corresponding to the second and third transmission times within the first transmission time based on the actual subcarrier spacing, then the terminal determines that the symbol type of the second symbol corresponding to the second and third transmission times is the same as the type of the first symbol corresponding to the first transmission time.

[0185] As shown in Figure 11, taking the time slot corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier as having 7 symbols and the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier as having 14 symbols as an example, the first to fourth symbols in a time slot (denoted as the first time slot) corresponding to the reference subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier are downlink transmission symbols, the fifth symbol is a flexible transmission symbol, and the seventh and eighth symbols are uplink transmission symbols; the time slot corresponding to the actual subcarrier interval of the sixth carrier (denoted as the second time slot) has the same transmission time as the first time slot.

[0186] The first and second symbols of the second time slot are transmitted at the same time as the first symbol in the first time slot. Therefore, the first and second symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the first symbol in the first time slot, both being downlink transmission symbols.

[0187] The third and fourth symbols of the second time slot are transmitted at the same time as the second symbol in the first time slot. Therefore, the third and fourth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the second symbol in the first time slot, both being downlink transmission symbols.

[0188] The fifth and sixth symbols of the second time slot are transmitted at the same time as the third symbol of the first time slot. Therefore, the fifth and sixth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the third symbol of the first time slot, both being downlink transmission symbols.

[0189] The seventh and eighth symbols of the second time slot have the same transmission time as the fourth symbol of the first time slot. Therefore, the seventh and eighth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the fourth symbol of the first time slot, both being downlink transmission symbols.

[0190] The ninth and tenth symbols of the second time slot have the same transmission time as the fifth symbol of the first time slot. Therefore, the ninth and tenth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the fifth symbol of the first time slot, both being flexible transmission symbols.

[0191] The eleventh and twelfth symbols of the second time slot have the same transmission time as the sixth symbol of the first time slot. Therefore, the eleventh and twelfth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the sixth symbol of the first time slot, both being uplink transmission symbols.

[0192] The thirteenth and fourteenth symbols of the second time slot have the same transmission time as the seventh symbol in the first time slot. Therefore, the thirteenth and fourteenth symbols of the second time slot are of the same type as the seventh symbol in the first time slot, both being uplink transmission symbols.

[0193] As one possible implementation, the network device may also indicate only the format of the time slots of a preset carrier to the terminal, and the terminal may determine the format of the time slots of other unindicated carriers through other methods in related technologies.

[0194] In this case, as shown in Figure 12, the method by which the network device only indicates the format of the time slot of the preset carrier to the terminal includes the following steps:

[0195] Step 1201: The network device sends a second instruction message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second instruction message from the network device.

[0196] The second indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slot corresponding to the preset carrier among the multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to the first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0197] It should be noted that the preset carrier in the embodiments of this application can be a primary reference downlink carrier. Optionally, the preset carrier can be a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

[0198] Step 1202: The terminal determines the format of the time slot corresponding to the preset carrier based on the second indication information.

[0199] As an example (5), taking a cell comprising three downlink carriers and one uplink carrier as an example, the three downlink carriers are DL CC#1, DL CC#2, and DL CC#3, and the one uplink carrier is UL CC#1; wherein, the preset carrier is DL CC#1. When the network device needs to indicate the timeslot format of the serving cell's carrier to the terminal, it determines that the primary carrier among the four carriers of the serving cell is DL CC#1; the network device determines the timeslot format of DL CC#1, and searches for the corresponding timeslot format combination in a timeslot format table similar to Table 3 above, which the network device has pre-sent to the terminal. Further, the network device generates second indication information based on the index value of the row containing the found corresponding timeslot format combination, and sends the second indication information to the terminal.

[0200] After receiving the second indication information, the terminal parses it to determine the index value carried in the second indication information. The terminal queries a time slot format table similar to Table 3 above, which has been pre-sent to the terminal by the network device, to determine the time slot format combination indicated by the index value. The terminal determines that this time slot format combination is the time slot format of the preset carrier of the terminal's serving cell.

[0201] Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of the four carriers of the first cell in combination with Example 5 above being sorted from top to bottom based on the μ value of their reference subcarrier spacing, wherein the network device indicates the time slot format of DL CC#1.

[0202] This application provides a communication method in which a terminal can determine the time slot format of a preset carrier among N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of a first cell using second indication information. The time slot formats of other carriers can be determined by referring to methods in related technologies. Thus, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of an MBSC cell based on the second indication information and other related methods. In other words, based on the communication method provided by this application, the time slot formats of more types of cell carriers can be determined. For example, an MBSC is a cell containing N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier. Therefore, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the preset carrier of the MBSC using the second indication information, and determine the time slot formats of other carriers according to methods in related technologies, thereby solving the current technical problem of being unable to determine the time slot format of the MBSC.

[0203] In one possible implementation, other carriers are indicated by a second cell sharing a carrier with the first cell. Referring to Figure 12, as shown in Figure 14, the method further includes:

[0204] Step 1401: The network device corresponding to the second cell sends third indication information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third indication information from the network device corresponding to the second cell.

[0205] Step 1402: The terminal determines the time slot format of the seventh carrier based on the third indication information.

[0206] Based on this, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the shared carrier by receiving indications from other cells that share a portion of the carrier with the first cell. Furthermore, the terminal can combine the aforementioned preset carrier time slot format with the shared carrier time slot format to determine the time slot format of all or part of the carriers of the first cell.

[0207] The second cell's carriers include a seventh carrier, which is any carrier other than a preset carrier among the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier. The third indication information is used to indicate the time slot format of the seventh carrier. In other words, the second cell and the first cell share the seventh carrier. In this case, the network device corresponding to the second cell indicates the time slot format of the seventh carrier to the terminal, and the time slot formats of the other carriers in the first cell are also indicated by the network devices of other cells sharing the carrier. Thus, the terminal can determine the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the first cell through the second indication information and the indication information sent by the network devices of other cells sharing the carrier with the first cell.

[0208] In another possible implementation, the first cell may not indicate the carrier time slot format to the terminal through network equipment. Instead, one or more cells sharing the carrier with the first cell may indicate the time slots of the carrier they share with the first cell through network equipment. Furthermore, the terminal determines the time slot format of the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier of the first cell based on the instructions of one or more second cells, which will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0209] The above mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of interaction between network elements. Correspondingly, the embodiments of this application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be a network device in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above network device, or a component usable in a network device; or, the communication device can be a terminal in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above terminal, or a component usable in a terminal. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0210] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be understood that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0211] For example, Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device includes a transceiver module 1510. Optionally, it includes a processing module 1520. The transceiver module 1510, also known as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions. For example, it can be a transceiver circuit, transceiver, transceiver device, or communication interface.

[0212] Taking the communication device 1500 as a terminal in the above method embodiment, or a device containing the above terminal, or a component that can be used in a terminal as an example, then: the transceiver module 1510 is used to receive first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slots corresponding to multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the processing module 1520 is used to determine the format of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers based on the first indication information.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; the combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; the time slot corresponding to the first carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; the reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than the reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a third carrier; if the third carrier is any carrier among the multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is the carrier with the smallest difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among the carriers whose reference subcarrier spacing is smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier; or, if the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

[0216] In one possible implementation, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies the following: a value determined by a first preset value as the base and a preset difference value as the exponent; the preset difference value is the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

[0217] In one possible implementation, when there are multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is the same.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; and the frequency of the fifth carrier is greater than the frequency of the sixth carrier.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; wherein, in the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration, the fifth carrier is in the order of the sixth carrier.

[0220] Taking the communication device 1500 as a network device in the above method embodiment, or a device containing the above network device, or a component that can be used in a network device as an example, then: the transceiver module 1510 is used to send first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slots corresponding to multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to the first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; the combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers among multiple carriers.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; the time slot corresponding to the first carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; the reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than the reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the multiple carriers include a third carrier; if the third carrier is any carrier among the multiple carriers except the one with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on the difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is the carrier with the smallest difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among the carriers whose reference subcarrier spacing is smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier; or, if the third carrier is the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among the multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

[0224] In one possible implementation, when the third carrier is any carrier other than the carrier with the smallest reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies the following: a value determined by a first preset value as the base and a preset difference value as the exponent; the preset difference value is the difference between the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and the μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

[0225] In one possible implementation, when there are multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing among multiple carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing is the same.

[0226] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; and the frequency of the fifth carrier is greater than the frequency of the sixth carrier.

[0227] In one possible implementation, the reference subcarriers with the same spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; the time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier is positioned before the time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; wherein, in the order of the carriers indicated during cell configuration, the fifth carrier is in the order of the sixth carrier.

[0228] Taking the communication device 1500 as a terminal in the above method embodiment, or a device containing the above terminal, or a component that can be used in a terminal as an example, then: the transceiver module 1510 is used to receive second indication information; the second indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slot corresponding to a preset carrier among multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the processing module 1520 is used to determine the format of the time slot corresponding to the preset carrier based on the second indication information.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the preset carrier is either a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

[0230] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1510 is further configured to receive third indication information from the second cell; the carrier of the second cell includes a seventh carrier, which is any carrier other than a preset carrier among N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the third indication information is used to indicate the time slot format of the seventh carrier; the processing module 1520 is further configured to determine the time slot format of the seventh carrier based on the third indication information.

[0231] Taking the communication device 1500 as a network device in the above method embodiment, or a device containing the above network device, or a component that can be used in a network device as an example, then: the transceiver module 1510 is used to send second indication information; the second indication information is used to indicate the format of the time slot corresponding to a preset carrier among multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0232] In one possible implementation, the preset carrier is either a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

[0233] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referred to in the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage module 1530, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1520 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1530.

[0234] In this embodiment, the communication device 1500 is presented in an integrated manner, divided into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the aforementioned functions. In a simplified embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device can take the form of the communication device 400 shown in FIG. 4.

[0235] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1510 and processing module 1520 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 41 in the communication device 400 shown in Figure 4 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 42. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1520 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 41 in the communication device 400 shown in Figure 4 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 42, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1510 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the transceiver 45 in the communication device 400 shown in Figure 4.

[0236] Since the communication device provided in this application embodiment can execute the above communication method, the technical effects it can obtain can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0237] It should be understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0238] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0239] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device (e.g., the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the methods in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be included in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices; embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0240] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when run on a communication device, enable the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments or any implementation thereof.

[0241] Optionally, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, which includes the network device and the terminal described in the above method embodiments.

[0242] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs).

[0243] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple instances. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0244] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a terminal and comprises: receiving first indication information; the first indication information is used for indicating formats of time slots corresponding to multiple carriers; the multiple carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; determining the formats of the time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers based on the first indication information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; a time slot format combination indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers in the multiple carriers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier; a position of a time slot corresponding to the first carrier in the time slot format combination is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the time slot format combination; a reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than a reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The multiple carriers include a third carrier; in a case where the third carrier is any carrier in the multiple carriers except for a carrier with the minimum reference subcarrier spacing, a quantity of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on a difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and a reference subcarrier spacing of a fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is a carrier with the minimum difference from the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among carriers with reference subcarrier spacings smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier; or, in a case where the third carrier is the carrier with the minimum reference subcarrier spacing in the multiple carriers, the quantity of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in a case where the third carrier is any carrier in the multiple carriers except for the carrier with the minimum reference subcarrier spacing, a value of the quantity of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies a value determined by taking a first preset value as a base number and a preset difference value as an index; the preset difference value is a difference between a μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and a μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, in a case where there are multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing in the multiple carriers, the quantities of time slots corresponding to the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing are the same.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; a position of a time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier in the time slot format combination is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; a frequency point of the fifth carrier is greater than a frequency point of the sixth carrier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, the multiple carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; a position of a time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier in the time slot format combination is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the time slot format combination; wherein, in an order of carriers indicated when a cell is configured, an order of the fifth carrier is before an order of the sixth carrier.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a network device and comprises: transmitting first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate formats of time slots corresponding to a plurality of carriers; the plurality of carriers include N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first indication information includes a time slot format indication index in a time slot format table; a combination of time slot formats indicated by the time slot format indication index is a combination of time slot formats corresponding to different carriers in the plurality of carriers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The plurality of carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier. A position of a time slot corresponding to the first carrier in the combination of time slot formats is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the second carrier in the combination of time slot formats; a reference subcarrier spacing of the first carrier is greater than a reference subcarrier spacing of the second carrier.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The plurality of carriers include a third carrier. In a case where the third carrier is any one carrier in the plurality of carriers except for a carrier with a minimum reference subcarrier spacing, a number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is determined based on a difference between the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and a reference subcarrier spacing of a fourth carrier; the fourth carrier is a carrier with a minimum difference from the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier among carriers with reference subcarrier spacings smaller than the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier. Or, in a case where the third carrier is a carrier with a minimum reference subcarrier spacing in the plurality of carriers, the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier is a second preset value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, In a case where the third carrier is any one carrier in the plurality of carriers except for a carrier with a minimum reference subcarrier spacing, a value of the number of time slots corresponding to the third carrier satisfies a value determined by taking a first preset value as a base number and a preset difference value as an index. The preset difference value is a difference between a μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the third carrier and a μ value corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing of the fourth carrier.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, In a case where there are a plurality of carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing in the plurality of carriers, the plurality of carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing have the same number of time slots.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The plurality of carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; a position of a time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier in the combination of time slot formats is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the combination of time slot formats; and a frequency point of the fifth carrier is greater than a frequency point of the sixth carrier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The plurality of carriers with the same reference subcarrier spacing include a fifth carrier and a sixth carrier; a position of a time slot corresponding to the fifth carrier in the combination of time slot formats is located before a position of a time slot corresponding to the sixth carrier in the combination of time slot formats; and in an order of carriers indicated when a cell is configured, an order of the fifth carrier is before an order of the sixth carrier.

17. A method of communication, comprising: Applied to a terminal, comprising: receiving second indication information; the second indication information is used to indicate a format of a time slot corresponding to a preset carrier in a plurality of carriers; the plurality of carriers comprises N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; determining the format of the time slot corresponding to the preset carrier based on the second indication information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The preset carrier is a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third indication information from a second cell; the second cell comprises a seventh carrier in a carrier of the second cell, the seventh carrier is any carrier in the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier except the preset carrier; the third indication information is used to indicate a time slot format of the seventh carrier; determining the time slot format of the seventh carrier based on the third indication information.

20. A method of communication, comprising: Applied to a terminal, comprising: sending second indication information; the second indication information is used to indicate a format of a time slot corresponding to a preset carrier in a plurality of carriers; the plurality of carriers comprises N downlink carriers and at least one uplink carrier; the N downlink carriers and the at least one uplink carrier belong to a first cell, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The preset carrier is a path loss reference carrier or a radio resource management reference carrier.

22. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: a functional unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-21; wherein the actions performed by the functional unit are implemented by hardware or corresponding software executed by hardware.

23. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: a processor; The processor is connected with a memory, the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, instructions, when the instructions run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

25. A chip, characterized by The chip comprises a processor; the processor is connected with a memory, the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

26. A computer program product comprising instructions, wherein: When it runs on a communication device, it enables the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

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