Communication method and apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a storage medium, which can reduce the complexity of cell search. In the method, a network device determines one or more access frequency points on the basis of the current absolute time and a first mapping relationship, and sends a downlink synchronization signal at a first access frequency point from among the one or more determined access frequency points. Correspondingly, a terminal device determines one or more access frequency points on the basis of a first moment and the first mapping relationship, which first moment is the current time obtained by the terminal device; and the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the one or more determined access frequency points. The first mapping relationship indicates the correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the current absolute time and the first moment are located within a first time period from among the at least one time period, and an access frequency point is a frequency point provided by the network device for the terminal device to access.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411254643.9, filed on September 6, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, apparatus, and storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method, apparatus, and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] Cell search is a process in which a terminal device (such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc.) finds and selects a suitable cell for connection when starting, moving, or reconnecting to a network. This process can ensure that the terminal device receives network services.

[0004] Different sub-bands in a wireless communication system can be used to carry different services, and the network will use different sub-bands as access frequency points at different times for terminal devices to access. However, the terminal device does not know the frequency point currently provided by the network for the terminal device to access in the cell search process, and therefore needs to search on all possible candidate frequency points, resulting in a large complexity of the terminal device searching for a cell. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, and storage medium to reduce the complexity of cell search.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication apparatus. For example, the communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device, and the present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described taking a terminal as an example of the communication apparatus.

[0007] Exemplarily, the method comprises: determining one or more access frequency points based on a first time and a first mapping relationship, the first time being a current time obtained by the terminal device, the first mapping relationship indicating a correspondence relationship between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the one or more access frequency points belonging to the at least one access frequency point, the first time being located in a first time period in the at least one time period, the access frequency point being a frequency point provided by a network device for the terminal device to access; and detecting a downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points.

[0008] The first mapping relationship can be predefined, and the first time period can be any one of the at least one time period.

[0009] Based on the technical solution, the terminal device can determine one or more frequency points corresponding to a current time based on the correspondence between the at least one time period and the at least one access frequency point, and then detect a downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points. Compared with the manner in which the terminal device searches all candidate access frequency points, the method can effectively reduce the complexity of searching for the access frequency point by the terminal device, and thus can reduce the complexity of cell search in the frequency domain dimension.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining the first time period based on the first time and a first time length, the first time length being the accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device; and determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time period and the first mapping relationship.

[0011] The accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device refers to the error between the current time obtained by the terminal device and the current absolute time. Exemplarily, the current absolute time corresponding to the first time can be the sum of the first time and the first time length, or can be the difference between the first time and the first time length.

[0012] Since there is an error between the current time obtained by the terminal device and the current absolute time, the terminal device can determine the corresponding time period from the at least one time period again according to the updated time in consideration of the accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device, which can effectively improve the probability of searching for the access frequency point by the terminal device.

[0013] Optionally, the terminal device determines the first time period based on the first time and the first time length, comprising: the terminal device determines a second time based on the first time and the first time length; and determines the first time period based on the second time.

[0014] The first time and the second time belong to the same time period. The second time can be the difference between the first time and the first time length, or can be the sum of the first time and the first time length.

[0015] Optionally, the terminal device determines the first time period based on the first time and the first time length, comprising: the terminal device determines a first sub-time period based on the first time and the first time length; and determines the first time period based on the first sub-time period.

[0016] The starting time of the first sub-period can be the first time, and the ending time can be the sum of the first time and the first length; or the starting time of the first sub-period is the difference between the first time and the first length, and the ending time is the first time; or the starting time of the first sub-period is the difference between the first time and the first length, and the ending time is the sum of the first time and the first length.

[0017] The first sub-period belongs to the first period; or in other words, the first period includes the first sub-period; or in other words, the starting time and the ending time of the first sub-period are both located in the first period.

[0018] Optionally, the first sub-period is the same period as the first period. At this time, the starting time of the first period is one of the following: the difference between the first time and the first length, or the first time; and the ending time of the first period is one of the following: the sum of the first time and the first length, or the first time.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining one or more access frequencies based on the first time and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining a second period based on the first time and the first length, the first length being the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device; determining the one or more access frequencies based on the second period and the first mapping relationship.

[0020] The second period is one of the at least one period indicated by the first mapping relationship.

[0021] Based on this, the probability of the terminal device searching for an available access frequency can be effectively improved.

[0022] Optionally, the terminal device determines the second period based on the first time and the first length, comprising: the terminal device determines a third time based on the first time and the first length; and determines the second period based on the third time.

[0023] The third time can be the difference between the first time and the first length, or the sum of the first time and the first length.

[0024] The third time belongs to the second period, and the first time belongs to the first period. The first period and the second period can be two consecutive periods (in at least one period). The two consecutive periods refer to that the ending time of the first period can be the starting time of the second period.

[0025] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time point and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining a plurality of time periods based on the first time point and the first time length; and determining the one or more access frequency points based on the plurality of time periods and the first mapping relationship.

[0026] Based on this, the probability of the terminal device searching for an available access frequency point can be effectively improved.

[0027] The plurality of time periods are a plurality of time periods in the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship.

[0028] Optionally, the terminal device determines the plurality of time periods based on the first time point and the first time length, comprising: the terminal device determines a third time period based on the first time point and the first time length; and determines the plurality of time periods based on the third time period and the at least one time period, the plurality of time periods being continuous in time.

[0029] Optionally, the start time point of the third time period can be the first time point, and the end time point can be the sum of the first time point and the first time length; or the start time point of the third time period is the difference between the first time point and the first time length, and the end time point is the first time point; or the start time point of the third time period is the difference between the first time point and the first time length, and the end time point is the sum of the first time point and the first time length.

[0030] Exemplarily, the terminal device can determine a plurality of sub-time periods based on the third time period and the at least one time period; and then determine the plurality of time periods according to the plurality of sub-time periods. The plurality of sub-time periods are divided according to the division manner of the at least one time period.

[0031] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the detecting the downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points comprises: determining one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to a first access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points based on the one or more access frequency points and a second mapping relationship, the second mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, the at least one period including the one or more periods; and detecting the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to the one or more periods.

[0032] Based on this, the terminal device can determine one or more periods corresponding to each of the one or more access frequency points based on the correspondence between the at least one access frequency point and the at least one period, and then detect the downlink synchronization signal on the corresponding access frequency point using the determined one or more periods. Compared with the way in which the terminal device detects the synchronization signal using the minimum period on the searched access frequency point, this method can effectively reduce the complexity of the terminal device detecting the synchronization signal, and thus can reduce the complexity of cell search in the time domain dimension.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: in a case where the target access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points detects the downlink synchronization signal, the terminal device accesses the network; in a case where the target access frequency point is switched to another frequency point, the terminal device enters a sleep state, the another frequency point being a frequency point not supported by the terminal device.

[0034] The frequency point not supported by the terminal device refers to a frequency point on which the terminal device cannot communicate with the network device.

[0035] Optionally, the method further includes: in a case where the another frequency point is switched to the target access frequency point, the terminal device communicates with the network device.

[0036] In this way, the terminal device communicates with the network device on the supported frequency point and enters the power saving state on the unsupported frequency point, which can effectively save the cost of the terminal device.

[0037] In the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. For example, the communication device can be a network device, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device, and the present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the network device as an example of the communication device.

[0038] Exemplarily, the method includes: determining one or more access frequency points based on a current absolute time and a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the one or more access frequency points belonging to the at least one access frequency point, the current absolute time being located in a first time period in the at least one time period, the access frequency point being a frequency point provided by the network device for the terminal device to access; and transmitting a downlink synchronization signal at a first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points.

[0039] The first mapping relationship described above can be predefined.

[0040] Based on the technical solution, the network device can determine one or more frequency points corresponding to the current absolute time based on the correspondence between the at least one time period and the at least one access frequency point, and then transmit the downlink synchronization signal on a first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points. Since the correspondence between the at least one time period and the at least one access frequency point is predefined, the terminal device can also determine the corresponding access frequency point based on the correspondence and the current time, so that the terminal device does not need to search for the access frequency point on all candidate frequency points, effectively reducing the complexity of searching for the access frequency point by the terminal device, and reducing the complexity of cell search in the frequency domain dimension.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the transmitting the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points comprises: determining one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to the first access frequency point based on the first access frequency point and a second mapping relationship, the second mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, the at least one period including the one or more periods; and transmitting the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to a first period in the one or more periods.

[0042] The first period can be any period in the one or more periods. The second mapping relationship can be predefined.

[0043] Based on this, the network device can determine one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to the first access frequency point based on the correspondence between the at least one access frequency point and the at least one period, and transmit the downlink synchronization signal on the corresponding access frequency point using a first period in the one or more periods. Since the correspondence between the at least one access frequency point and the at least one period is predefined, the terminal device can also determine the corresponding period based on the correspondence and the determined access frequency point, and then detect the downlink synchronization signal using the corresponding period. Compared with the method in which the terminal device detects the synchronization signal using the minimum period, this method can effectively reduce the complexity of detecting the synchronization signal by the terminal device, and thus can reduce the complexity of cell search in the time domain dimension.

[0044] In combination with the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, the at least one time period is a plurality of time periods, and the access frequency points corresponding to any two time periods in the plurality of time periods are the same or different.

[0045] Alternatively, the access frequency points corresponding to different time periods in the at least one time period are different or the same. Different time periods refer to different starting times of the time periods or different ending times of the time periods.

[0046] It can be understood that the multiple time periods are continuous in time, or the multiple time periods are not overlapped in time. That is, one time period does not belong to two time periods at the same time.

[0047] With reference to the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, any of the at least one time period corresponds to at least one access frequency point.

[0048] With reference to the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, the absolute time obtained by the terminal device has a higher precision than a frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point.

[0049] Optionally, the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point is predefined.

[0050] The frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point refers to a time length of an interval at which the network device changes (or switches) the access frequency point. For example, the access frequency point is switched every two hours, and the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point is two hours.

[0051] With reference to the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, the at least one access frequency point is multiple, and any two of the multiple access frequency points correspond to downlink signals with the same or different periods.

[0052] It can be understood that the same access frequency point can correspond to different periods, and different access frequency points can correspond to the same or different periods.

[0053] With reference to the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, any of the at least one access frequency point corresponds to at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal.

[0054] When each access frequency point corresponds to one period, the terminal device can detect the downlink synchronization signal using the period corresponding to the access frequency point after determining the access frequency point. Compared with the mode in which each access frequency point corresponds to multiple periods, the complexity of the terminal device in detecting the synchronization signal can be reduced more effectively, so that the terminal device can quickly access the network.

[0055] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, including modules or units for implementing the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can realize the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0056] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a processor configured to execute the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner of the above aspects.

[0057] The apparatus can further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the method described in the above aspects.

[0058] The apparatus can further include a communication interface for the apparatus to communicate with other devices. The communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes at least one processor configured to support the functions described in any of the above aspects and any of the possible implementation manners of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods.

[0060] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data. The memory is located in the processor or outside the processor.

[0061] The chip system can be composed of a chip, or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium includes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method in any of the above aspects and any of the possible implementation manners of the above aspects.

[0063] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any of the above aspects and any of the possible implementation manners of the above aspects.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes the terminal device and the network device described above. The terminal device is configured to implement the method in the first aspect and any of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect. The network device is configured to implement the method in the second aspect and any of the possible implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0065] It should be understood that the third aspect to the eighth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by the aspects and the corresponding possible implementation manners are similar, which will not be described again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0066] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system suitable for the method provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a satellite network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence between multiple frequency bands and multiple services according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence between multiple time periods and multiple access frequency points according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 6 is another schematic diagram of a correspondence between multiple time periods and multiple access frequency points according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 8 is another schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0075] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0076] First, in the embodiments of the present application, the use of prefixes such as "first", "second", etc. is merely for the convenience of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size or quantity of the things. For example, "first time period" and "second time period" are merely different time periods, and do not limit the number or priority of the devices; for another example, "first mapping relationship" and "second mapping relationship" are merely different mapping relationships, and there is no time sequence, size relationship or priority relationship between them.

[0077] Second, "sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, it can include direct sending or receiving through the air interface, or indirect sending or receiving through other units or modules through the air interface. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0078] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices; or it can be within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0079] It can be understood that the information can be processed, such as encoding, modulation, etc., before being sent from the source end to the destination end. The destination end can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding, demodulation, etc., after receiving the information from the source end, so as to interpret the effective information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0080] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it, but does not rule out the case that the associated objects before and after it represent an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in combination with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0081] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the content to be indicated, for example, but not limited to, the content to be indicated can be directly indicated. The content to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the content to be indicated have an association relationship. The present application does not limit the specific way of indication.

[0082] Fifth, the tables in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. The values of the information in the tables are only examples and can be configured as other values. The present application does not limit the protection scope. For example, the above tables can be appropriately deformed and adjusted, such as splitting, merging, etc. For another example, the parameter names shown in the titles of the tables can also use other names understandable by the communication device, and the values or representation methods of the parameters can also use other values or representation methods understandable by the communication device. For another example, the above tables can also use other data structures when implemented, such as array, queue, container, stack, linear table, pointer, linked list, tree, graph, structure, class, heap, hash table, etc.

[0083] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions such as "when", "in the case of", "if", and "whether" all refer to the objective situation that the device (such as a network device or a terminal device) will make corresponding processing, not the time limit, and also does not require the device (such as a network device or a terminal device) to have a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0084] Seventh, the predefinition in the present application can be understood as: definition, predefinition, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-burning.

[0085] The technical solutions provided by the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), sidelink (SL) communication system, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio access technology (NR), satellite communication system, etc. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA).

[0086] The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication networks.

[0087] The network device in the present application can be a device with wireless transceiver function, radio access network (RAN) device. The radio access network device can provide wireless communication function service, and can access the terminal to the wireless network. The radio access network device can be a node in the radio access network, referred to as RAN node.

[0088] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB, or a home Node B (HNB), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), a mobile switching center, or a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The RAN node can also be a device assuming a base station function in a device to device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, and an internet to things (IoT) communication system, etc. The RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non terrestrial network (NTN), i.e., the RAN node can be deployed in a high altitude platform or a satellite. The RAN node can be a macro base station, or a micro base station or an indoor station, or a relay node or a donor node, etc., or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a node in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenario, etc. Alternatively, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the RAN node in a V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). Of course, the RAN node can also be a node in a core network.

[0089] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0090] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be referred to as an open RU (O-RU).

[0091] Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. That is, the radio access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, which can be implemented by general hardware and instantiated virtualized functions, or special hardware and instantiated virtualized functions. The general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0092] The terminal device in this application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus.

[0093] The terminal device can be a device providing voice / data connectivity to a user, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices can be: a mobile phone, a pad, a computer (such as a notebook computer, a palm computer, etc.) with wireless transceiver function, a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a drone, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc.

[0094] Among them, the wearable device can also be called a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that can be designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that can be directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function realized through software support and data interaction, cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a full function, large size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and only focuses on a certain application function and needs to cooperate with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands, smart jewelry, etc. for monitoring vital signs.

[0095] In addition, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and interconnection. IoT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0096] In addition, the terminal device can also include intelligent printers, train detectors, gas station sensors, and the like, and the main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal device), receiving control information and downlink data of the network device, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to the network device.

[0097] The terminal device in the present application can be a virtualized device, which can be implemented by general hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or special hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0098] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific form of the wireless access network device and the terminal device.

[0099] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 suitable for the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a wireless access network 10 and a core network 20, and optionally, the communication system 100 can also include an Internet 30. The wireless access network 10 can include at least one wireless access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1), and can also include at least one terminal device (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1).

[0100] The terminal device can be connected to the wireless access network device in a wireless manner, and the wireless access network device can be connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the wireless access network device can be independent and different physical devices, or can be integrated into the same physical device, or can be a physical device integrated with part of the functions of the core network device and part of the functions of the wireless access network device. The terminal and the terminal, and the wireless access network device and the wireless access network device, can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner.

[0101] The wireless access network device and the terminal device can communicate through licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both. The wireless access network device and the terminal device can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or both. Embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the spectrum used for wireless communication.

[0102] The wireless access network device can be a base station deployed in the air, such as satellite base station 110a, or a base station deployed indoors, such as micro base station or indoor station 110b.

[0103] The terminal device can be a terminal device deployed in the air, such as helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1, or a terminal device deployed on the ground, such as mobile phone 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j, vehicle 120b, computer 110b, printer 120h, and the like in FIG. 1.

[0104] The wireless access network device and the terminal device can be fixed or mobile. For example, the wireless access network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can be deployed on water; or can be deployed on an airplane, balloon, or artificial satellite in the air.

[0105] The roles of the wireless access network device and the terminal device can be relative. For example, helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For 120j that accesses the wireless access network 10 through 120i, 120i is a base station. However, for 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between wireless access network devices. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, the wireless access network device and the terminal device can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a, 110b, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication devices having their respective functions, such as a communication device having a base station function or a communication device having a terminal device function.

[0106] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can further include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0107] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a satellite network according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, a ground terminal device accesses a 5G new air interface network, a 5G base station is deployed on a satellite, and is connected to a ground station through a wireless link (NG interface) and further connected to a core network on the ground. At the same time, there is a wireless link (Xn interface) between satellites to complete signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations.

[0108] Satellite communication can provide wider coverage than ground communication. Satellite base stations are also not easily damaged by natural disasters or external forces. In future communication networks, if satellite communication is introduced, it can provide communication services for areas such as oceans and forests that cannot be covered by ground communication networks, thereby enhancing the reliability of communication. At the same time, the introduction of satellite communication can also provide more data transmission resources for communication, thereby improving the transmission rate of the network. Therefore, the simultaneous support of communication with the ground and with the satellite is the trend of future communication, which has great benefits in terms of wide coverage, reliability, multi-connection, and high throughput.

[0109] However, the round-trip transmission delay of satellite communication is large, and the terminal device may also perform frequent beam and cell switching due to the movement of the satellite. Therefore, the integration of satellite and 5G communication requires enhancement of the existing 5G protocol to adapt to satellite communication. The Iridium system proposes to use multiple sub-bands to carry different services, as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, a spectrum is divided into a traditional Iridium sub-band, an NB-IoT anchor carrier (a sub-band for NB-IoT access), and a dynamically allocatable sub-band. The dynamically allocatable sub-band can be configured as a traditional sub-band or an NB-IOT non-anchor carrier. As can be seen, the Iridium system proposes to use one of the multiple sub-bands to carry the NB-IoT service.

[0110] The spectrum of the Iridium system is a time division duplexing (TDD) spectrum. In the NTN communication scenario with a large round-trip transmission delay, the use of TDD requires a large guard band to ensure that the terminal device uplink transmission and downlink reception do not conflict. Therefore, the Iridium system proposes the following design idea: to avoid the problem of excessive power consumption of a certain frequency point for the NB-IoT service, different sub-frequency resources are used in the frequency domain at different times; in the time domain, the invalid frame mode is used to achieve power balance and power saving mode in the time and frequency domains. At the same time, the invalid frame can also be used as a guard band to avoid the problem of uplink and downlink synchronization in the case of a large round-trip transmission delay (for example, a large downlink reception delay and a large uplink transmission advance) in the TDD communication mode.

[0111] If the network side uses different sub-frequency resources at different times, the terminal device needs to search all possible candidate frequency points because it does not know which sub-frequency band used by the network side as an access frequency point (or anchor carrier) at present. In addition, the period of the downlink synchronization signal may be different at different times or in different areas. In order to match the access requirement, the terminal device may need to retrieve the downlink synchronization signal by using the smallest possible period. Therefore, in the case that the terminal device does not know the access frequency point and the period of the downlink synchronization signal, the complexity and overhead of the terminal device searching for a cell are very large.

[0112] Therefore, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and storage medium. In the method, a predefined correspondence between an access frequency point and a time period is used, so that the terminal device and the network device can determine the access frequency point corresponding to the current time based on the obtained current time and the predefined correspondence, and then transmit and receive the downlink synchronization signal on the determined access frequency point. In this way, the terminal device can avoid searching all candidate access frequency points, and effectively reduce the complexity and overhead of cell search.

[0113] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. The method provided by the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0114] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the method is shown from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the method. For example, the terminal device in FIG. 4 can be replaced by a chip, a chip system or a processor supporting the terminal device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The network device in FIG. 4 can be replaced by a chip, a chip system or a processor supporting the network device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 can include S401 to S403. The steps in the method 400 will be described in detail below.

[0116] S401, the network device determines one or more access frequency points based on the current absolute time and a first mapping relationship.

[0117] The first mapping relationship indicates the correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, and the first mapping relationship can be predefined.

[0118] The one or more access frequencies belong to at least one access frequency indicated by the first mapping relationship, and the current absolute time is located in a first time period in the at least one time period. It can be understood that the first time period can be any time period in the at least one time period, and the one or more access frequencies correspond to the first time period.

[0119] The at least one time period can be divided according to a global unified time, that is, universal time coordinated (UTC). Therefore, the absolute time of the network device also needs to be UTC, or can be converted between UTC.

[0120] It should be noted that the time period in the present application refers to a period of time with a start time or an end time. The time and the time can be replaced with each other, for example, the start time can be referred to as the start time.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the length of each time period in the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship can be determined according to the frequency hopping granularity of the network side access frequency. The frequency hopping granularity refers to the length of the interval at which the network device changes (or switches) the access frequency once. For example, the network device changes the access frequency once every 2 hours, and the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency is 2 hours. That is, the length of each time period in the at least one time period can be 2 hours.

[0122] Optionally, the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship does not overlap in time. For example, the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship is continuous in time. For example, time period 1 is from 0 to 2, time period 2 is from 2 to 4, and time period 3 is from 4 to 6. It can be understood that 2 can not be included in time period 1, 4 can not be included in time period 2, and 6 can not be included in time period 3, that is, when the absolute time of the network device is 2, the one or more access frequencies determined by the network device according to the current absolute time and the first mapping relationship are the access frequencies corresponding to time period 2, rather than the access frequencies corresponding to time period 1.

[0123] The access frequency in the present application is the frequency provided by the network device for the terminal device to access. The access frequency can also be an anchor carrier or other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0124] S402, the terminal device determines one or more access frequencies based on the first time and the first mapping relationship.

[0125] The first time is a current time obtained by the terminal device, which can be a current absolute time. That is, the current time obtained by the terminal device is the same time as the current absolute time obtained by the network device. At this time, the one or more access frequency bands determined by the network device in S401 are the same as the one or more access frequency points determined by the terminal device in S402.

[0126] However, for some terminal devices, such as NB-IoT terminals, the obtained current time can not be the current absolute time, that is, there is an error between the first time and the current absolute time. For example, if the error is 30 minutes, at 1 o'clock absolute time, the current time obtained by the terminal device can be 1:30 or 12:30. In this way, at the same time, the access frequency point determined by the terminal device can be inconsistent with the access frequency point determined by the network device. Therefore, for terminal devices with errors in obtaining absolute time, when the terminal device determines the access frequency point based on the first time and the first mapping relationship, the accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device also needs to be considered. The accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device refers to the error between the current time obtained by the terminal device and the current absolute time.

[0127] The way of determining one or more access frequency points considering the accuracy of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device will be described below, and will not be described here.

[0128] S403, the network device sends a downlink synchronization signal at the first access frequency point in the one or more determined access frequency points. Correspondingly, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the one or more determined access frequency points. Or, the terminal device receives the downlink synchronization signal on the one or more determined access frequency points.

[0129] The first access frequency point can be any one of the one or more access frequency points. That is, the network device can select one of the access frequency points determined in S401 to send the downlink synchronization signal when the number of determined access frequency points is more than one.

[0130] It can be understood that after the network device determines one or more access frequency points, the network device selects one access frequency point to send the downlink synchronization signal, so that the terminal device can access the network after detecting the downlink synchronization signal on the access frequency point. The terminal device does not know which access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points the network device will send the downlink synchronization signal on after determining the one or more access frequency points, so the terminal device can receive the downlink synchronization signal on each access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points to access the current frequency point after detecting the synchronization signal.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can determine one or more frequency points corresponding to the current time based on the correspondence between at least one time period and at least one access frequency point, and then transmit the downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more frequency points; correspondingly, the terminal device can also determine one or more frequency points corresponding to the current time based on the correspondence between at least one time period and at least one access frequency point, and then detect the downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more frequency points. Compared with the way that the terminal device searches all candidate access frequency points, the method can effectively reduce the complexity of the terminal device searching for the access frequency point, and then reduce the complexity of cell search in the frequency domain dimension.

[0132] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the correspondence between a plurality of time periods and a plurality of access frequency points provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, four time periods are included: T0-T1 period, T1-T2 period, T2-T3 period, and T3-T4 period, and each of the four time periods corresponds to one access frequency point. Specifically, the access frequency point corresponding to the T0-T1 period is frequency point 1, the access frequency point corresponding to the T1-T2 period is frequency point 2, the access frequency point corresponding to the T2-T3 period is frequency point 3, and the access frequency point corresponding to the T3-T4 period is frequency point 4.

[0133] Exemplarily, the correspondence shown in FIG. 5 can be shown by Table 1 as follows.

[0134] Table 1

[0135] FIG. 6 is another schematic diagram of the correspondence between a plurality of time periods and a plurality of access frequency points provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, four time periods are included: T0-T1 period, T1-T2 period, T2-T3 period, and T3-T4 period, and each of the four time periods corresponds to one access frequency point. Specifically, the access frequency point corresponding to the T0-T1 period is frequency point 1 and frequency point 5, the access frequency point corresponding to the T1-T2 period is frequency point 2 and frequency point 6, the access frequency point corresponding to the T2-T3 period is frequency point 3 and frequency point 7, and the access frequency point corresponding to the T3-T4 period is frequency point 4 and frequency point 8.

[0136] Exemplarily, the correspondence shown in FIG. 6 can be shown by Table 2 as follows.

[0137] Table 2

[0138] It can be understood that in the four time periods shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the T0-T1 period includes the T0 moment and does not include the T1 moment; the T1-T2 period includes the T1 moment and does not include the T2 moment; the T2-T3 period includes the T2 moment and does not include the T3 moment; and the T3-T4 period includes the T3 moment and does not include the T4 moment.

[0139] It can also be understood that in the four time periods shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the access frequency point corresponding to each time period can be any frequency domain position in a spectrum.

[0140] Optionally, in a case where the current time obtained by the terminal device has no error with the current absolute time (i.e., the current time obtained by the terminal device is the current absolute time), the terminal device determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time and the first mapping relationship can include: the terminal device determining a first time period based on the first time; and determining the one or more access frequency points corresponding to the first time period based on the first time period and the first mapping relationship.

[0141] Optionally, in a case where the current time obtained by the terminal device has an error with the current absolute time, the terminal device determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time and the first mapping relationship can include the following three possible implementation manners:

[0142] The first possible implementation manner includes: the terminal device determining a first time period based on the first time and a first time length; and determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time period and the first mapping relationship.

[0143] The first time length is the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device, i.e., the current time obtained by the terminal device has an error with the current absolute time. The description of the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device can refer to the description in the foregoing S402, which will not be described here again.

[0144] Optionally, the terminal device determining the first time period based on the first time and the first time length can include: the terminal device determining a second time based on the first time and the first time length; and determining the first time period based on the second time. That is, the first time and the second time belong to the same time period.

[0145] The second time can be the difference between the first time and the first time length, or the sum of the first time and the first time length.

[0146] Optionally, the terminal device determining the first time period based on the first time and the first time length can include: the terminal device determining a first sub-time period based on the first time and the first time length; and determining the first time period based on the first sub-time period. That is, the first sub-time period belongs to the first time period; or in other words, the first time period includes the first sub-time period; or in other words, the start time and the end time of the first sub-time period are both located in the first time period.

[0147] The start time of the first sub-time period can be the first time, and the end time can be the sum of the first time and the first time length; or the start time of the first sub-time period is the difference between the first time and the first time length, and the end time is the first time; or the start time of the first sub-time period is the difference between the first time and the first time length, and the end time is the sum of the first time and the first time length.

[0148] Optionally, the first sub-period can also be the same as the first period. Therefore, the start time of the first period can be one of the following: the first time minus the first duration, or the first time; and the end time of the first period can be one of the following: the first time plus the first duration, or the first time.

[0149] In a second possible implementation, the terminal device determines a second period based on the first time and the first duration, and determines one or more access frequency points based on the second period and the first mapping relationship.

[0150] The second period is one of the at least one period indicated by the first mapping relationship. Therefore, the one or more access frequency bands here are one or more access frequency points corresponding to the second period.

[0151] Optionally, the terminal device determining the second period based on the first time and the first duration can include: the terminal device determining a third time based on the first time and the first duration; and determining the second period based on the third time. That is, the third time and the first time belong to different periods.

[0152] The third time can be the first time minus the first duration, or the first time plus the first duration.

[0153] The first period and the second period can be two consecutive periods. Two consecutive periods means that the end time of the first period of the two periods can be the start time of the second period. For example, the T0-T1 period and the T1-T2 period are two consecutive periods.

[0154] In a third possible implementation, the terminal device determines a plurality of periods based on the first time and the first duration, and determines one or more access frequency points based on the plurality of periods and the first mapping relationship.

[0155] The plurality of periods are a plurality of periods in the at least one period indicated by the first mapping relationship. Therefore, the one or more access frequency bands here are one or more access frequency points corresponding to the plurality of periods.

[0156] Optionally, the terminal device determining the plurality of periods based on the first time and the first duration can include: the terminal device determining a third period based on the first time and the first duration; and determining the plurality of periods based on the third period and the at least one period, the plurality of periods being consecutive in time.

[0157] Optionally, the starting moment of the third time period can be the first moment, and the ending moment can be the sum of the first moment and the first time length; or the starting moment of the third time period can be the difference between the first moment and the first time length, and the ending moment can be the first moment; or the starting moment of the third time period can be the difference between the first moment and the first time length, and the ending moment can be the sum of the first moment and the first time length.

[0158] Illustratively, the terminal can determine a plurality of sub time periods based on the third time period and the at least one time period, and then determine a plurality of time periods according to the plurality of sub time periods. The plurality of sub time periods are divided according to the division manner of the at least one time period.

[0159] For example, the third time period is T0' to T2', and the T0' moment is after the T0 moment, and the T1' moment is after the T1 moment. The at least one time period includes the T0 to T1 time period and the T1 to T2 time period. According to the division manner of the at least one time period, the T0' to T2' time period can be divided into the T0' to T1 sub time period and the T1 to T2' sub time period. After determining the T0' to T1 sub time period and the T1 to T2' sub time period, the terminal device can determine that the T0' to T1 sub time period belongs to the T0 to T1 time period, and the T1 to T2' sub time period belongs to the T1 to T2 time period. That is, according to the plurality of sub time periods, the T0' to T1 sub time period and the T1 to T2' sub time period, the plurality of time periods determined are the T0 to T1 time period and the T1 to T2 time period.

[0160] Based on the above first to third possible implementation manners, when there is an error between the acquired current time and the current absolute time, the range of the terminal device searching for the access frequency point can be increased, and thus the terminal device can effectively improve the success of searching for the opened access frequency point.

[0161] Optionally, the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship is a plurality of time periods, and any two time periods of the plurality of time periods correspond to the same or different access frequency points. That is, different time periods can correspond to the same access frequency point or different access frequency points.

[0162] It can be understood that the same access frequency points of any two time periods refer to the same number of access frequency points of any two time periods, and all access frequency points of one time period can be found in the access frequency points of another time period.

[0163] It can also be understood that the different access frequency points of any two time periods refer to different numbers of access frequency points of any two time periods, or the same number of access frequency points of any two time periods, and one access frequency point of one time period cannot be found in the access frequency points of another time period.

[0164] Optionally, any time period of the at least one time period indicated by the first mapping relationship corresponds to at least one access frequency point. Alternatively or additionally, each time period of the at least one time period corresponds to one access frequency point or a plurality of access frequency points.

[0165] It can be understood that, in the case where each time period corresponds to a plurality of access frequency points, the number of access frequency points corresponding to any two time periods can be the same or different.

[0166] Optionally, the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device is higher than the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point.

[0167] Optionally, the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point is predefined.

[0168] For the description of the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device and the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point, reference can be made to the description in S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0169] Optionally, the network device sends the downlink synchronization signal on a first access frequency point of the one or more access frequency points, comprising: the network device determines one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to the first access frequency point based on the first access frequency point and a second mapping relationship; and sends the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to the one or more periods.

[0170] The second mapping relationship indicates that the at least one access frequency point corresponds to at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, and the at least one period includes one or more periods of the downlink synchronization signal corresponding to the first access frequency point.

[0171] The period of the downlink synchronization signal can be determined according to the density distribution of the service. The lower the density, the lower the requirement for resource occupation, and the longer the period of the downlink synchronization signal. The higher the density, the higher the requirement for resource occupation, and the shorter the period of the downlink synchronization signal.

[0172] The period of the downlink synchronization signal can be described by the effective period of the radio frame. That is, the effective period of the radio frame and the period of the downlink synchronization signal are the same.

[0173] Optionally, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points, which can include: the terminal device determines one or more periods of the downlink synchronization signal corresponding to a first access frequency point of the one or more access frequency points based on the one or more access frequency points and a second mapping relationship; and detects the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to the one or more periods.

[0174] This way of determining the period of the downlink synchronization signal based on the second mapping relationship and the access frequency point can reduce the complexity of cell search in the time domain.

[0175] Optionally, the second mapping relationship indicates that any of the at least one access frequency point corresponds to at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal. Alternatively, each of the at least one access frequency point can correspond to one or more periods.

[0176] For example, the number of the one or more access frequency points is 1, and the access frequency point corresponds to one period of the downlink synchronization signal. In this case, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the access frequency point according to the period.

[0177] For example, the number of the one or more access frequency points is 1, and the access frequency point corresponds to multiple periods of the downlink synchronization signal. If other periods of the multiple periods are integer multiples of the minimum period, the terminal device can detect the downlink synchronization signal on the access frequency point according to the minimum period. If there is no integer multiple relationship between the multiple periods, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the access frequency point according to the order from small to large or from large to small, until the detection of the downlink synchronization signal stops.

[0178] For example, the number of the one or more access frequency points is multiple, and each of the multiple access frequency points corresponds to one period of the downlink synchronization signal. In this case, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the multiple access frequency points according to the corresponding periods, until the detection of the downlink synchronization signal stops.

[0179] For example, the number of the one or more access frequency points is multiple, and each of the multiple access frequency points corresponds to multiple periods of the downlink synchronization signal. If other periods of the multiple periods corresponding to each of the access frequency points are integer multiples of the minimum period, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on each of the multiple access frequency points according to the minimum period of the multiple periods corresponding to the access frequency point, until the detection of the downlink synchronization signal stops. If there is no integer multiple relationship between the multiple periods corresponding to each of the access frequency points, the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on the multiple access frequency points according to the order from small to large or from large to small, until the detection of the downlink synchronization signal stops.

[0180] Optionally, the second mapping relationship indicates that the at least one access frequency point is multiple, and the periods of the downlink signals corresponding to any two of the multiple access frequency points are the same or different.

[0181] For example, if any two of the access frequency points can be the same, the periods of the downlink signals corresponding to the same two access frequency points are different. If any two of the access frequency points can be different, the periods of the downlink signals corresponding to the different two access frequency points are the same or different.

[0182] It can be understood that the periodicity of the downlink signals corresponding to any two access frequencies is the same, which means that the number of the periodicity corresponding to any two access frequencies is the same, and all the periodicity corresponding to one access frequency can be found in the periodicity corresponding to another access frequency.

[0183] It can also be understood that the periodicity of the downlink signals corresponding to any two access frequencies is different, which means that the number of the periodicity corresponding to any two access frequencies is different, or the number of the periodicity corresponding to any two access frequencies is the same, and one periodicity corresponding to one access frequency cannot be found in the periodicity corresponding to another access frequency.

[0184] Optionally, the method 400 further includes: in a case where the target access frequency in the one or more access frequencies detects the downlink synchronization signal, the terminal device accesses the network; in a case where the target access frequency is switched to another frequency, the terminal device enters a sleep state or another power saving state.

[0185] The another frequency is a frequency that is not supported by the terminal device. The frequency that is not supported by the terminal device means that the terminal device cannot communicate with the network device on the frequency.

[0186] This is because of the hardware capability limitation of the terminal device, which leads to different capability terminal devices to communicate with the network device only in a specific frequency range supported by the terminal device.

[0187] Optionally, the method 400 further includes: in a case where the another frequency is switched to the target access frequency, the terminal device communicates with the network device.

[0188] The above terminal device communicates with the terminal device on the supported frequency and enters the power saving state on the unsupported frequency, which can effectively save the cost of the terminal device.

[0189] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, and the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0190] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic diagrams of possible apparatuses provided by the embodiments of the present application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments.

[0191] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus 700 includes a processing module 710 and a transceiver module 720.

[0192] One possible design is that the apparatus 700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4.

[0193] The processing module 710 is configured to: determine one or more access frequency points based on a first time and a first mapping relationship, the first time being a current time obtained by the terminal device, the first mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the one or more access frequency points belonging to the at least one access frequency point, the first time being located in a first time period in the at least one time period, the access frequency point being a frequency point provided by a network device for the terminal device to access; and the transceiver module 720 is configured to: detect a downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points.

[0194] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine a first time period based on the first time and a first time length, the first time length being an accuracy of an absolute time obtained by the terminal device; and determine the one or more access frequency points based on the first time period and the first mapping relationship.

[0195] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine a second time period based on the first time and a first time length, the first time length being an accuracy of an absolute time obtained by the terminal device; and determine the one or more access frequency points based on the second time period and the first mapping relationship.

[0196] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine a plurality of time periods based on the first time and a first time length; and determine the one or more access frequency points based on the plurality of time periods and the first mapping relationship.

[0197] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine one or more periods of a downlink synchronization signal corresponding to a first access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points based on the one or more access frequency points and a second mapping relationship, the second mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, the at least one period including the one or more periods; and the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: detect the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to the one or more periods.

[0198] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: in a case where the downlink synchronization signal is detected on a target access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points, access a network by the terminal device; and in a case where the target access frequency point is switched to another frequency point which is not supported by the terminal device, enter a sleep state by the terminal device.

[0199] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: in a case where the another frequency point is switched to the target access frequency point, perform communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0200] More detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 can be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] Another possible design is that the apparatus 1700 is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4.

[0202] For example, the processing module 710 is configured to: determine one or more access frequency points based on a current absolute time and a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the one or more access frequency points belonging to the at least one access frequency point, the current absolute time being located in a first time period in the at least one time period, the access frequency point being a frequency point provided by the network device for a terminal device to access; and the transceiver module 720 is configured to: transmit a downlink synchronization signal at a first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points.

[0203] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine one or more periods of the downlink synchronization signal corresponding to the first access frequency point based on the first access frequency point and a second mapping relationship, the second mapping relationship indicating a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, the at least one period including the one or more periods; and the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: detect the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to a first period in the one or more periods.

[0204] More detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 can be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0205] It should be noted that the apparatus 700 can include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the apparatus 700 can include a receiving module but not a sending module. Whether the apparatus 700 includes a sending module or a receiving module depends on whether the above-mentioned scheme includes a sending action or a receiving action. It can be understood that, since the apparatus 700 has a communication function, it can also be referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0206] FIG. 8 is another schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus 800 includes one or more processors 810. The processor 810 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor can be configured to process a communication protocol and communication data, and the central processor can be configured to control the apparatus (e.g., a terminal device, a network device or a chip), execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

[0207] Optionally, in one design, the processor 810 can include programs (also can be referred to as codes or instructions) that can be run on the processor 810, so that the apparatus 800 performs the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, the apparatus 800 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG. 8) for implementing the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0208] Exemplarily, the processor 810 can be configured to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 4.

[0209] Optionally, one or more memories 820 can be included in the apparatus 800, and programs (also can be referred to as codes or instructions) can be stored on the memories 820, which can be run on the processor 810, so that the apparatus 800 performs the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the above embodiments.

[0210] Optionally, the processor 810 and / or the memory 820 can also store data. The processor and the memory can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0211] Optionally, the apparatus 800 can also include a communication interface 830. The processor 810 can also be referred to as a processing unit, and controls the apparatus (e.g., the terminal device or the network device). The communication interface 830 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and is configured to implement the transceiving function of the apparatus.

[0212] Optionally, the apparatus 800 also includes a communication interface 830. The processor 810 and the communication interface 830 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0213] It can be understood that, since the apparatus 800 has a communication function, it can also be referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0214] When the apparatus 800 is used to implement the method of FIG. 4, the processor 810 is configured to perform the functions of the processing unit described above, and the communication interface 830 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiving module described above. Whether the communication interface 830 is configured to transmit or receive can be determined according to whether the apparatus 800 is configured to perform a transmitting action or a receiving action in the scheme.

[0215] When the apparatus 800 is a chip applied to a terminal device, the chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments. The chip of the terminal device receives a signal from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the signal can be sent by a network device to the terminal device. Alternatively, the chip of the terminal device sends a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the signal can be sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0216] When the apparatus 800 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives a signal from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the signal can be sent by a terminal device to the network device. Alternatively, the chip of the network device sends a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the signal can be sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0217] It can be understood that when the apparatus 800 is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver, which can specifically include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is used to send a signal, and the receiver is used to receive a signal. When the apparatus 800 is a chip applied to a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface 830 can be an input / output circuit. The input circuit can be used for receiving, and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0218] It should be noted that the method embodiments described above can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor can be an integrated circuit chip having a signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments described above can be completed by integrated logic circuits or instructions in the form of software in the processor.

[0219] The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, etc.

[0220] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware code processing executed by a processor, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processing. The software module can be located in a storage medium such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, register, or the like. The storage medium is located in the storage, and the processor reads information in the storage and combines hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0221] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0222] The method provided by the above embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, in whole or in part. When implemented by software, the method can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product can include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through a wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic disk), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0223] The present application also provides a computer program product, which, when running on a processor, can implement the method shown in the above method embodiments.

[0224] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer instructions, and the computer instructions, when running on a processor, can implement the method shown in the above method embodiments.

[0225] The present application also provides a communication system, the terminal device and the network device.

[0226] Those skilled in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software 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 the present application.

[0227] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0228] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between the units can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0229] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0230] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0231] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disk or optical disk, and various program codes that can be stored in the medium.

[0232] The above is merely specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining one or more access frequency points based on a first time point and a first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship indicates a correspondence relationship between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the first time point is a current time obtained by a terminal device, the first time point is located in a first time period in the at least one time period, and the access frequency point is a frequency point provided by a network device for the terminal device to access; detecting a downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the one or more access frequency points based on the first time point and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining the first time period based on the first time point and a first time length, wherein the first time length is the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device; determining the one or more access frequency points based on the first time period and the first mapping relationship.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The start time of the first time period is one of the difference between the first time point and the first time length, or the first time point. The end time of the first time period is one of the sum of the first time point and the first time length, or the first time point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the one or more access frequency points based on the first time point and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining a second time period based on the first time point and a first time length, wherein the first time length is the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device; determining the one or more access frequency points based on the second time period and the first mapping relationship.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The first time period and the second time period are two continuous time periods.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the one or more access frequency points based on the first time point and the first mapping relationship comprises: determining a plurality of time periods based on the first time point and a first time length, wherein the first time length is the precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device; determining the one or more access frequency points based on the plurality of time periods and the first mapping relationship.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The precision of the absolute time obtained by the terminal device is higher than the frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The frequency hopping granularity of the access frequency point is predefined.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The at least one time period is a plurality of time periods, and the access frequency points corresponding to any two time periods in the plurality of time periods are the same or different.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Any time period in the at least one time period corresponds to at least one access frequency point.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The detection of the downlink synchronization signal on the determined one or more access frequency points comprises: determining one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to a first access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points based on the one or more access frequency points and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship indicates a correspondence relationship between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal; detecting the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to the one or more periods.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The at least one access frequency point is a plurality of access frequency points, and the periods of the downlink signal corresponding to any two access frequency points in the plurality of access frequency points are the same or different.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, Any access frequency point in the at least one access frequency point corresponds to at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The method further comprises: in a case where the terminal device detects the downlink synchronization signal on a target access frequency point in the one or more access frequency points, accessing a network. In a case where the target access frequency point is switched to another frequency point, the terminal device enters a sleep state, and the another frequency point is a frequency point not supported by the terminal device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further includes: In a case where the another frequency point is switched to the target access frequency point, the terminal device communicates with a network device.

16. A method of communication, comprising: Comprise: determining one or more access frequency points based on a current absolute time and a first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship indicates a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one time period, the current absolute time is located in a first time period in the at least one time period, and the access frequency point is a frequency point provided by a network device for a terminal device to access; sending a downlink synchronization signal at a first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The at least one time period is a plurality of time periods, and the access frequency points corresponding to any two time periods in the plurality of time periods are the same or different.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein, Any time period in the at least one time period corresponds to at least one access frequency point.

19. The method of any one of claims 16-18, wherein, The sending of the downlink synchronization signal at the first access frequency point in the determined one or more access frequency points comprises: determining one or more periods of the downlink signal corresponding to the first access frequency point based on the first access frequency point and a second mapping relationship, wherein the second mapping relationship indicates a correspondence between at least one access frequency point and at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal, and the at least one period includes the one or more periods; sending the downlink synchronization signal on the first access frequency point according to a first period in the one or more periods.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The at least one access frequency point is a plurality of access frequency points, and the periods of the downlink signal corresponding to any two access frequency points in the plurality of access frequency points are the same or different.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein, Any access frequency point in the at least one access frequency point corresponds to at least one period of the downlink synchronization signal.

22. A communications device, characterized by The module for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 15; or, the module for implementing the method of any one of claims 16 to 21.

23. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises at least one processor for enabling the communication device to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 15 by executing a computer program and / or by a logic circuit; or, the communication device comprises at least one processor for enabling the communication device to implement the method of any one of claims 16 to 21 by executing a computer program and / or by a logic circuit.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor, and the method of any one of claims 1 to 15 is executed; or, the method of any one of claims 16 to 21 is executed.

25. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program is executed by the processor, and the method of any one of claims 1 to 15 is executed; or, the method of any one of claims 16 to 21 is executed.

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