Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus. In the communication method provided by the present application, when a terminal device receives first instruction information and the number of first measurement reports that have been sent is less than a preset number, it is determined that the terminal device stops sending an SSB measurement report and a network device no longer acquires an SSB measurement report, such that actions respectively executed on a terminal device side and a network device side are clearly defined, thereby facilitating a reduction in the possibility of communication errors.

Description

Communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411403371.4 filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] With the increasing development of wireless services, the network scale and user data traffic are constantly increasing, and the energy consumption of network equipment is also rising. In order to reduce the energy consumption of network equipment, in the carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) can be sent on demand on the secondary cell. The terminal device measures the on-demand SSB signal on the secondary cell and reports the measurement result to the network device.

[0004] However, the number of measurement results of the on-demand SSB reported by the terminal device may be less than the number of measurement results required for configuration reporting, resulting in communication errors of the terminal device on the secondary cell. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which is beneficial to reduce the possibility of communication error in the process of implementing interaction through on-demand SSB.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a terminal side device, for example, a terminal device or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the terminal device. Taking the case of the method applied to the terminal device, the method comprises: sending a first measurement report, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, the first SSB being an on-demand SSB; in the case that the first indication information is received and the number of sent first measurement reports is less than a preset number, stopping sending the SSB measurement report, the first indication information being used to indicate the network device to stop sending the first SSB.

[0007] In a case where the terminal device receives the first indication information and the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number, the terminal device determines to stop sending the SSB measurement report, and in a case where the number of the first measurement reports is still less than the preset number although the network device stops sending the first SSB, the action performed by the terminal device is clear, which is beneficial to reduce the possibility of communication error.

[0008] In some implementations, the method further includes receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information indicating the preset number.

[0009] In some implementations, in a case where the first measurement report is an event-triggered report, the first configuration information indicates to stop sending the SSB measurement report in a case where a leaving condition is met.

[0010] In a case where the leaving condition is met, the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report, which is beneficial to reduce resource consumption and thus save resources.

[0011] In some implementations, the first configuration information includes reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending the SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device starts sending the first SSB.

[0012] The trigger condition for sending the SSB measurement report is receiving the second indication information, that is, the terminal device can trigger sending the SSB measurement report after the network device starts sending the first SSB, which is beneficial to improve the reporting efficiency of the SSB measurement report.

[0013] In some implementations, the reporting information includes at least one of the following information: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index number information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of the measured reference signal, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the first measurement report, the index number information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the first measurement report includes a beam measurement result.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a network side device, for example, a network device or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) in the network device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. Taking the case where the method is applied to the network device as an example, the method includes: receiving a first measurement report, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, the first SSB being an on-demand SSB; in a case where first indication information is sent and the number of the received first measurement reports is less than a preset number, not obtaining the SSB measurement report, the first indication information being used to indicate that the network device stops sending the first SSB.

[0015] In the case that the network device sends the first indication information and the number of the received first measurement reports is less than the preset number, the network device determines that the network device no longer acquires the SSB measurement report, and the action performed by the network device in the case that the network device stops sending the first SSB but the number of the first measurement reports is still less than the preset number is clear, which is beneficial to reduce the possibility of communication error.

[0016] In some implementations, the method further includes: sending the first configuration information, the first configuration information indicating the preset number.

[0017] In some implementations, the sending of the first indication information includes: sending the first indication information in the case that the second indication information is received, the second indication information being used to indicate that the received first measurement report meets the preset condition.

[0018] In the case that the received first measurement report meets the preset condition, the network device triggers the first indication information through the second indication information, and the network device can be determined to stop sending the SSB on demand by using one clear information.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a terminal-side device, for example, a terminal device or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the terminal device. Taking the case that the method is applied to the terminal device as an example, the method includes: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information including reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending an SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device starts sending a first SSB, the first SSB being an SSB sent on demand; and in the case that the second indication information is received, sending a second measurement report, the second measurement report being an SSB measurement report acquired by measuring the first SSB.

[0020] In some implementations, the reporting information includes at least one of the following information: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index number information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of the measured reference signal, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the second measurement report, the index number information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the second measurement report includes a beam measurement result.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a network side device, for example, a network device or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) in the network device, or can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the network device functions. Taking the case of the method applied to the network device, the method comprises: sending second configuration information, the second configuration information comprising reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending an SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device starts to send a first SSB, the first SSB being an on-demand SSB; and in the case of sending the second indication information, receiving a second measurement report, the second measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained according to measurement on the first SSB.

[0022] In some implementations, the reporting information comprises at least one of the following information: reference signal information, a report measurement quantity, index quantity information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of a reference signal for measurement, the report measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the second measurement report, the index quantity information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the second measurement report comprises a beam measurement result.

[0023] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a module or unit for implementing the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or comprising a module for implementing the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or comprising a module for implementing the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, or comprising a module for implementing the method in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect. Each module or unit can realize the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0024] Exemplarily, the communication device in the fifth aspect is a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or the communication device in the fifth aspect is a network device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the network device.

[0025] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a processor, the processor being used to execute the communication method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or being used to execute the communication method in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or being used to execute the communication method in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, or being used to execute the communication method in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect.

[0026] Optionally, the communication apparatus comprises a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor implements the method described in the above aspects when executing the instructions stored in the memory.

[0027] Optionally, the communication apparatus comprises a communication interface for the apparatus to communicate with other communication apparatuses. The communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0028] Optionally, the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect is a chip or a chip system, and can also be a terminal device or a network device.

[0029] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method in the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation manner of the first to fourth aspects.

[0030] In the eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in the first and fourth aspects and any possible implementation manner of the first and fourth aspects.

[0031] In the ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the terminal device and the network device described above. The terminal device can be used to implement the method in the first or third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first or third aspect. The network device can be used to implement the method in the second or fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second or fourth aspect.

[0032] The fifth to ninth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solution of the first aspect of the present application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manner are similar, and will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an access network device to which embodiments of the present application are applied;

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a terminal device establishing a communication connection with multiple cells in a carrier aggregation scenario;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of on-demand transmission of SSBs on a secondary cell in different scenarios;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of two on-demand transmission of SSBs scenarios;

[0038] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram of dynamically adjusting a SSB transmission period;

[0042] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same numbers are used to denote the same elements, and the description is not limited to all embodiments consistent with the present application unless otherwise indicated. The following exemplary embodiments described in the exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0045] It should be understood that, in 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 relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, and 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 where the associated objects before and after it represent an "and" relationship, and the meaning represented 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 or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean 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.

[0046] In the present application, the use of prefixes such as "first", "second", etc. is only for the convenience of distinguishing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size or number of the things. For example, "first parameter" and "second parameter" are only different parameters, and there is no time or size relationship between them.

[0047] Various aspects, embodiments or features can be presented in terms of systems, which can include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems can include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and / or can not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches can also be used.

[0048] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary", "for example", and the like are used on an example, illustration, or description basis. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the word "exemplary" is used to present the concept in a specific manner. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" are sometimes mixed. It should be pointed out that when their differences are not emphasized, their meanings expressed are consistent.

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). Other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 1), etc. can also be included in the RAN 100. The terminal devices 120 are connected to the RAN nodes 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN nodes 110 are connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network and the logical functions of the radio access network.

[0050] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolved system. The RAN 100 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The RAN 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0051] The RAN node 110, which can also be referred to as an access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc., is a part of the communication system to help terminal devices to access the wireless communication. The RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal device 120 are opposite, for example, the network element 120i in FIG. 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For a terminal device 120j accessing the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal device. The RAN node 110 and the terminal device 120 are sometimes collectively referred to as communication apparatuses, for example, the network elements 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0052] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation Node B (gNB), or a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0053] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal 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 (CU-CP), a CU user plane (CU-UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0054] 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). For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0055] The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, smart point of sale (POS), customer-premises equipment (CPE), light UE, reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc.

[0056] The base station and the terminal can be fixed in position or movable. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on an airplane, a balloon and a man-made satellite. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0057] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative, for example, the helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station, and for those terminals 120j accessing to the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a base station; but for the base station 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 a base station-to-base station interface protocol, at this time, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication apparatus, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with base station function, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with terminal function.

[0058] The base station and the terminal, the base station and the base station, the terminal and the terminal can communicate through the licensed spectrum, or through the unlicensed spectrum, or through the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum simultaneously; can communicate through the spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or through the spectrum above 6 GHz, or through the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used by the wireless communication.

[0059] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem including the functions of the base station. The control subsystem including the functions of the base station herein can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device including the functions of the terminal.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an access network device to which the embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the access network device includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more RUs, and for the sake of clarity, only one CU, one DU, and one RU are shown in FIG. 2. The CU is configured to be connected to the core network and the one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network. The CU can include a CU-CP and a CU-UP.

[0061] The CU and the DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU is configured to implement the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and the protocol layers above (such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer and / or the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, etc.); the DU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and / or the physical (PHY) layer, etc.). For another example, the CU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC layer and / or the SDAP layer), and the DU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and / or the PHY layer, etc.).

[0062] When the CU includes the CU-CP and the CU-UP, the CU-CP is configured to implement the control plane function of the CU, and the CU-UP is configured to implement the user plane function of the CU. For example, when the CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, the RRC layer and the SDAP layer, the CU-CP is configured to implement the RRC layer function and the control plane function of the PDCP layer, and the CU-UP is configured to implement the SDAP layer function and the user plane function of the PDCP layer.

[0063] The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network configured to implement the control plane function. The network element in the core network configured to implement the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in a 5G system. The AMF network element is configured to be responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as location update of the terminal device, registration network of the terminal device, handover of the terminal device, and the like.

[0064] The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network configured to implement the user plane function. The network element in the core network configured to implement the user plane function, such as a user plane function (UPF) network element in a 5G system, is configured to be responsible for forwarding and receiving data in the terminal device.

[0065] The above configuration of the CU and the DU is only an example, and the CU and the DU can be configured to have other functions according to needs. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more functions of protocol layers, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of protocol layers. For example, partial functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are configured in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are configured in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to service types or other system requirements, such as dividing according to delay, functions that need to meet a relatively short delay requirement are configured in the DU, and functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are configured in the CU.

[0066] The DU and the RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in multiple ways according to design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement intermediate radio frequency functions. For another example, the DU is configured to implement high-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement low-level functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-level functions and radio frequency functions. The high-level functions in the PHY layer can include part of the functions of the PHY layer, which are closer to the MAC layer, and the low-level functions in the PHY layer can include another part of the functions of the PHY layer, which are closer to the intermediate radio frequency side.

[0067] In order to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technologies and terms involved in the present application are briefly described below.

[0068] 1. Cell and carrier

[0069] A cell is a coverage area of a wireless signal identified by a base station identity code (BSIC) or a cell global identification (CGI). From the perspective of resource management, a cell is a unit for managing wireless communication resources. A cell can be understood as a logical concept, which is an area covered by a base station.

[0070] A carrier is a radio signal (or understood as an electromagnetic wave) with a specific frequency, bandwidth and standard transmitted by a base station master device. The carrier can also be referred to as a carrier frequency, which is the main body for carrying information. The carrier used for uplink communication can be referred to as an uplink carrier, and the carrier used for downlink communication can be referred to as a downlink carrier.

[0071] 2. Carrier aggregation

[0072] In the CA scenario, the terminal device can establish a communication connection with multiple cells, which provide communication services for the terminal device as serving cells of the terminal device. The carrier frequencies of the multiple cells are different, and the carrier frequency bands do not overlap, which increases the communication bandwidth between the network device and the terminal device and can improve the data transmission rate.

[0073] When applying the CA technology, the primary cell (PCell) is a cell established when the terminal device performs initial connection, or a cell for RRC connection reestablishment, or a PCell specified in the handover process. The PCell establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the terminal device.

[0074] The network device can configure a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal device according to the transmission requirement of the terminal device, so as to provide more uplink transmission resources and / or downlink transmission resources for the terminal device. The SCell is used to provide additional radio resources, and it can be understood that the SCell is added / modified / released by the RRC connection reconfiguration message after the initial security activation process.

[0075] Among them, SCell has two states of activation and deactivation, and the SCell configured by the network device through RRC signaling is in the default deactivation state. The SCell in the deactivation state does not perform any uplink and downlink signal monitoring and transmission.

[0076] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture in which a terminal device establishes a communication connection with multiple cells in a carrier aggregation scenario. As shown in (A) of Fig. 3, the PCell and the SCell are controlled by the same network device, which can be understood as co-site deployment of the PCell and the SCell. Alternatively, as shown in (B) of Fig. 3, the PCell and the SCell are controlled by different network devices, which can be understood as non-co-site deployment of the PCell and the SCell.

[0077] 3. Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block

[0078] The SSB is composed of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The SSB plays an important role in the communication system shown in Fig. 1, mainly enabling the terminal device to detect the physical cell identifier and achieve synchronization in the downlink time domain and frequency domain. The SSB can also help the terminal device and the network device to maintain synchronization, ensuring the stability and accuracy of communication. In addition, the terminal device can also measure the signal quality of the SSB to determine the quality of the current cell, and according to whether the conditions for cell selection are met, the cell can be selected as the service cell of the terminal device.

[0079] In the CA scenario, in order to save energy, the network device can periodically broadcast SSB on the PCell, and broadcast SSB on the SCell according to the signal measurement requirements of the terminal device or the requirements for obtaining necessary information. In the embodiments of the present application, the above on-demand broadcast SSB is defined as on-demand SSB (OD-SSB).

[0080] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of on-demand transmission of SSB on a secondary cell in different scenarios. As shown in Fig. 4, according to the definition of the 3GPP standard, in the configuration and activation process of the SCell, there are four different scenarios, scenario 2, scenario 2A, scenario 3A and scenario 3B. The above four scenarios are introduced as follows:

[0081] Scenario 2: The network device configures a SCell for the terminal device, and the SCell is in a deactivated state. In scenario 2, the OD-SSB can be triggered, the network device transmits the OD-SSB on the SCell, the terminal device measures the OD-SSB, the measurement result is contained in the measurement report, and the terminal device reports the measurement report to the PCell. If the PCell determines that the signal state of the SCell is not good according to the measurement report, the PCell can delete the SCell.

[0082] Scenario 2A: This scenario corresponds to the time when the terminal device receives the signaling indicating the activation of the SCell. In scenario 2A, the OD-SSB and the signaling indicating the activation of the SCell are transmitted synchronously, and the terminal device achieves uplink and downlink synchronization with the SCell by measuring the OD-SSB.

[0083] Scenario 3A: This scenario is after the terminal device receives the signaling indicating the activation of the SCell, and the network device has not determined that the activation of the SCell is completed, which can be understood as that the SCell is in an activation process. As shown in FIG. 4, the OD-SSB can also be triggered in scenario 3A.

[0084] Scenario 3B: This scenario is after the activation of the SCell is successful, and the SCell is in an activated state. Exemplarily, in scenario 3B, the terminal device can trigger the OD-SSB in a case where the synchronization between the terminal device and the SCell is invalid, and the network device transmits the OD-SSB on the SCell so as to achieve the synchronization between the terminal device and the SCell.

[0085] In addition, two different cases are defined in the 3GPP standard. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the two cases of transmitting the SSB on demand. (A) in FIG. 5 corresponds to the first case, and (B) in FIG. 5 corresponds to the second case.

[0086] As shown in (A) in FIG. 5, in the first case, there is no SSB transmission on the SCell before the OD-SSB is triggered.

[0087] As shown in (B) in FIG. 5, in the second case, the SSB is periodically transmitted on the SCell before the OD-SSB is triggered. After the OD-SSB is triggered, the transmission period of the SSB can be changed. For example, in order to save the energy consumption of the network device, the transmission period of the SSB is a first period before the OD-SSB is triggered, and the transmission period of the SSB is changed to a second period after the OD-SSB is triggered, and the length of the first period is greater than the length of the second period.

[0088] It should be noted that the network device can also configure the content reported by the terminal device after measuring the signal on the SCell when configuring the SCell. The terminal device measures the signal on the SCell according to the configuration information of the network device, and reports the measurement report.

[0089] For example, the specific reported configuration information can include:

[0090] The content in the “reportType” field is used to indicate the reporting type of the signal measurement on the SCell, and each row corresponds to one reporting type, for example, “periodical” corresponds to a periodic reporting type, and “eventTriggered” corresponds to an event triggered reporting type.

[0091] The periodic reporting is a data or information reporting mode according to a fixed time interval. After the terminal device measures the SSB on the SCell, the terminal device can periodically report the measurement report according to the configured reporting period.

[0092] The event triggered reporting is a measurement report reporting mechanism that occurs when a specific event occurs. In the event triggered reporting, the trigger condition refers to a specific condition that causes the event to be activated or triggered. When the trigger condition is met, the terminal device reports the measurement report of the SSB. The leaving condition refers to a condition that defines when the event ends or no longer continues. When the leaving condition is met, the terminal device stops reporting the measurement report of the SSB.

[0093] The different reporting types correspond to different reporting configurations. As an example, the reporting configuration corresponding to the event triggered reporting type includes:

[0094] In the above fields, “eventA1” is used to indicate the event category, “a1-Threshold” is used to indicate the threshold value of the event trigger, “timeToTrigger” is used to indicate the duration of continuously meeting the event trigger condition, and “hysteresis” is used to indicate the amplitude hysteresis of the measurement result, which can be understood as the allowed offset value between the measurement result and the threshold value.

[0095] “rsType” is used to indicate the type of the reference type of the measurement, “reportInterval” is used to indicate the time interval between two reports, and “reportAmount” is used to indicate the number of measurement reports that the terminal device needs to report.

[0096] Wherein, the "reportOnLeave" is a Boolean value, if the "reportOnLeave" is set to true, the terminal device reports the measurement report of the SSB for the last time in the case of meeting the event leaving condition.

[0097] It should be noted that the reporting configuration corresponding to the event triggered reporting type can further include a measurement quantity, the measurement quantity is used to indicate the parameter type obtained by the terminal device measuring the specified signal, for example, the reference signal received power (RSRP), the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc., and the field for configuring the measurement quantity is not embodied in the above reporting configuration corresponding to the event triggered reporting type.

[0098] It can be understood that the reporting configuration corresponding to the event triggered reporting type can further include other fields, which will not be expanded here.

[0099] It should be noted that the above reporting configuration information is the content of the periodic SSB configured by the network device, and according to the above content, the network device can configure the OD-SSB with similar reporting configuration information as the periodic SSB.

[0100] According to the above reporting configuration information, if the "reportAmount" field is configured in the reporting configuration information, the field is used to configure the number of measurement reports that the terminal device needs to report. However, when the terminal device measures the OD-SSB on the SCell, since the OD-SSB is an on-demand transmitted SSB, the number of transmitted OD-SSB in the same period is usually lower than the number of periodically transmitted SSB, which may result in that the number of measurement reports of the OD-SSB measured by the terminal device is lower than the number of measurement reports configured in the reporting configuration information that the terminal device needs to report.

[0101] In the current 3GPP standard, the action of the terminal device and the network device on both sides in the case that the number of reported measurement reports of the OD-SSB is lower than the number of measurement reports required to be reported in the reporting configuration information has not been defined, which may result in errors in the subsequent communication process.

[0102] For example, if the number of measurement reports of the OD-SSB reported by the terminal device is less than the number of measurement reports required to be reported according to the configuration, in order to meet the number of measurement reports required to be reported according to the configuration, the terminal device can measure the periodically transmitted SSB and report the measurement report of the periodic SSB to the network device. The network device regards the measurement report of the periodic SSB as the measurement report of the OD-SSB, and allocates resources or performs data transmission for the terminal device according to the measurement report of the periodic SSB, which can cause communication errors between the terminal device and the SCell.

[0103] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method and related devices to determine the actions performed by the terminal device or the network device when the number of measurement reports of the OD-SSB reported is less than the number of measurement reports required to be reported according to the configuration information, which is beneficial to reduce the possibility of communication errors in the OD-SSB interaction process on the SCell.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, in the case that the network device stops transmitting the OD-SSB and the number of measurement reports of the OD-SSB reported by the terminal device is less than the number required by the configuration, the terminal device directly stops reporting the SSB measurement report, thereby reducing the possibility of communication errors.

[0105] In the following embodiments, the interaction between the terminal device and the network device is taken as an example for illustration. It should be understood that the above terminal device can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device; the above network device can also be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the network device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0106] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication method can include S601-S603.

[0107] S601, the terminal device sends a first measurement report to the network device, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, and the first SSB being an on-demand transmitted SSB. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first measurement report from the terminal device.

[0108] With reference to the scenario shown in FIG. 4, after triggering the OD-SSB, the network device sends the first SSB to the terminal device, and the first SSB is the OD-SSB sent according to the demand of the terminal device. The terminal device measures the first SSB, and the measurement result obtained by the terminal device forms a first measurement report. The terminal device sends the first measurement report to the network device.

[0109] Optionally, the terminal device measures the first SSB according to the reporting configuration information configured by the network device, as shown in step S600 in FIG. 6. The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure the SSB measurement report. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the network device.

[0110] The first configuration information can be understood as the reporting configuration information configured by the network device for the OD-SSB. In this step, the first configuration information is used to configure the SSB measurement report. As described above, the first configuration information can configure the reporting type of the SSB measurement report. For example, if the first configuration information configures the reporting type of the SSB measurement report as periodic reporting, the terminal device periodically sends the SSB measurement report to the network device according to a preset period after obtaining the SSB measurement report. Alternatively, if the first configuration information configures the reporting type of the SSB measurement report as event-triggered reporting, the terminal device sends the SSB measurement report to the network device when the event-triggered condition is met after obtaining the SSB measurement report.

[0111] In step S602, the network device sends first indication information to the terminal device, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device stops sending the first SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the network device can determine whether the received first measurement report meets a preset condition according to the content indicated by the first measurement report. When the preset condition is met, the network device indicates to the terminal device that the network device has stopped sending the first SSB through the first indication information, that is, the network device stops sending the first SSB to the terminal device at the same time when the first indication information is sent.

[0113] In some implementations, the preset condition can be that the first measurement report meets the demand of the network device for measuring the OD-SSB, or the first measurement report meets the demand of the network device for scheduling resources.

[0114] In step S603, when the number of the sent first measurement reports is less than a preset number, the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device.

[0115] The terminal device can maintain a quantity information inside the terminal device, the quantity information being used to indicate a quantity of the first measurement reports that have been sent by the terminal device.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the first SSB can include one or more OD-SSBs. For example, the first SSB includes one or more OD-SSB burst sets, and each OD-SSB burst set includes one or more OD-SSBs. Accordingly, the first measurement report obtained by measuring the first SSB can include one or more SSB measurement reports, and the OD-SSBs included in the first SSB correspond to the SSB measurement reports in the first measurement report one by one.

[0117] In this step, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device can determine the relationship between the quantity of the first measurement reports that have been sent and the preset quantity. If the quantity of the first measurement reports that have been sent is less than the preset quantity, the terminal device stops measuring the SSB. Accordingly, after the terminal device stops measuring the SSB, no new SSB measurement report is generated, and the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device.

[0118] If the quantity of the first measurement reports that have been sent by the terminal device is greater than or equal to the preset quantity, the terminal device can also stop measuring the SSB without the first indication information being sent by the network device. Accordingly, after stopping measuring, no new SSB measurement report is generated, and the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device.

[0119] It can be understood that the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device, which is equivalent to the network device no longer obtaining the SSB measurement report for the network device.

[0120] It should be noted that the network device needs to allocate resources or perform data transmission for the terminal device according to the first measurement report. Before actual measurement, the network device cannot determine the specific quantity of the SSB measurement reports required, and therefore the network device can indicate the quantity of the SSB measurement reports that should be reported by the terminal device by using a preset quantity.

[0121] As a possible implementation, the network device can indicate the above preset quantity in the first configuration information. For example, referring to the reporting configuration information, the first configuration information can include a “reportAmount” field, and the value corresponding to the field is the preset quantity.

[0122] In the embodiment, the terminal device determines to stop sending the SSB measurement report and the network device no longer acquires the SSB measurement report in a case where the terminal device receives the first indication information and the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number. The actions performed by the terminal device and the network device are both clear, which is beneficial to reduce the possibility of communication errors.

[0123] In some implementations, the terminal device can continue to send the SSB measurement report to the network device in a case where the terminal device receives the first indication information and the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number, and the network device does not acquire the SSB measurement report after sending the first indication information. The SSB measurement report continued to be sent by the terminal device can be the SSB measurement report obtained by measuring the SSB on another cell or the SSB measurement report obtained by reporting the previously obtained SSB measurement report again.

[0124] The meaning of the network device "not acquiring the SSB measurement report" is that the network device can continue to receive the SSB measurement report sent by the terminal device after the network device sends the first indication information, but the network device regards the SSB measurement report as invalid, and the network device does not use the SSB measurement report in the process of allocating resources for the terminal device or performing data transmission. Alternatively, the network device receives the SSB measurement report and does not read the SSB measurement report.

[0125] In a possible implementation, the terminal device establishes a communication connection with the PCell and the SCell, and the PCell is responsible for processing all RRC procedures. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the communication interaction between the network device and the terminal device, such as the network device sending the first configuration information to the terminal device and the terminal device sending the first measurement report to the network device, can be implemented by the terminal device and the PCell controlled by the network device. The network device sending the first SSB can be performed on the SCell controlled by the network device. The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is further described below in combination with the PCell and the SCell controlled by the network device.

[0126] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the case of PCell and SCell co-site deployment as an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the communication method can include S701-S709.

[0127] S701, the PCell sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device, and the RRC reconfiguration message is used to configure the SCell. The first configuration information is included in the RRC reconfiguration message. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the PCell.

[0128] It should be noted that the PCell and the SCell are logical concepts and cannot be used as an execution subject to perform the receiving and transmitting actions. In the embodiments of the present application, the transmitting and receiving on the PCell and the SCell actually means that the network device and the terminal device perform the transmitting and receiving through the PCell and the SCell connected with the terminal device.

[0129] In this step, the RRC reconfiguration message is used to configure the SCell, and can specifically include one or more of the following: configuration of identification information of the SCell, measurement configuration information, a network device state, or configuration information of an SSB.

[0130] Configuration of the identification information of the SCell: For example, the identification information of the SCell is indicated as 1 through the field "SCellindex 1".

[0131] Measurement configuration information: Configuration of a cell measurement object (MO), first configuration information, and configuration of a measurement gap, and the like. One measurement gap can be associated with different measurement objects. A measurement identity (ID) can be associated with the measurement object configuration and the first configuration information.

[0132] Network device state: The state of a cell controlled by the network device, and the embodiments of the present application configure the state of the SCell as the state of the network device transmitting the OD-SSB on the SCell.

[0133] Configuration information of the SSB: It can be understood as the transmission configuration information of the SSB. The network device can configure multiple sets of transmission configuration information of the SSB, and different configuration information has different index identification, corresponding to the pattern of the SSB, such as a bit map of the SSB, a transmission period of the SSB, and frequency point information of the SSB.

[0134] It can be understood that this step corresponds to step S600 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0135] S702, the terminal device sends request information to the PCell, and the request information is used to request the network device to transmit the OD-SSB on the SCell. Correspondingly, the PCell receives the request information from the terminal device.

[0136] It can be understood that the request information in this step is used to trigger the OD-SSB. In some implementations, the terminal device can transmit the request information through an uplink MAC control element (UL MAC CE).

[0137] S703, the PCell determines whether to send the OD-SSB on the SCell.

[0138] In this step, the PCell determines whether to send the OD-SSB on the SCell according to whether there is a requirement to send the OD-SSB. In the embodiments of the present application, it is uniformly determined to send the OD-SSB on the SCell to perform the subsequent steps.

[0139] S704, the PCell sends second indication information to the terminal device, and the second indication information is used to instruct the network device to start sending the OD-SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication information from the PCell.

[0140] The second indication information can also be understood as activation indication information of the OD-SSB, which is analogous to the activation and deactivation of the SCell. Activating the OD-SSB is equivalent to sending the OD-SSB, and deactivating the OD-SSB is equivalent to stopping sending the OD-SSB.

[0141] S705, the SCell sends a first SSB to the terminal device, and the first SSB is an on-demand sent SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the SCell.

[0142] S706, the terminal device measures the first SSB to obtain a first measurement report.

[0143] In this step, the terminal device measures the first SSB according to the measurement quantity indicated by the first configuration information in step S701, and obtains the first measurement report.

[0144] S707, the terminal device sends the first measurement report to the PCell.

[0145] This step corresponds to step S601 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0146] It can be understood that the terminal device can send the first measurement report to the network device according to the reporting type of the SSB measurement report configured by the first configuration information. For example, if the first configuration information configures the SSB measurement report as a periodic report, the terminal device sends the first measurement report to the network device according to the preset period indicated in the first configuration information, every other preset period. Or, if the first configuration information configures the SSB measurement report as an event triggered report, the terminal device sends the first measurement report to the network device when the event triggering condition is met.

[0147] S708, the PCell sends first indication information to the terminal device, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network device to stop sending the first SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the PCell.

[0148] This step corresponds to step S602 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. The network device stops sending the first SSB to the terminal device while sending the first indication information.

[0149] It can be understood that the second indication information in the above step S705 is used to instruct the network device to start sending the OD-SSB on the SCell, and the first indication information in this step is used to instruct the network device to stop sending the first SSB, and the first indication information is equivalent to the deactivation indication information of the OD-SSB.

[0150] S709, in the case where the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number, the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the PCell.

[0151] This step corresponds to step S603 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0152] In this step, no matter which reporting type is indicated in the first configuration information, in the case where the first indication information is received and the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number, the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the PCell.

[0153] For example: the first configuration information indicates that the SSB measurement report is a periodic report, in the case where the first indication information is received and the number of the first measurement reports sent is less than the preset number, if the time interval from the last reporting reaches the preset period, the terminal device no longer sends the first measurement report to the network device.

[0154] In some implementations, if the first measurement report is an event-triggered report, the first configuration information can indicate that the SSB measurement report is stopped in the case where the leaving condition is met.

[0155] According to the foregoing introduction, in the configuration content corresponding to the event-triggered report, if the “reportOnLeave” field is included and the field is configured to be true, the terminal device reports the measurement report of the SSB for the last time in the case where the event leaving condition is met. In this implementation, the first configuration information can indicate that the SSB measurement report is stopped in the case where the leaving condition is met.

[0156] Exemplarily, when configuring the first configuration information, the network device can configure the value corresponding to the “reportOnLeave” field as a read-only value, which is fixed as false, and the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device in the case where the event leaving condition is met.

[0157] Alternatively, the network device does not configure the "reportOnLeave" field when configuring the first configuration information, so there is no problem of configuring the "reportOnLeave" field as true or false. In the case of meeting the event leaving condition, the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device.

[0158] Alternatively, the network device configures the value corresponding to the "reportOnLeave" field as true when configuring the first configuration information. In the case of meeting the event leaving condition, the terminal device no longer considers the influence of the "reportOnLeave" field on whether to report the SSB measurement report again. It can be understood that the terminal device masks the "reportOnLeave" field and stops sending the SSB measurement report to the network device.

[0159] In some implementations, if the first measurement report is an event triggered report, when the reporting type is configured in the first configuration information, a trigger field can be added in the configuration content corresponding to the reporting type. The trigger field is used to indicate whether the first measurement report is sent again in the case of receiving the first indication information.

[0160] For example, the first configuration information indicates that the reporting type is an event triggered report. A new field "reportOnODSSBdeactivation" is added in the configuration content corresponding to the reporting type. In the case of "reportOnODSSBdeactivation" being configured as true, if the terminal device receives the first indication information indicating that the OD-SSB is deactivated, the terminal device sends the first measurement report again.

[0161] In a possible implementation, after the terminal device receives the first configuration information, it internally maintains information such as a report entry, a timer for periodic reporting, and a measurement ID. After the terminal device stops sending the SSB measurement report, the above-mentioned internally maintained information can be deleted to save the storage space in the terminal device.

[0162] In the above embodiments, if the reporting type indicated by the first configuration information is periodic reporting, the terminal device needs to send the first measurement report to the network device after a preset period corresponding to the time length after obtaining the first measurement report. If the reporting type indicated by the first configuration information is event triggered reporting, the terminal device needs to send the first measurement report to the network device in the case of meeting the event triggered condition after obtaining the first measurement report. The above-mentioned SSB measurement report reporting manner is not efficient in the process of measuring the OD-SSB and sending the first measurement report. The following describes embodiments of the present application which are beneficial to further solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0163] As a possible implementation, the first configuration information can include reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that the trigger condition for sending the SSB measurement report is receiving the second indication information, and the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device starts to send the first SSB.

[0164] The reporting information indicates that the trigger condition for sending the SSB measurement report is receiving the second indication information, and it can be understood that the reporting information indicates a new reporting type that is different from the current periodic reporting and event-triggered reporting and the like. In the embodiment of the application, the reporting type is defined as OD-SSB activated trigger type reporting.

[0165] In the case where the reporting type in the first configuration information is OD-SSB activated trigger type reporting, if the terminal device receives the second indication information, that is, the OD-SSB on the SCell is activated, in the case where the terminal device measures the first SSB and obtains the first measurement report, the terminal device can directly send the first measurement report to the network device, without considering the preset period or event trigger condition and the like.

[0166] In some implementations, the reporting information can further include at least one of the following information: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index quantity information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate the type of the measured reference signal, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate the reported measurement quantity in the first measurement report, the index quantity information is used to indicate the maximum value of the reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the first measurement report includes the beam measurement result.

[0167] Optionally, the reporting information can further include at least one of the following information: trigger duration, measurement threshold, amplitude hysteresis of the measurement result, reporting quantity or reporting interval.

[0168] The trigger duration can correspond to the timeToTrigger field in the foregoing, in the case where the duration of the measurement result reaching the measurement threshold satisfies the duration indicated by the field, the reporting is triggered, thereby reducing the ping-pong effect. The amplitude hysteresis of the measurement result can correspond to the hysteresis in the foregoing, the reporting quantity can correspond to the reportAmount field in the foregoing, and the reporting interval can correspond to the reportInterval field in the foregoing, and the meanings thereof are consistent with the foregoing, and thus will not be described herein again.

[0169] As an example, with reference to the configuration information corresponding to the periodic reporting, the reporting information can include:

[0170] In the above fields, the "ReportonSCellOD-SSBactivationConfig" is used to indicate the configuration information of the OD-SSB activation trigger type report, the "rsType" corresponds to the reference signal information, and in the embodiments of the present application, the reference signal type indicated by the "rsType" is SSB. The "reportQuantityRS-Indexes" corresponds to the measurement quantity, the "maxNrofRS-IndexesToRepor" corresponds to the index quantity information, and the "includeBeamMeasurements" corresponds to the beam measurement information.

[0171] In combination with the fields in the first configuration information, in the implementation mode, the process of measuring the OD-SSB and reporting by the terminal device can be described as follows: in the "ReportConfigNR" field in the first configuration information, the field indicating the reporting type is "ReportonSCellOD-SSBactivation", which indicates that the SSB measurement report is configured as the OD-SSB activation trigger type report in the first configuration information. The network device sends second indication information to the terminal device to activate the OD-SSB, and the terminal device satisfies the trigger condition of the reporting type after receiving the second indication information. The terminal device adds a reporting entry in the measurement ID maintained internally, initializes the number of the first measurement report to 0, and starts the measurement reporting program.

[0172] The OD-SSB activation trigger type report is newly configured in the first configuration information, and in the case of receiving the second indication information, the SSB measurement report obtained by measuring the OD-SSB can be directly reported, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of measuring the OD-SSB and sending the SSB measurement report by the terminal device.

[0173] The trigger condition of the event trigger type report is composed of a series of predefined events, such as A1, A2 and the like. The trigger condition of these events is usually related to the parameter value obtained by measuring the signal, for example: the trigger condition of the A1 event is that the specified parameter value is greater than the trigger threshold value, and the trigger condition of the A2 event is that the specified parameter value is less than the trigger threshold value.

[0174] As a possible implementation mode, if the first configuration information indicates that the reporting type is the event trigger type report, the first event can be added in the configuration content corresponding to the reporting type in the first configuration information. Similar to the A1 event, the trigger condition of the first event is that the specified parameter value is greater than the trigger threshold value, and the trigger threshold value corresponding to the first event is lower than the trigger threshold value corresponding to the A1 event.

[0175] It can be understood that, since the trigger threshold corresponding to the first event is lower, when the terminal device measures the frequency point of the OD-SSB sent on the SCell according to the above first configuration information, the measurement standard can be reduced, so that the first measurement report is obtained faster, which is beneficial to the efficiency of the terminal device measuring the OD-SSB and sending the SSB measurement report.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the terminal device considers using the first event only when measuring the OD-SSB sent on the SCell. If the SSB on other cells is measured, the existing A1, A2, and the like events can be used for measurement.

[0177] In the above embodiments, a single RAN node is described as the network device. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is further described below with the ORAN or CU-DU separated architecture as the network device.

[0178] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the communication method takes the CU-DU separated architecture as an example. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication method can include S801-S812.

[0179] S801, the DU sends the configuration information of the SCell and the configuration information of the SSB to the CU. Correspondingly, the CU receives the configuration information of the SCell and the configuration information of the SSB from the DU.

[0180] It should be noted that the DU can determine that the state of the SCell is the state of sending the OD-SSB, and the DU carries the first configuration information in the configuration information of the SCell when configuring the configuration information of the SCell. The DU can also determine the configuration information of the OD-SSB sent on the SCell, which can include the frequency point information of the OD-SSB, the bit map of the OD-SSB, and the transmission event of the OD-SSB, and the like.

[0181] In this step, the DU sends the configuration information of the SCell and the configuration information of the SSB to the CU after determining the above information.

[0182] S802, the CU sends a first message to the DU, wherein the first message includes the configuration information of the SCell. Correspondingly, the DU receives the first message from the CU.

[0183] S803, the DU sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device, and the RRC reconfiguration message is used to configure the SCell. The first configuration information is included in the RRC reconfiguration message. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the PCell.

[0184] S804, the terminal device sends request information to the DU, the request information being used for requesting to send the OD-SSB on the SCell. Correspondingly, the DU receives the request information from the terminal device.

[0185] S805, the DU determines whether to send the OD-SSB on the SCell. S806, the DU sends second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information being used for indicating that the DU starts to send the OD-SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication information from the PCell.

[0186] Optionally, after sending the second indication information to the terminal device, the DU can send fourth indication information to the CU, the fourth indication information being used for indicating to the CU that the DU has started to send the OD-SSB. Correspondingly, after receiving the fourth indication information, the CU can know that the UE will start to measure the OD-SSB.

[0187] S807, the DU sends a first SSB to the terminal device, the first SSB being an on-demand sent SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB.

[0188] S808, the terminal device measures the first SSB and obtains a first measurement report.

[0189] The above steps S803-S808 correspond to steps S701-S706 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 respectively.

[0190] It should be noted that, under the CU-DU separation architecture, the PCell and the SCell are managed by the same DU, and therefore in the above steps, the communication interaction between the terminal device and the PCell or the SCell can be unified as the communication interaction between the terminal device and the DU.

[0191] For example, in step S701 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device through the PCell, which corresponds to that in step S803, the DU can send an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device. In step S705 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the SCell sends a first SSB to the terminal device, which corresponds to that in step S807, the DU sends a first SSB to the terminal device.

[0192] S809, the terminal device sends the first measurement report to the CU.

[0193] This step corresponds to step S707 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0194] It should be noted that the CU is mainly responsible for processing the non-real-time wireless high-layer protocol stack function, and the DU is mainly responsible for processing the physical layer function and the layer 2 function with real-time requirement, and therefore in this step, the terminal device sends the first measurement report to the CU.

[0195] S810, the CU sends third indication information to the DU, the third indication information being used to indicate that the received first measurement report satisfies a preset condition. Accordingly, the DU receives the third indication information from the CU.

[0196] Wherein, after receiving the first measurement report, the CU can determine whether the received first measurement report satisfies the preset condition according to the content indicated by the first measurement report. In the case that the CU determines that the terminal device has completed the full utilization of the first SSB, the CU can determine that the received first measurement report satisfies the preset condition.

[0197] Accordingly, in this step, the CU sends the third indication information to the DU, and indicates through the third indication information that the received first measurement report satisfies the preset condition.

[0198] S811, the DU sends first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the DU stops sending the first SSB. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the DU.

[0199] This step corresponds to step S708 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0200] It can be understood that the third indication information in step S810 is equivalent to the trigger condition of step S811. The DU determines that the received first measurement report satisfies the preset condition according to the third indication information, and the demand for sending SSB disappears. The DU stops sending the first SSB to the terminal device at the same time of sending the first indication information.

[0201] S812, in the case that the number of the sent first measurement reports is less than a preset number, the terminal device stops sending SSB measurement reports to the DU.

[0202] This step corresponds to step S709 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. It can be understood that in this step, the terminal device stops sending SSB measurement reports, which mainly reflects the execution action of the terminal device side. Compared with the case that a single RAN node is used as the network device, in the CU-DU separation architecture, the execution logic of this step is consistent with that of step S709, and the specific implementation manner can be referred to step S709. To avoid redundancy, this will not be described here.

[0203] It should be noted that the network device sends the SSB on demand on the SCell, which can save energy consumption on the SCell. Therefore, the SCell that sends the OD-SSB is equivalent to an energy-saving cell. In addition to sending the OD-SSB on the SCell, the period of the SSB can also be dynamically adjusted to achieve the purpose of energy saving.

[0204] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of dynamically adjusting the SSB transmission period. As shown in FIG. 9, after the SSB dynamic adjustment starts, the SSB transmission period is lengthened, and after the SSB dynamic adjustment ends, the SSB transmission period returns to the normal period value. During the dynamic adjustment process, the network device sends indication information to the terminal device to indicate the start of the SSB dynamic adjustment and the end of the SSB dynamic adjustment.

[0205] It can be understood that, during the SSB dynamic adjustment process, the number of SSBs transmitted in the same period is generally lower than the number of SSBs transmitted in the normal period, which can cause the number of SSB measurement reports obtained by the terminal device to be lower than the number of measurement reports configured in the reporting configuration information for the terminal device to report, and also can cause communication errors. The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is also applicable to the above scenario of dynamically adjusting the SSB period.

[0206] FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of the structure of a possible communication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the terminal device or the network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of implementing part or all of the functions of the terminal device or the network device.

[0207] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 includes a processing module 1010 and a transceiver module 1020.

[0208] The transceiver module 1020 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the transceiver module 1020 can also be referred to as an input / output interface or a communication unit. The processing module 1010 can be used to perform processing operations. It should be understood that if the apparatus 1000 is a component (such as a chip) configured in a network device or a terminal device, the transceiver module 1020 can be an input / output interface.

[0209] Optionally, the transceiver module 1020 can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operations of the network device or the terminal device in the above FIGS. 6 to 8, and the receiving module is used to perform the receiving operations of the network device or the terminal device in the above FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0210] It should be noted that when the apparatus 1000 is a component configured in a network device or a terminal device, such as a chip, the sending module can be an output interface, and the sending operation involved in the embodiments of the present application can be performed by the output interface; the receiving module can be an input interface, and the receiving operation involved in the embodiments of the present application can be performed by the input interface.

[0211] Optionally, the apparatus 1000 can further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 1010 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the apparatus implements the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0212] In a possible design, the apparatus 1000 can be used to implement the functions of a terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, or the apparatus 1000 can include units for implementing any function or operation of a terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. The units can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0213] When the apparatus 1000 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the transceiver module 1020 (specifically, the receiving module) can be used to perform step S602 in FIG. 6, receiving first indication information from a network device, the first indication information being used to instruct the network device to stop sending a first SSB; the processing module 1010 can be used to perform step S603 in FIG. 6, stopping sending an SSB measurement report to a PCell in a case where the number of sent first measurement reports is less than a preset number; and the transceiver module 1020 (specifically, the sending module) can be used to perform step S601 in FIG. 6, sending a first measurement report to the network device, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, and the first SSB being an on-demand SSB.

[0214] In another possible design, the apparatus 1000 can be used to implement the functions of a network device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, or the apparatus 1000 can include units for implementing any function or operation of a network device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. The units can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0215] When the apparatus 1000 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the transceiver module 1020 (specifically, a sending module) can be configured to perform step S602 in FIG. 6, and send first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to instruct the network device to stop sending the first SSB; and the transceiver module 1020 (specifically, a receiving module) can be configured to perform step S601 in FIG. 6, and receive the first measurement report from the terminal device.

[0216] More detailed descriptions of the processing module 1010 and the transceiver module 1020 can be directly obtained by referring to the related descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, and will not be repeated here.

[0217] It should be noted that the transceiver module can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, or the like. The processing module can also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, or the like. Optionally, the transceiver module is configured to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation of the terminal device or the network device in the above method, and the devices in the communication module for implementing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving module, and the devices in the communication module for implementing the sending function can be regarded as a sending module, that is, the transceiver module includes the receiving module and the sending module.

[0218] In addition, in a possible design, the foregoing transceiver module and / or processing module can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing module can be implemented by a software function module or a virtual device, and the transceiver module can be implemented by a software function module or a virtual device. In another possible design, the processing module or the transceiver module can also be implemented by an entity device, for example, if the apparatus is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, and performs an input operation (corresponding to the foregoing receiving operation) and an output operation (corresponding to the foregoing sending operation); and the processing module is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0219] It should be understood that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module.

[0220] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by another embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 1100 shown in FIG. 11 can be configured to perform the method performed by the communication apparatus in any of the foregoing methods.

[0221] As shown in FIG. 10, the communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 and an interface circuit 1120. The processor 1110 and the interface circuit 1120 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1120 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1100 can further include a memory 1130 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1110 or storing input data required by the processor 1110 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1110 executes instructions.

[0222] In an implementation manner, the memory 1130 can also be integrated in the processor 1110 or independent of the processor 1110. The memory 1130 can include, but is not limited to, a cache, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the like. The memory is any medium capable of carrying or storing desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data.

[0223] When the communication apparatus 1100 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 6, the processor 1110 is configured to implement the functions of the processing module 1010 described above, and the interface circuit 1120 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver module 1020 described above. The processor 1130 can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessor units (MPUs), microcontroller units (MCUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence processors (AI processors), neural processing units (NPUs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0224] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the processor executes the computer instructions, each step in the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0225] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which includes computer instructions. When the processor executes the computer instructions, each step in the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0226] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which includes the terminal device and the network device described above.

[0227] It should be noted that the modules or components shown in the above embodiments can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, for example, one or more application specific integrated circuits, or one or more microprocessors, or one or more field programmable gate arrays, etc. For another example, when a certain module above is implemented in the form of invoking program code by a processing element, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit or other processor capable of invoking program code, such as a controller. For another example, these modules can be integrated together to implement in the form of SoC.

[0228] In the embodiments described above, all or some of the steps can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, all or some of the steps can be stored in or performed in relation to one or more computer program products and can be implemented as one or more computer programs. The computer program product can be a computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium (storage), which can be one or more of a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a digital versatile disc (DVD), a Blu-ray disc, a hard disk, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired computer program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The computer program product can be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer program code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. The computer program product can be executed by one or more computers.

[0229] Other embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein. It is intended that the present application cover any and all variations of the application that come within the scope of the claims and a concept of the application. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the application being indicated by the following claims.

[0230] It is to be understood that the application is not limited to the precise details of construction and the above-described embodiments and that various modifications and changes can be effected therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. The scope of the application should be determined by the terms of the following claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first measurement report, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, the first SSB being an SSB sent on demand; stopping sending SSB measurement reports in a case where first indication information is received and the number of the first measurement reports that have been sent is less than a preset number, the first indication information being used to instruct a network device to stop sending the first SSB.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information indicating the preset number.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the first measurement report is an event-triggered report, the first configuration information indicates that SSB measurement reports are stopped from being sent in a case where a leaving condition is met.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first configuration information comprises reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending the SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct a network device to start sending a first SSB.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The reporting information comprises at least one of the following information: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index quantity information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of reference signal measured, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the first measurement report, the index quantity information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the first measurement report comprises a beam measurement result.

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first measurement report, the first measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring a first SSB, the first SSB being an SSB sent on demand; not obtaining SSB measurement reports in a case where first indication information is sent and the number of the first measurement reports that have been received is less than a preset number, the first indication information being used to instruct a network device to stop sending the first SSB.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: sending first configuration information, the first configuration information indicating the preset number.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The sending of the first indication information comprises: sending the first indication information in a case where second indication information is received, the second indication information being used to indicate that the first measurement report that has been received meets a preset condition.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information comprising reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending an SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct a network device to start sending a first SSB, the first SSB being an SSB sent on demand; sending a second measurement report in a case where the second indication information is received, the second measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring the first SSB.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The reporting information includes at least one of the following: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index quantity information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of measured reference signal, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the second measurement report, the index quantity information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the second measurement report includes a beam measurement result.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method includes: sending second configuration information, the second configuration information including reporting information, the reporting information being used to indicate that a trigger condition for sending an SSB measurement report is receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the network device starts to send a first SSB, the first SSB being an on-demand SSB; in a case where the second indication information is sent, receiving a second measurement report, the second measurement report being an SSB measurement report obtained by measuring the first SSB.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The reporting information includes at least one of the following: reference signal information, reported measurement quantity, index quantity information, and beam measurement information, wherein the reference signal information is used to indicate a type of measured reference signal, the reported measurement quantity is used to indicate a measurement quantity reported in the second measurement report, the index quantity information is used to indicate a maximum value of a reference signal index, and the beam measurement information is used to indicate whether the second measurement report includes a beam measurement result.

13. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes a module for implementing the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or a module for implementing the communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, or a module for implementing the communication method according to claim 9 or 10, or a module for implementing the communication method according to claim 11 or 12.

14. A communications device, characterized by including: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions; the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 8, or performs the communication method according to claim 9 or 10, or performs the communication method according to claim 11 or 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are executed by the processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 8, or 9 or 10, or 11 or 12.

16. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 8, or 9 or 10, or 11 or 12.

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