Wireless communication method, and terminal device and network device

Abstract

A wireless communication method, and a terminal device and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving configuration information sent by a network device, wherein the configuration information comprises a plurality of SSB configurations used for transmitting SSBs. In this way, configuration information sent by a network device to a terminal device comprises a plurality of SSB configurations used for transmitting SSBs, so as to adapt to different SSB transmission requirements, thereby facilitating network energy saving while ensuring SSB requirements.

Description

Wireless communication methods, terminal devices, and network devices Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device. Background Technology

[0002] To support network energy saving (NES), on-demand transmission of synchronization signal block / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block, SSB) has been proposed. Therefore, how to effectively implement on-demand transmission of SSB has become a problem that needs to be solved.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device. The various aspects covered by this application are described below.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a terminal device receiving configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information including multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs.

[0006] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a network device sending configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information including multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs.

[0007] Thirdly, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for receiving configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information including multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs.

[0008] Fourthly, a network device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit for sending configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information including multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs.

[0009] Fifthly, a terminal device is provided, including a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the terminal device performs the method as described in the first aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, including a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to invoke the program in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or transmit signals so that the network device performs the method as described in the second aspect.

[0011] A seventh aspect provides an apparatus including a processor for calling a program from a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of the first or second aspects.

[0012] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling a program from memory to cause a device having the chip mounted to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0013] Ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a program stored thereon that causes a computer to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0014] A tenth aspect provides a computer program product, including a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0015] Eleventhly, a computer program is provided that causes a computer to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0016] In this embodiment of the application, the configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs, so as to adapt to different SSB transmission requirements, which is conducive to network energy saving while ensuring SSB requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 is a system architecture example diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an SSB burst.

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of different time periods during the activation process of the auxiliary cell.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a normal SSB cycle.

[0021] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the wireless communication method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of configuring different SSB cycles for different time periods during the activation process of the secondary cell.

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram when the SSB period is short.

[0024] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device requesting activation of SSB transmission via an uplink wake-up signal.

[0025] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the first time position at which SSB transmission begins.

[0026] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Wireless communication system

[0031] Figure 1 is an example diagram of the system architecture of a wireless communication system 100 to which embodiments of this application can be applied. The wireless communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The network device 110 may be a device that communicates with the terminal device 120. The network device 110 can provide network coverage for a specific geographical area and can communicate with the terminal device 120 located within that coverage area. The terminal device 120 can access a network, such as a wireless network, through the network device 110. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may also include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity; this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0032] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) systems, new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, etc.

[0033] In this application embodiment, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user apparatus. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle equipment, etc. Terminal devices can also be mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, and smart homes. Optionally, terminal devices can act as base stations. For example, a terminal device can act as a dispatching entity, providing sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device-to-device (D2D) systems. For instance, cellular phones and cars communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cellular phones and smart home devices communicate without relaying communication signals through base stations.

[0034] In this embodiment, the network device can be a device used to communicate with a terminal device. The network device can be an access network device or a wireless access network device. For example, the network device can be a base station. The term "base station" can broadly encompass various names as follows, or can be replaced by names such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station (MeNB), secondary station (SeNB), multi-mode radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar entity, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, or an entity that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or an entity that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0035] Furthermore, base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0036] In some deployments, a network device can refer to either a CU or a DU; or, a network device may include both a CU and a DU. A gNB may also include an AAU.

[0037] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0038] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform such as a cloud platform.

[0039] Carrier aggregation (CA)

[0040] To meet the peak data rates of individual terminal devices and increase system capacity, CA (Capacity Assist) technology can be used to increase the system's transmission bandwidth. Utilizing existing network spectrum, CA technology enables operators to provide higher data rates for both uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) links, thereby improving network performance and ensuring a high-quality user experience.

[0041] In 4G LTE, 2-5 LTE component carriers (CCs) can be aggregated to achieve higher transmission bandwidth, such as a maximum of 100MHz, thereby effectively improving uplink and downlink transmission rates. For example, as shown in Figure 2, five 20MHz carriers can be aggregated to form a 100MHz transmission bandwidth. Terminal devices can determine the maximum number of carriers they can utilize simultaneously for uplink and downlink transmission based on their capabilities.

[0042] 5G New Radio (NR) is rooted in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi standards. It is a completely new radio frequency interface and radio frequency access network that utilizes the best technologies and methods in the LTE system to meet the new requirements put forward by various standardization organizations. CA (Carrier Array) technology has made significant contributions to improving user data throughput in LTE systems and will play an equally important role in 5G systems. To increase capacity, operators worldwide are actively adding CA bands and functions.

[0043] Since the introduction of Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology in the 4G LTE-Advanced protocol, the initial aggregation involved 5 carriers, each with a bandwidth of 20MHz, resulting in a total bandwidth of 100MHz. This was later extended to aggregation of 32 carriers, achieving a total bandwidth of 640MHz. With advancements in communication technology, the number of carriers that can be aggregated in 5G systems has gradually increased to 16, with each carrier having a larger bandwidth. In Sub-6GHz systems, the maximum bandwidth of a single carrier reaches 100MHz, allowing 16 carriers to aggregate to form a bandwidth of 1.6GHz. In the millimeter-wave band, the maximum bandwidth of a single carrier reaches 400MHz, allowing 16 carriers to aggregate to form a bandwidth of 6.4GHz.

[0044] As mentioned earlier, when multiple carriers are aggregated together, they need to coordinate with each other. Therefore, these carriers are divided into primary carriers and secondary carriers. The primary carrier is used to carry signaling and manage other carriers; it can also be called the primary cell (PCell). Secondary carriers are used to extend bandwidth and enhance data rate; their addition and removal are determined by the primary carrier, and they can also be called secondary cells (SCells). The primary and secondary carriers are relative to the terminal device; different terminal devices may use different primary and secondary carriers. Furthermore, the multiple carriers participating in aggregation are not limited to the same base station; for example, these carriers can come from adjacent base stations.

[0045] SSB

[0046] In an NR system, each SSB is used for initial access and synchronization. An SSB consists of three parts: primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). As an example, as shown in Figure 4, the SSB structure occupies 4 OFDM symbols in the time domain and 240 subcarriers, or 20 physical resource blocks (PRBs), in the frequency domain, numbered from 0 to 239.

[0047] SSBs are transmitted via beam scanning. Within a cell, multiple SSBs are typically transmitted to complete a beam scan, ensuring SSB coverage of the entire cell's service area. The SSBs required to complete a beam scan can form an SSB burst, or SSB burst set. The transmission configuration of an SSB burst in time, frequency, or spatial domain can usually be described by its pattern. As an example, Figure 2 shows the SSB beam scan and the temporal distribution of an SSB burst. Figure 2(a) shows the spatial beam for transmitting each SSB, and Figure 2(b) shows the temporal location for transmitting each SSB. The pattern of an SSB burst may differ under different frequency bands and configurations. For example, in different frequency bands, an SSB burst may include up to 4, 8, or 64 SSBs, with different SSB indices. Figure 2 uses an SSB burst containing 8 SSB indices, SSB 0 to SSB 7, as an example.

[0048] Terminal devices can obtain synchronization and perform radio resource management (RRM) measurements through the SSB transmitted by the primary cell. To save time and frequency resources and network power consumption, SSB transmission may not be necessary in secondary cells. However, with the widespread application of services in CA scenarios, measurements, T / F synchronization, secondary cell activation, and multiple processes on the secondary cell all require SSB, so secondary cells may also transmit SSB.

[0049] Because transmitting SSBs by terminal devices consumes a lot of energy, for energy-saving purposes, SSBs should not be transmitted continuously in secondary cells, but rather on demand. In other words, network devices can be configured to transmit SSBs for short periods, meaning that SSB transmission on the secondary cell only occurs for a short time, for example, determined by the needs of the terminal devices. Such an SSB can be called an on-demand SSB (OD SSB), and such a secondary cell can be called an SSB-free secondary cell. In some implementations, an SSB-free secondary cell can be defined, for example, as a secondary cell that does not provide SSB-related parameters and does not provide SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration. SSB-related parameters include, for example, the absolute frequency SSB in the FrequencyInfoDL IE, ssb-PositionsInBurst in the ServingCellConfigCommon IE, the SSB periodicity serving cell, and the subcarrier spacing.

[0050] On-demand SSBs can be configured based on the serving cell (e.g., secondary cell) or the bandwidth part (BWP). To support on-demand SSBs, terminal devices may expect SSB transmissions in at least the following SSB transmission scenarios.

[0051] Example 1 (case 1): SSB transmission on demand, that is, SSB transmission is not always enabled, which can include the following scenarios:

[0052] SSB transmission scenario 2: Before the terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling (or secondary cell activation command), for example, as shown in Figure 3, scenario 2 includes the time period from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling;

[0053] SSB transmission scenario 2A: The terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling;

[0054] SSB transmission scenario 3A: After the terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling;

[0055] SSB transmission scenario 3B: After the secondary cell is activated.

[0056] Example 2 (case 2): Always enable SSB transmission, which can include the following scenarios:

[0057] SSB transmission scenario 3A: After the terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling.

[0058] For a detailed description of the above scenarios, please refer to Table 1.

[0059] Table 1

[0060] As an example, as shown in Figure 3, there are four scenarios. Scenario 2 includes the time period from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling; Scenario 2A is the moment when the terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling, that is, the moment when the secondary cell is activated; Scenario 3A is the time period from when the terminal device receives the secondary cell activation signaling to when the secondary cell activation is completed, that is, the entire activation duration of the secondary cell; Scenario 3B is after the secondary cell activation is completed.

[0061] In frequency range (FR) 2, as shown in Figure 4, each terminal device's receive (Rx) beam requires approximately four rounds of SSB burst transmission, with two rounds for AGC stabilization, one round for synchronization, and one round for L1 measurement. Assuming a typical FR2 terminal device is equipped with eight receive beams, secondary cell activation requires approximately 32 SSB bursts. With an SSB burst period of 20ms, this results in an activation delay of 640ms. Therefore, such a large delay forces network devices to remain active for an extended period, preventing them from transmitting data quickly enough and forcing them into a deeper sleep mode.

[0062] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a wireless communication method in which the configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs to suit different SSB transmission requirements, thereby ensuring SSB requirements while facilitating network energy saving.

[0063] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5.

[0064] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 500 shown in Figure 5 can be executed by a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device is, for example, the terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1, and the network device is, for example, the network device 110 shown in Figure 1.

[0065] Referring to Figure 5, in step 510, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device.

[0066] Accordingly, in step 520, the terminal device receives configuration information sent by the network device.

[0067] The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting SSBs. This configuration information can be carried, for example, in the configuration information of the secondary cell; or, it can be carried in the secondary cell activation signaling, for example, in media access control (MAC) signaling; or, the configuration information can be sent to the terminal device independently of the above information, for example, carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, MAC signaling (e.g., MAC CE), multicast signaling, or broadcast signaling independent of the above information transmission, where the multicast signaling and broadcast signaling can be, for example, higher-layer signaling.

[0068] Network devices can provide terminal devices with two or more SSB configurations (i.e., candidate SSB configurations) and indicate the target SSB configuration for the terminal device to receive the SSB through methods such as dynamic signaling. The terminal device can receive the SSB based on the target SSB configuration. The network device can indicate different SSB configurations as the target SSB configuration to the terminal device at different times, or the terminal device can use different SSB configurations to receive the SSB at different times based on an agreement. Different SSB configurations can be designed for terminal devices with different needs (e.g., measurement needs, mobility needs, traffic needs, etc.).

[0069] The SSB described in this application embodiment can be referred to as an on-demand SSB. This SSB can be, for example, a secondary cell SSB. The following describes in detail the content of the SSB configuration, the activation of the SSB configuration, the activation of SSB transmission, and the timing of SSB transmission. Specifically, the activation of the SSB configuration refers to activating the target SSB configuration that the terminal device needs to use among multiple SSB configurations. The activation of SSB transmission refers to activating the transmission of the SSB. After the transmission of the SSB is activated, the terminal device needs to receive the SSB sent by the network device based on the activated target SSB configuration when the SSB transmission is activated. The receiving of the SSB described in this application embodiment can also be considered as SSB monitoring, SSB measurement, SSB detection, etc.

[0070] SSB configuration content

[0071] In some implementations, the multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of multiple cycles for transmitting the SSB. These multiple cycles are associated with one or more of the following: the multiple cycles are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal equipment; the multiple cycles are associated with SSB bursts; and the multiple cycles are associated with beamforming. These are described below.

[0072] The multiple cycles of the SSB are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device.

[0073] Typically, the secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which may include one or more of the following: the first time period, from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling, i.e., the time period corresponding to scenario 2 in Figure 3; the second time period, from receiving the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of secondary cell activation, i.e., the time period corresponding to scenario 3A in Figure 3; and the third time period, after the completion of secondary cell activation, i.e., the time period corresponding to scenario 3B in Figure 3.

[0074] To accelerate secondary cell activation, SSB configurations with shorter cycles (or dense mode) and longer cycles (or sparse mode) can be designed. Different SSB configurations can be used to achieve different functions, thereby achieving greater scheduling flexibility, better terminal experience, and greater network energy saving gains. In this embodiment, different SSB configurations, such as different cycles, can be used for different time periods of the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device.

[0075] As an example, these multiple cycles include a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle. The first cycle is used to transmit the SSB during the first time period described above, the second cycle is used to transmit the SSB during the second time period described above, and the third cycle is used to transmit the SSB during the third time period described above. The lengths of the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle can be the same, partially different, or all different. For example, the length of the first cycle can be greater than the length of the second cycle, and the length of the third cycle can be between the lengths of the first and second cycles. Another example is that the length of the first cycle is greater than the lengths of both the second and third cycles. In other words, different SSB cycles are configured for different time periods of the secondary cell activation process. As an example, as shown in Figure 6, the first time period is from when the terminal device receives the secondary cell configuration information to when it receives the secondary cell activation signaling. The SSB is used for L3 measurement to assess the appropriate secondary cell for the terminal device to activate, while also providing more sleep opportunities for the secondary cell. Therefore, a longer cycle, i.e., the first cycle (e.g., 160ms), can be used. During the second time period, i.e., the activation duration of the secondary cell, the network device instructs the terminal device to use a shorter cycle, i.e., the second cycle (e.g., 5ms or less), to accelerate the activation of the secondary cell. In the third time period, after the secondary cell is activated, the network equipment instructs the terminal equipment to receive SSB based on the normal cycle, i.e., the third cycle (e.g., 20ms), in order to achieve a trade-off between reliable beam management and network energy saving.

[0076] During secondary cell configuration and / or activation, the SSB transmission period can switch between three different periods depending on the network status and the cell activation time. Assume multiple SSB configurations include SSB configuration #1, SSB configuration #2, and SSB configuration #3. SSB configuration #1 corresponds to the first period, SSB configuration #2 corresponds to the second period, and SSB configuration #3 corresponds to the third period, with the order being first period > second period > third period. The three periods may or may not have an integer multiple relationship. The following describes the possible relationships between the first, second, and third periods. Here, the length of the first period is denoted as T1, the length of the second period as T2, and the length of the third period as T3.

[0077] Relationship 1: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2, where n1 and n2 are positive integers.

[0078] T1 can be an integer multiple of T3, ensuring effective alignment between long-period SSBs and short-period SSBs when the secondary cell enters energy-saving mode. T1 can also be an integer multiple of T2, allowing network devices to determine whether to enter a secondary cell activation period based on shorter-period SSBs during the measurement period before secondary cell activation, based on L3 measurement results. Therefore, before secondary cell activation, network devices transmit SSBs based on long-period T1. Since the SSB transmission frequency is low at this time, it is suitable for evaluating appropriate cells for terminal devices to activate, while reducing the signal transmission frequency of the secondary cell, which is beneficial for network energy saving. During secondary cell activation, when the network device detects that the terminal device's L3 measurement is complete and there is an activation requirement, the network device switches to short-period T2 to accelerate the secondary cell activation process. At this time, the SSB transmission frequency is very fast, suitable for rapid secondary cell activation and communication recovery. After secondary cell activation, once activation is complete, the network device can switch from T2 to T3 to maintain beam management and network stability. At this time, the SSB period is moderate, maintaining reliable beam management while saving energy consumption caused by frequent signal transmission.

[0079] Relationship 2: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2, where α1, α2, β1 and β2 are preset values.

[0080] α1 and α2 can be considered as scaling factors, while β1 and β2 can be considered as time offsets, representing the imperfect synchronization between cycles. For example, T1 is longer than T3, but the relationship between them is not an integer multiple, determined by α1 and β1. T2 is shorter, suitable for rapid responses to secondary cell activation, but T2 also has an asynchrony offset with T3, namely β2.

[0081] Multiple cycles of SSB are associated with SSB bursts.

[0082] Multiple SSB cycles are associated with SSB bursts, meaning that the transmission period for an SSB burst varies at different times. These different times could be times with varying network load and / or times with varying quality of service (QoS). For example, the transmission period of an SSB burst might be reduced when network load is high and increased when network load is low; conversely, the transmission period of an SSB burst might be reduced when the QoS requirements of the service are high and increased when the QoS requirements are low.

[0083] Taking the first and third time periods mentioned above as examples, the SSB period in the third time period is the third period, and the value of the third period can be various, for example, in addition to the 20ms mentioned above, it may be shorter (such as 2ms, 5ms, etc.). Similarly, the SSB period in the first time period is the first period, and the value of the first period can also be various. For example, when the network load is high, the length of the third period is reduced, and when the network load is low, the length of the first period and / or the third period is increased; or, for example, when the QoS requirements of the service are high, the length of the third period is reduced, and when the QoS requirements of the service are not high, the length of the first period and / or the third period is increased.

[0084] Based on the above description, this embodiment provides a more flexible SSB configuration, offering diverse services throughout the secondary cell's lifecycle and activating the corresponding SSB configuration for the terminal device when it needs to perform a certain function. During the secondary cell configuration and / or activation process, multiple SSB configurations (i.e., candidate SSB configurations) can be provided to the terminal device via, for example, RRC signaling, and an SSB configuration (i.e., the target SSB configuration) can be dynamically activated in the primary cell via L1 / Layer 2 (L2) signaling. For example, as shown in Figure 7, if intensive SSB transmission is required (e.g., an SSB period of 2ms), the activation delay of the secondary cell can be reduced by hundreds of milliseconds. The saved time helps the secondary cell enter a deeper sleep mode after data transmission is completed. Under the same settings, this delay can be reduced from 640ms in Figure 4 to 64ms in Figure 7, allowing the network device to enter a sleep state earlier after data transmission is completed. Besides maintaining the energy-saving gains of the network device, this also benefits the transmission rate of the terminal device.

[0085] Here, a period of less than 5ms can be considered beneficial for accelerating secondary cell activation. Typically, SSB burst transmissions are limited to half a frame (5ms), with an actual transmission window of less than 5ms. By defining a smaller period (e.g., less than 5ms), not only is network energy saved, but the power required for terminal devices to activate secondary cells is also reduced. Furthermore, smaller period SSB transmissions may not be suitable for primary cells or idle terminal devices, as terminal devices need to frequently detect potential SSBs for initial access. Therefore, the multiple SSB configurations described in this application can be targeted at secondary cells.

[0086] SSB-PositionsInBurst, as an RRC parameter, provides finer time-domain information for traditionally periodically transmitted SSBs by selecting candidate beams in a predefined pattern using a bitmap. Embodiments of this application can reuse this parameter to indicate the SSB position within an SSB burst, reducing implementation complexity. However, for on-demand SSBs, especially for secondary cells, efficiency may be lower because, compared to blind SSB search in the primary cell, terminal devices in secondary cells are prepared to process SSBs within a short timeframe, maximizing efficiency by allowing network devices to indicate the available SSB positions for terminal devices within an SSB burst. Although the SSB period and SSB position within an SSB burst (i.e., SSB-PositionsInBurst) are part of existing RRC signaling, for on-demand SSB transmission, especially for secondary cells, SSB transmission is not fixed-periodic but occurs on demand based on network load, terminal device requests, signal quality, and other conditions. Directly reusing these parameters may be inefficient.

[0087] Therefore, the relevant parameters can be optimized in this embodiment. The period described above can be, for example, the transmission period of an SSB burst. In this embodiment, the time interval between SSBs corresponding to different SSB indices within the SSB burst can also be flexibly designed. In one implementation, multiple SSB configurations include configurations of various time intervals between adjacent SSB indices within the SSB burst. Optionally, the position of the SSB index within the SSB burst can be determined based on the following formula: ti = t0 + i * Δt; where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval. Different values ​​of Δt result in different time intervals between adjacent SSB indices within the SSB burst, allowing the SSB transmission to flexibly switch between compact and sparse modes. It can be understood that the SSB index mentioned in this embodiment refers to the SSB represented by that SSB index within the SSB burst.

[0088] For example, a larger Δt results in a sparser distribution of SSB bursts, suitable for low-power scenarios; a smaller Δt results in a more compact distribution of SSB bursts, suitable for high-frequency task processing or scenarios requiring rapid network synchronization. This flexible temporal location control can improve network resource utilization and power efficiency. As an example, Δt can be dynamically adjusted based on network load. Network devices can set dynamic adjustment algorithms based on network load; for instance, when the load decreases by 10%, Δt is increased by 10ms; when the load increases by 10%, Δt is decreased by 10ms. Network devices can select the value of Δt based on network load and the requests from terminal devices. Therefore, if the load is low, a larger Δt is used appropriately; if the load is high or terminal devices have urgent service needs, a smaller Δt is used.

[0089] The above describes the scenario where multiple SSB configurations include configurations with different periods, and the scenario where multiple SSB configurations include configurations with multiple time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst. Furthermore, in other implementations, the SSB configurations described in this application embodiment may also include other content. In this case, the other content in the multiple SSB configurations provided by the network device to the terminal device may also differ. For example, one or more of the following information may differ in these multiple SSB configurations: the frequency corresponding to the SSB; the SSB position in the SSB burst; the SSB period; the SSB subcarrier spacing; the physical cell identifier of the SSB; the position of the SSB burst; the downlink transmit power of the SSB; the number of transmissions in the SSB burst; information associated with the transmission start time after SSB activation; and the index of the SSB configuration. The SSB frequency information can be used to determine the location of the frequency domain resources occupied by the SSB. For example, the frequency corresponding to the SSB may be FR2 or FR1, or the frequency corresponding to the SSB may be a certain bandwidth. The SSB position in the SSB burst refers to the content indicated by ssb-PositionsInBurst, used to locate the SSB in the SSB burst.

[0090] The multiple cycles of the SSB are associated with the beam.

[0091] The embodiments of this application can also optimize the SSB period at the beam level. For example, the period of the SSB burst in each beam direction can be adjusted according to the traffic demand in different beam directions. As an example, when the traffic in a certain direction is low, the SSB bursts can be distributed more sparsely to reduce unnecessary beam transmission. In this mode, the SSB bursts are distributed over a longer time interval, which can reduce the consumption of transmission resources and is suitable for low-load scenarios or scenarios where signal quality optimization is not urgent. In high-traffic beam directions, the SSB bursts can be distributed more compactly to ensure that the terminal device can quickly obtain synchronization information. For situations that require acceleration of specific tasks, such as high-priority signal transmission or frequent secondary cell activation, the distribution of SSB bursts is more compact in this mode, allowing the terminal device to quickly capture the SSB signal and react.

[0092] Suppose that the period corresponding to each beam is indicated by the MAC CE. The terminal device can process the SSB in the corresponding direction according to the period indicated by the MAC CE. Alternatively, for the beam of a specific secondary cell, a more granular time-domain indication can be provided by the DCI. Through the DCI, network devices can indicate the period used to transmit SSBs, especially when frequent secondary cell-related operations are required in a short period of time. Indicating the corresponding period through the DCI can achieve a faster response. The DCI may include, for example, an SSB position indication field, indicating the period of the SSB burst, or the position or gap of the next SSB transmission. Furthermore, the position of the SSB index in the SSB burst can be further defined by using RRC parameters (e.g., ssb-PositionsInBurst) through methods such as bitmaps, or the bitmap can be extended to associate it with different beams. For example, on one beam, the interval between adjacent indices in the SSB burst is small, and the distribution of the SSB index is in a compact pattern, while on another beam, the interval between adjacent indices in the SSB burst is large, and the distribution of the SSB index is in a sparse pattern. In addition, RRC parameters can also support different frequency domain resources and transmit power in SSB configuration.

[0093] In some implementations, the network device transmits a Service Shield (SSB) to the terminal device based on a target beam among multiple beams, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SSB transmitted by the network device based on the target beam among the multiple beams. These multiple beams are associated with multiple cycles used to transmit the SSB. Here, the target beam may include one or more beams. That is, the SSB can be transmitted towards a beam in a specific direction (e.g., the target beam).

[0094] In 5G NR, SSBs are typically broadcast in different beam directions to cover different areas of the cell. In this embodiment, the SSB can be a dynamic, event-driven SSB transmission mechanism, i.e., on-demand SSB. Unlike SSBs that are always based on periodic transmission, on-demand SSBs can selectively send SSBs to certain beams according to network requirements or terminal device requests, without needing to broadcast SSBs on multiple beams simultaneously as in related technologies.

[0095] Network devices can dynamically select a beam to transmit SSBs based on the needs, location, and signal quality of the terminal devices. This is typically based on the network device's analysis of uplink feedback information from the terminal devices (e.g., beam reports, channel quality indications (CQI)). When a terminal device is in a specific direction or area, the network device can send an SSB to that terminal device specifically for that location, without needing to send it in all beam directions.

[0096] In multi-carrier (CA) or multi-cell (cell merging) scenarios, terminal devices may need to activate specific secondary cells. In this case, network devices can transmit SSBs on the beam corresponding to the terminal device's direction to help the terminal device synchronize with the secondary cell. In certain scenarios, such as when a terminal device performs a connection resumption (RRC resume) or inter-cell handover (HO), network devices can selectively transmit SSBs to the terminal device on one or more beams based on the terminal device's location information to help the terminal device achieve rapid synchronization. Network devices can explicitly instruct the terminal device to focus on SSBs transmitted on one or more specific beams and transmit SSB bursts in the direction of that beam.

[0097] The periods used for transmitting SSBs can be different on beams in different directions. In other words, different SSB periods can be set for beams in different directions. As an example, taking beams A, B, and C as examples, beam A may need to cover areas with high traffic, so the SSB period can be shorter (e.g., 20ms); beam B covers areas with low traffic, so the SSB period can be longer (e.g., 100ms); beam C is used to serve areas with temporary hotspots, and may only send SSBs when user demand is detected (e.g., the period can be dynamically adjusted). For example, SSB transmission can be triggered based on specific events, such as detecting a new terminal device accessing the network or a change in network conditions.

[0098] In this way, beams in different directions can flexibly adjust the transmission period of SSBs according to user density, quality of service requirements, or other network factors, thereby reducing signal redundancy and improving resource efficiency. The SSB transmission period of each beam can be configured on the network side via RRC signaling and scheduled accordingly on the terminal equipment side.

[0099] The aforementioned multiple SSB configurations can include configurations for multiple beams. Each beam configuration can include, for example, one or more of the following: beam identifier; SSB period; and a field for adjusting the SSB period. The beam identifier identifies the beam; the SSB period is the SSB period set for the corresponding beam (e.g., 20ms, 40ms, 100ms); the field for adjusting the SSB period is optional and is set for situations where the period corresponding to each beam can be dynamically adjusted. For example, network devices can dynamically change the periods of different beams when network load changes. As an example, during low-traffic periods, the SSB period of all beams can be lengthened to save resources. Similarly, in high-traffic areas in cities, network devices may need to transmit SSBs more frequently to ensure timely synchronization for newly connected users. In suburban or low-traffic areas, network devices can use longer periods to reduce the SSB transmission frequency, thereby saving network resources. In temporary high-density hotspot scenarios such as stadiums or concerts, some beams of network devices may need to dynamically adjust their corresponding SSB periods.

[0100] Activation of SSB configuration

[0101] In some implementations, the network device can send first information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information sent by the network device. The first information is used to activate a target SSB configuration among multiple SSB configurations.

[0102] The first piece of information can be carried, for example, in downlink control information (DCI) or media access control element (MAC CE). Alternatively, the first piece of information can also be carried in other specific signaling.

[0103] For secondary cells supporting on-demand SSB transmission, multiple SSB configurations can be provided, for example, through RRC signaling. These multiple SSB configurations have different indices, such as SSB configuration #0, SSB configuration #1, SSB configuration #2, etc. If multiple SSB configurations (i.e., candidate SSB configurations) are provided to the terminal device, the target SSB configuration to be used needs to be indicated to the terminal device via first information, for example, carried in MAC CE or DCI. To achieve the above process, the terminal device needs to support the following transmissions:

[0104] It supports RRC-based transmissions and can be used to carry multiple SSB configurations or to indicate the index of the target SSB configuration used for SSB transmissions on secondary cells.

[0105] Supports MAC CE-based transmissions and can be used to indicate the index of the target SSB configuration used for SSB transmissions on secondary cells, for example, to indicate the target SSB configuration used for SSB transmissions in Scenario #2 and Scenario #2A; and,

[0106] Supports DCI-based transmission and can be used to indicate the index of the target SSB configuration used for SSB transmission on the secondary cell. The DCI may, for example, not provide an indication of activation / deactivation of the secondary cell, and may be a terminal device-specific DCI or a group-general DCI for a group of terminal devices including the terminal device.

[0107] Multiple SSB configurations are designed to reduce the periodic broadcasting of SSBs, transmitting them only when needed. The DCI (Distributed Control Interface) indicates which SSB configuration needs to be activated. The DCI can indicate a terminal device-specific or group-wide target SSB configuration. The DCI format includes control information for downlink or uplink resource allocation and can be sent to the terminal device via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Depending on the application, the DCI has different formats; for example, DCI format 1_0 is used for downlink scheduling, and DCI format 0_1 ​​is used for uplink scheduling. The DCI carrying the initial information can be a terminal device-specific DCI, identified by a temporary wireless network identifier (RNTI). Each terminal device has a unique cell RNTI (C-RNTI); therefore, when a network device sends a DCI with a C-RNTI, only that terminal device can recognize and decode the control information. The DCI includes index information of the target SSB configuration in multiple SSB configurations, such as SSB configuration #0, SSB configuration #1, SSB configuration #2, etc., thereby activating the target SSB configuration. The terminal device receives this DCI and decodes and processes the SSB based on the target SSB configuration index information carried in the DCI. Alternatively, a group-wide DCI can be used, sending the first information using a specific group RNTI (e.g., P-RNTI, SI-RNTI, RA-RNTI, etc.). Multiple terminal devices within a group can receive and decode this DCI. The network device configures the same SSB parameters for the terminal devices in this group. When SSB transmission is required, the network device sends a DCI including the group RNTI. The terminal devices within the group receive the SSB according to the target SSB configuration index specified in the DCI. After receiving the DCI, the terminal devices in the group decode and process the SSB based on the SSB configuration index information in the DCI. In the DCI, the target SSB configuration index is represented, for example, in a specific field.

[0108] SSB can be used for L3 measurements of terminal equipment. When measurement requirements exist, the method for receiving SSB can be determined based on RRC signaling and MAC CE. For example, RRC signaling indicates multiple SSB configurations and / or MAC CE indicates the index of the target SSB configuration. Here, for secondary cells supporting on-demand SSB, the RRC signaling carrying multiple SSB configurations can be RRC signaling for configuring the secondary cell, that is, configuring the secondary cell is the same as sending multiple SSB configurations related to the SSB; or, multiple SSB configurations can be carried in signaling for activating the secondary cell, that is, multiple SSB configurations related to the SSB are sent when activating the secondary cell. A preferred approach is to provide multiple SSB configurations via RRC signaling, indicate the target SSB configuration for receiving the SSB among the multiple SSB configurations via MAC CE, and activate the SSB transmission via MAC CE or DCI, wherein the activation of SSB transmission will be described later.

[0109] When transmitting an SSB burst, the network device indicates the index of the target SSB configuration used through first information (e.g., carried in DCI or MAC CE) so that the terminal device can determine the time position of the next SSB burst and prepare to receive the SSB at that time position. Optionally, the period used for transmitting the SSB in the SSB configuration activated by DCI can be shorter than the period used for transmitting the SSB in the SSB configuration activated by MAC CE. In other words, a longer SSB period is activated by DCI, and a shorter period is activated by MAC CE. Specifically, if indicated by DCI, the DCI can include a field indicating the index of the target SSB configuration used in the current SSB burst. Since DCI has a faster response time, when the target SSB configuration includes a shorter SSB period, it can be indicated by DCI so that the terminal device can switch to the shorter SSB period as quickly as possible. For example, after receiving secondary cell activation signaling, the terminal device can quickly use a shorter SSB period to complete the activation of the secondary cell; accordingly. When the target SSB configuration includes a long SSB period, it can be indicated via MAC CE. Since DCI and MAC CE can be targeted to specific terminal devices, the terminal device only needs to perform corresponding SSB detection based on the target SSB configuration indicated by the network device and selectively decode it, eliminating the need for blind detection of all possible SSB locations. This reduces power consumption, and by flexibly adjusting the SSB configuration used during SSB burst transmission, it can adapt to different task requirements, such as energy-saving tasks or fast SSB detection tasks.

[0110] In some implementations, the MAC CE carrying the primary information may include one or more of the following fields:

[0111] A field used to carry the index of the target SSB, which indicates the index of the target SSB configuration that needs to be activated (e.g., SSB configuration #0, SSB configuration #1, SSB configuration #2), so that the terminal device knows which SSB configuration among multiple SSB configurations needs to receive the SSB.

[0112] A field used to indicate the timing of SSB transmission. This field indicates the actual transmission of the SSB (e.g., the symbol, time slot number, frame number, etc. of the SSB) to ensure that the terminal device can listen for the SSB in the correct time period.

[0113] A field used to indicate the duration of an SSB transmission, which indicates how long the SSB transmission needs to last so that the terminal device knows how long to listen for the SSB. The unit of the SSB duration can be, for example, a symbol, a time slot, or a subframe.

[0114] As an example, in the format of the MAC CE used to carry the initial information, the field for carrying the index of the target SSB can include 4 bits, with possible values ​​from 0 to 15, representing different SSB configurations sent to the terminal device, for example, during the RRC configuration phase. The field indicating the timing of SSB transmission can include 6 bits, for example, representing the offset of the SSB transmission position relative to a certain position (in units such as symbols, time slots, or subframes). A 6-bit field can represent 64 time units, providing sufficiently fine-grained indication of SSB transmission timing. The field indicating the duration of the SSB includes 4 bits, which can represent 16 durations, such as 0 to 15 symbols, time slots, or subframes. Furthermore, the MAC CE can also include an N-bit reserved field to facilitate future expansion and compatibility, such as reserving N bits for subsequent standardization or other functions.

[0115] In 5G NR, secondary cell activation / deactivation can be achieved through MAC CE. Typically, the MAC CE used for activating / deactivating a secondary cell includes 1 bit to indicate whether a secondary cell is active. For example, a bit of 1 indicates secondary cell activation, and a bit of 0 indicates secondary cell deactivation. Since MAC CE is transmitted based on MAC layer PDUs and does not rely on higher-layer RRC signaling, it is more suitable for scenarios requiring rapid response. To support on-demand SSB transmission, especially for scenarios prior to secondary cell activation (e.g., the first time period mentioned above), a new MAC CE needs to be designed to indicate the target SSB configuration that needs to be activated among multiple SSB configurations.

[0116] In some implementations, the MAC CE used to carry the first information is encoded in the same way as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell. This ensures consistency between the MAC CE used to carry the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell, facilitating flexible parsing by the MAC layer of the terminal device. If the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is indicated by one bit per secondary cell, then the MAC CE used to carry the first information can have additional bit fields added to indicate details related to SSB transmission.

[0117] In scenario #2A, the network can simultaneously send a MAC CE for carrying primary information and a MAC CE for secondary cell activation / deactivation. In this case, the network needs to coordinate MAC layer signaling processing to ensure there are no conflicts between the two MAC CEs.

[0118] In some implementations, the MAC CE carrying the initial information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried on the same MAC PDU or on different MAC PDUs. When the MAC CE carrying the initial information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried on the same MAC PDU, this parallel transmission ensures that the target SSB configuration can be triggered as needed while the secondary cell is being activated. MAC PDUs typically have a "Type" field to identify different MAC CE types. For the newly introduced MAC CE used to indicate the target SSB configuration, a new Type value can be defined to identify that the MAC CE is associated with the SSB. Alternatively, when simultaneously sending the MAC CE for secondary cell activation / deactivation and the MAC CE carrying the initial information, different priorities can be assigned to the two MAC CEs. For example, in some implementations, the priority of the MAC CE for activating the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the initial information, because the SSB transmission can only take effect after the secondary cell is activated.

[0119] As an example, the secondary cell of the terminal device can be activated first using a MAC CE used to indicate the activation / deactivation of the secondary cell. Then, the target SSB configuration is indicated by the first information carried in the MAC CE, thereby triggering SSB transmission. This ensures that SSB transmission can be correctly processed when the secondary cell is active. The structure of the MAC PDU allows multiple MAC CEs to be packaged and parsed sequentially. Network devices can schedule MAC PDUs via PDCCH, which include two MAC CEs: the first MAC CE is used to activate a secondary cell; the second MAC CE is used to indicate the target SSB configuration, thereby triggering SSB transmission. The terminal device receives and parses the MAC PDU, first activating the secondary cell according to the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell, and then listening to the specified SSB according to the target SSB configuration carried by the MAC CE carrying the first information.

[0120] Activate SSB transmission

[0121] SSB transmissions can be triggered by terminal devices or network devices.

[0122] For example, in some implementations, SSB transmission is based on one or more of the following activations: second information sent by the network device; the network device being turned on as an access point or backhaul relay switch; and the terminal device sending third information to the network device.

[0123] Optionally, the gNB CU can request the gNB DU to activate certain SSB beams by indicating the SSB index, and can confirm whether SSB triggering is available on the F1 interface.

[0124] The aforementioned second information is used to indicate the transmission for activating the SSB. This second information can be carried, for example, in the DCI or MAC CE. For instance, the second information can be carried in the MAC CE used to carry the first information, meaning that when the network device activates a target SSB configuration among multiple SSB configurations, it simultaneously activates the SSB transmission; alternatively, the second information can be transmitted independently of the first information. The terminal device first receives the first information sent by the network device to determine the target SSB configuration, and then receives the SSB based on the target SSB configuration upon receiving the second information. Furthermore, optionally, the second information can also be carried in signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of a secondary cell. In other words, the second information is transmitted simultaneously with the signaling used for secondary cell activation or deactivation. Taking the secondary cell activation signaling as an example, if the second information is carried on the MAC CE, then the MAC CE carrying the secondary cell activation signaling can be located in the same MAC PDU as the MAC CE carrying the secondary cell activation signaling. Optionally, the MAC CE carrying the secondary cell activation signaling has a higher priority than the MAC CE carrying the second information. In this way, the terminal device can determine the transmission of the activation SSB at the same time as activating the secondary cell. Alternatively, the second information can also be transmitted independently of the secondary cell activation signaling. The terminal device will first receive the secondary cell activation signaling sent by the network device and start activating the secondary cell, and then receive the SSB after receiving the second information.

[0125] The aforementioned third piece of information is used to request activation of SSB transmission. In other words, the terminal device can request the network device to send an SSB based on its own needs. For example, the third piece of information can be a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device, also known as an uplink wake-up signal (UL WUS).

[0126] In some implementations, the third information can be triggered based on the following conditions: the received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, the time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than a second threshold.

[0127] For example, as shown in Figure 8, taking the UL WUS signal as the third piece of information, the terminal device sends a UL WUS signal to the primary cell to request the secondary cell to send an SSB, or directly sends a UL WUS signal to the secondary cell to request the transmission of an SSB. The resource configuration information for the UL WUS signal can be allocated by the primary cell or pre-configured by the secondary cell. Optionally, the transmission of the UL WUS signal can be triggered when the received signal strength from the reference cell associated with the secondary cell is lower than a given threshold (e.g., determined by predefined rules or configured by higher-layer parameters). Optionally, the transmission of the UL WUS signal can be triggered when the difference between the DL reception timing difference between the secondary cell and its associated reference cell is greater than a given threshold, or in other words, when the relevant conditions for DL ​​reception timing are met (e.g., round trip delay (RTD) ≤ 3µs), so as to trigger the transmission of an SSB. In Figure 8, the terminal device of the secondary cell sends a UL WUS signal to the network device, the network device sends feedback information (e.g., ACK response information), and then triggers the secondary cell to send SSB. Of course, the network device may also choose not to send feedback information and instead send SSB directly.

[0128] In some implementations, the third information can be carried in one or more of the following: the physical random access channel (PRACH); the message MSG 3 in the random access channel (RACH) process; the periodic or semi-static PUCCH; or the periodic or semi-static physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0129] Third information can be transmitted during the RACH process. For example, for PRACH, dedicated PRACH resources can be configured to trigger SSB transmissions in a specific secondary cell. In this case, since the PRACH is dedicated to triggering SSB transmissions, subsequent PUSCH transmissions carrying MAG 3 are unnecessary. Alternatively, the terminal device in the secondary cell can request SSB transmissions via PUSCH carrying MAG 3, for example, by using a bitmap. For scheduling request (SR) PUCCH, similar to the PRACH case, dedicated SR resources can be configured to trigger SSB transmissions in a specific secondary cell. In this case, subsequent PUSCH transmissions are unnecessary. Alternatively, SR resources associated with multiple secondary cells can be configured. In this case, the SR resources requested by the terminal device in the secondary cell for SSB transmissions can be indicated by the next scheduled PUSCH, for example, by using a bitmap. For periodic or semi-static PUCCH / PUSCH, even if PUCCH / PUSCH resources are allocated to the terminal device, the terminal device may not use the allocated PUCCH / PUSCH resources unless an SSB transmission is triggered. In other words, once an SSB transmission is triggered for a secondary cell, the terminal device will transmit the PUCCH / PUSCH related to the secondary cell by carrying the necessary information for the SSB transmission on the secondary cell.

[0130] In some implementations, the terminal device begins receiving SSBs sent by the network device from a first time position. In other implementations, the terminal device stops receiving SSBs sent by the network device from a second time position. The first time position and the reference time position are separated by a first duration. For example, the first duration may be the interval between the first time position and the time position at which the second information is received, or the first duration may be the interval between the first time position and the time position at which feedback information regarding the second information is sent. That is, after receiving the second information indicating the activation of SSB transmission, the terminal device waits for the first duration and then begins receiving SSBs; or, after receiving the second information indicating the activation of SSB transmission, the terminal device sends feedback information (e.g., HARQ-ACK) regarding the second information to the network device, waits for the first duration after sending the feedback information, and then begins receiving SSBs.

[0131] For SSB transmission activation, one or more of the following conditions can be supported:

[0132] 1) The terminal device expects to periodically send SSB bursts from the first time location. This first time location can be determined based on a semi-static configuration period and offset, or notified to the terminal device via RRC signaling or higher-layer protocols.

[0133] 2) Terminal devices expect SSB bursts to be transmitted periodically from their initial location until the network device shuts down on-demand SSBs. The network device can be configured via RRC signaling to periodically send SSB bursts after the initial location and issue a shutdown signaling to shut down SSBs when necessary. This shutdown signaling can be implemented via uplink commands or scheduling messages. The network device decides when to terminate SSB transmission, for example, based on shutdown conditions triggered by network load, secondary cell conditions, or terminal device behavior.

[0134] 3) The terminal device expects to transmit from a first time location to a second time location in SSB bursts. The network device indicates the second time location through, for example, RRC configuration. The second time location can be a specific absolute time or a relative time (e.g., an offset relative to the first time location). The second time location can be implemented, for example, through a timer mechanism or periodic time slots defined by the protocol. When the terminal device determines that it has reached the second time location, it automatically stops sending SSB bursts.

[0135] 4) The terminal device expects the SSB burst to be transmitted N times after the initial location. The network device can be configured with a counter that starts counting when the terminal device triggers an SSB transmission, until it reaches N times. This counter mechanism can be issued by the network device, implemented through, for example, the MAC layer or RRC layer. When the counter reaches the recorded value of N times, the terminal device stops receiving SSB bursts and waits for new instructions.

[0136] 5) The terminal device expects SSB bursts to be transmitted in one cycle from the first time location to the second time location, and then in other cycles after the second time location. In other words, after the second time location, the terminal device receives SSBs sent by the network device based on a different cycle than the one used before the second time location. Two different cycles can be configured at the RRC or MAC layer, corresponding to the time period between the first and second time locations, and the time period after the second time location, respectively. The network device can define different cycle scheduling mechanisms based on the terminal device's RRC configuration and dynamically switch cycles when reaching the second time location. This mechanism can be combined with dynamic SSB scheduling and consider factors such as network status and terminal device mobility.

[0137] In some implementations, the first time position can be: the starting position of the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index among the candidate SSB indices in the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index actually transmitted in the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index in the SSB burst. The unit of the first time position can be, for example, a time slot or a symbol. Taking a time slot as the unit of the first time position as an example, the first time position can be the first time slot containing the candidate SSB index (e.g., SSB index 0) in the SSB burst, or the first time position can be the first time slot containing the first actually transmitted SSB index in the SSB burst, or the first time position can be the time slot containing the first actually transmitted SSB index in the SSB burst.

[0138] As shown in Figure 9, assume that the terminal device receives the second information indicating the activation of SSB transmission at time position T0, and the time position after a first duration T from T0 is the first time position (or time instance A). The value of T can be pre-agreed, or indicated and / or configured by the network device. The terminal device can determine the first time position based on the time of receiving the second information from the network device or the time of sending feedback information for the second information, and the value of T, and thus start receiving SSB from the first time position. The value of T can take into account the RRC processing delay (e.g., delay caused by uplink / downlink scheduling) or the timing of the terminal device receiving uplink grants, or the value of T can take into account the processing time of the terminal device for the second information. For example, if the second information is carried in a MAC CE, the value of T should not be less than the time required for the terminal device to process the MAC CE. If the second information is carried in a MAC CE for activating a secondary cell, the value of T should also take into account (e.g., not less than) the time required for the terminal device to activate the secondary cell. After duration T, as shown in Figure 9, the terminal device can start receiving SSB bursts at the first time position. In Figure 9, T0, T, etc. are all time slots as examples.

[0139] As an example, assuming the unit is time slots, the value of T can be determined based on the following formula: m and The settings can be configured, for example, considering the following times: the time when the terminal device receives the second information indicating SSB activation (e.g., carried in a MAC CE), the time when the terminal device processes the second information, and the time when it sends the PUCCH carrying feedback information (HARQ-ACK) for the second information. As shown in Figure 9, starting from T0, assuming the MAC CE carrying the second information is transmitted on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and many PDSCH retransmissions or repetitions may occur before the terminal device can correctly decode the MAC CE, T0 is defined as the end time of the MAC CE activating SSB transmission. From the terminal device's perspective, T0 is the end time of the MAC CE, or the time when the MAC CE is successfully received.

[0140] Optionally, the first time location can be the starting location corresponding to the SSB burst, i.e., the starting boundary (e.g., the starting timeslot). Regarding the relationship between the first time location and the boundary of the SSB burst, SSBs are transmitted in a beam-scanning manner, so their broadcast nature is based on the "SSB burst" to reach every direction within the cell coverage area. If the first time location is considered as the start of a certain beam, it means that the network device indicates the SSB beam to the terminal device, not the SSB burst. However, the indicated beam may not be the optimal beam, and the terminal device's experience may be affected. If the first time location is considered as the start of the SSB burst, the terminal device will have a holistic view of the cell-level signal and can select the optimal beam based on the measurements of various beams. Therefore, the first time location can be considered as the timeslot boundary of the SSB burst to be transmitted (e.g., the first timeslot in which the SSB burst is located). As an example, the first time location is the timeslot boundary of the first SSB time-domain location in an actually transmitted on-demand SSB burst.

[0141] In some implementations, the second time position includes one or more of the following: the time position at which fourth information is received from the network device, the fourth information being used to indicate deactivation of SSB transmission; the time position at which a second duration is spaced between the first time position at which SSB reception begins, the second duration being, for example, pre-agreed, or configured or indicated by the network device; and the time position at which a predetermined number of SSBs have been transmitted after the first time position, the predetermined number being, for example, pre-agreed, or configured or indicated by the network device.

[0142] The second time position may be determined based on the SSB transmission situation. For example, the second time position may be the time when the terminal device successfully receives the secondary cell deactivation signaling (or the secondary cell deactivation command), or the time when the terminal device sends feedback information (e.g., HARQ-ACK) in response to receiving the secondary cell deactivation signaling, or the time when the terminal device receives a signaling indicating that the SSB transmission is unavailable, or the second time position may be the time when the terminal device successfully completes the secondary cell activation (e.g., the time when the terminal device sends a channel state information (CSI) report after receiving the secondary cell activation signaling).

[0143] The method embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The apparatus embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 10 to 12. It should be understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be referred to the preceding method embodiments.

[0144] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. The terminal device 1000 shown in Figure 10 may include a transceiver unit 1010. The transceiver unit 1010 is used for receiving configuration information sent by a network device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting secondary cell SSBs, and the SSBs are on-demand SSBs.

[0145] In some implementations, the plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, the plurality of cycles being associated with one or more of the following: the plurality of cycles being associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; the plurality of cycles being associated with SSB bursts; the plurality of cycles being associated with beams.

[0146] In some implementations, the secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: a first time period, from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling; a second time period, from receiving the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation; and a third time period, after the completion of the secondary cell activation.

[0147] In some implementations, the plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; wherein the first cycle is used to transmit SSB in the first time period, the second cycle is used to transmit SSB in the second time period, and the third cycle is used to transmit SSB in the third time period.

[0148] In some implementations, the first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

[0149] In some implementations, the first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

[0150] In some implementations, the first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1, and β2 are preset values.

[0151] In some implementations, the multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of multiple time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

[0152] In some implementations, the position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

[0153] In some implementations, one or more of the following information in the multiple SSB configurations may differ: the frequency corresponding to the SSB; the location of the SSB in the SSB burst; the period of the SSB; the subcarrier spacing of the SSB; the physical cell identifier of the SSB; the location of the SSB burst; the downlink transmit power of the SSB; the number of transmissions of the SSB burst; information associated with the transmission start time after SSB activation; and the index of the SSB configuration.

[0154] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1010 is further configured to: receive first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to activate a target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

[0155] In some implementations, the first information is carried in DCI or MAC CE.

[0156] In some implementations, the period used for transmitting SSBs in the SSB configuration activated by the DCI is shorter than the period used for transmitting SSBs in the SSB configuration activated by the MAC CE.

[0157] In some implementations, the MAC CE includes one or more of the following: a field for carrying an index of the target SSB; a field for indicating the timing of SSB transmission; and a field for indicating the duration of the SSB.

[0158] In some implementations, the MAC CE carrying the first information is encoded in the same way as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, the MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried on the same MAC PDU or on different MAC PDUs; and / or, the priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

[0159] In some implementations, the DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or, the DCI is a group-wide DCI for a group of terminal devices, the group of terminal devices including the terminal device.

[0160] In some implementations, SSB transmission is activated based on one or more of the following: a second message sent by the network device, the second message indicating activation of SSB transmission; the network device being turned on as an access point or backhaul relay switch; and the terminal device sending a third message to the network device, the third message requesting activation of SSB transmission.

[0161] In some implementations, the second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of a secondary cell; and / or, the third information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

[0162] In some implementations, the third information is triggered based on the following conditions: the received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, the time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than a second threshold.

[0163] In some implementations, the third information is carried in one or more of the following: PRACH; message MSG 3 in the RACH process; periodic or semi-static PUCCH; periodic or semi-static PUSCH.

[0164] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1010 is further configured to: receive the SSB sent by the network device starting from a first time position, wherein the interval between the first time position and the time position at which the second information is received is a first duration, or the interval between the first time position and the time position at which feedback information for the second information is sent is a first duration.

[0165] In some implementations, the first time position is: the starting position of the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index among the candidate SSB indices in the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index actually transmitted in the SSB burst; or, the starting position of the first SSB index in the SSB burst.

[0166] In some implementations, the unit of the first time position is a time slot or a symbol.

[0167] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1010 is further configured to: stop receiving SSBs sent by the network device from a second time position, the second time position including one or more of the following: the time position at which fourth information is received from the network device, the fourth information being used to indicate deactivation of SSB transmission; the time position between a first time position at which SSB reception begins and a second duration is elapsed; and the time position at which a predetermined number of SSBs have been transmitted after the first time position.

[0168] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1010 is further configured to: receive an SSB sent by the network device after the second time position, based on a different period than the period used before the second time position.

[0169] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1010 is further configured to: receive an SSB transmitted by the network device based on a target beam among a plurality of beams, the plurality of beams being associated with a plurality of cycles for transmitting the SSB.

[0170] In some implementations, the plurality of SSB configurations include the configuration of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: beam identifier; SSB period; and a field for adjusting the SSB period.

[0171] It is understood that the transceiver unit 1010 may be, for example, a transceiver 1230. Additionally, the terminal device 1000 may optionally include a processor 1210 and a memory 1220, as shown in Figure 12.

[0172] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application. The network device 1100 shown in Figure 11 may include a transceiver unit 1110. The transceiver unit 1110 sends configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting secondary cell SSBs, wherein the SSBs are on-demand SSBs.

[0173] In some implementations, the plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, the plurality of cycles being associated with one or more of the following: the plurality of cycles being associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; the plurality of cycles being associated with SSB bursts; the plurality of cycles being associated with beams.

[0174] In some implementations, the secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: a first time period, from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling; a second time period, from receiving the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation; and a third time period, after the completion of the secondary cell activation.

[0175] In some implementations, the plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; wherein the first cycle is used to transmit SSB in the first time period, the second cycle is used to transmit SSB in the second time period, and the third cycle is used to transmit SSB in the third time period.

[0176] In some implementations, the first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

[0177] In some implementations, the first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

[0178] In some implementations, the first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1, and β2 are preset values.

[0179] In some implementations, the multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of multiple time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

[0180] In some implementations, the position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

[0181] In some implementations, one or more of the following information in the multiple SSB configurations may differ: the frequency corresponding to the SSB; the location of the SSB in the SSB burst; the period of the SSB; the subcarrier spacing of the SSB; the physical cell identifier of the SSB; the location of the SSB burst; the downlink transmit power of the SSB; the number of transmissions of the SSB burst; information associated with the transmission start time after SSB activation; and the index of the SSB configuration.

[0182] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1110 is further configured to: send first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to activate a target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

[0183] In some implementations, the first information is carried in DCI or MAC CE.

[0184] In some implementations, the period used for transmitting SSBs in the SSB configuration activated by the DCI is shorter than the period used for transmitting SSBs in the SSB configuration activated by the MAC CE.

[0185] In some implementations, the MAC CE includes one or more of the following: a field for carrying an index of the target SSB; a field for indicating the timing of SSB transmission; and a field for indicating the duration of the SSB.

[0186] In some implementations, the MAC CE carrying the first information is encoded in the same way as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, the MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried on the same MAC PDU or on different MAC PDUs; and / or, the priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

[0187] In some implementations, the DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or, the DCI is a group-wide DCI for a group of terminal devices, the group of terminal devices including the terminal device.

[0188] In some implementations, SSB transmission is activated based on one or more of the following: a second message sent by the network device, the second message indicating activation of SSB transmission; the network device being turned on as an access point or backhaul relay switch; and the terminal device sending a third message to the network device, the third message requesting activation of SSB transmission.

[0189] In some implementations, the second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of a secondary cell; and / or, the third information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

[0190] In some implementations, the third information is triggered based on the following conditions: the received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, the time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than a second threshold.

[0191] In some implementations, the third information is carried in one or more of the following: PRACH; message MSG 3 in the RACH process; periodic or semi-static PUCCH; periodic or semi-static PUSCH.

[0192] In some implementations, the transceiver unit 1110 is further configured to: send an SSB to the terminal device based on a target beam among multiple beams, wherein the multiple beams are associated with multiple cycles for transmitting the SSB.

[0193] In some implementations, the plurality of SSB configurations include the configuration of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: beam identifier; SSB period; and a field for adjusting the SSB period.

[0194] It is understood that the transceiver unit 1110 may be, for example, a transceiver 1230. Additionally, the network device 1000 may optionally include a processor 1210 and a memory 1220, as detailed in Figure 12.

[0195] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. The dashed lines in Figure 12 indicate that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1200 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 1200 may be, for example, a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0196] Apparatus 1200 may include one or more processors 1210. Processor 1210 may support apparatus 1200 in implementing the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. Processor 1210 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, processor 1210 may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, processor 1210 may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. General-purpose processors may be microprocessors or any conventional processor.

[0197] The apparatus 1200 may further include one or more memories 1220. The memories 1220 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1210, causing the processor 1210 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 1220 may be independent of the processor 1210, or they may be integrated into the processor 1210.

[0198] The device 1200 may also include a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230. For example, the processor 1210 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230.

[0199] This application also provides a communication system. The communication system includes the terminal device and network device described above. In some implementations, the system further includes other devices that interact with the terminal device and network device.

[0200] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal device or network device provided in this application, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal device or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0201] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. This computer program product can be applied to a terminal device or network device provided in this application embodiment, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal device or network device in the various embodiments of this application.

[0202] This application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the terminal device or network device provided in this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal device or network device in the various embodiments of this application.

[0203] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terminology used in this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0204] In the embodiments of this application, the term "instruction" can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0205] In the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0206] In the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or an association between two things, or a relationship such as instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured.

[0207] In this application embodiment, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0208] In this application embodiment, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, such as the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0209] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0210] In the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0211] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0212] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0213] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0214] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can read or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0215] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives configuration information sent by the network device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting the synchronization signal broadcast channel block (SSB) of the secondary cell. The SSB is an on-demand SSB. The plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, wherein the plurality of cycles are associated with one or more of the following: The multiple cycles are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; The multiple cycles are associated with SSB bursts; The multiple cycles are associated with the beam.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: The first time period is from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling. The second time period is from the receipt of the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation. The third time period is after the auxiliary cell has been activated.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; The first period is used to transmit SSB during the first time period, the second period is used to transmit SSB during the second time period, and the third period is used to transmit SSB during the third time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1 and β2 are preset values.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of various time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; Where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, One or more of the following information differs in the multiple SSB configurations: The frequency corresponding to SSB; SSB location during an SSB burst; The SSB cycle; Subcarrier spacing of SSB; SSB physical cell identifier; Location of the SSB burst; SSB downlink transmit power; The number of transmissions in an SSB burst; Information associated with the start time of transmission after SSB activation; The index configured by SSB.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to activate a target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first information is carried in downlink control information (DCI) or media access control element (MAC CE).

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes one or more of the following: Fields used to hold the index of the target SSB; A field used to indicate when the SSB is transmitted; A field used to indicate the duration of the SSB.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The MAC CE carrying the first information has the same encoding scheme as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, The MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried in the same MAC PDU or in different MAC PDUs; And / or, The priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or... The DCI is a group-wide DCI for a set of terminal devices, and the set of terminal devices includes the terminal devices themselves.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, SSB transport is based on one or more of the following activations: The network device sends a second message, which is used to indicate the activation of SSB transmission; The network device is turned on as an access point or a backhaul relay switch; The terminal device sends a third message to the network device, the third message being used to request activation of SSB transmission.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the secondary cell; and / or, The third piece of information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The third information is triggered based on the following conditions: The received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, The time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than the second threshold.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that, The third information is carried in one or more of the following: Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH); In message MSG 3 during the random access RACH process; In the periodic or semi-static physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); In periodic or semi-static physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH).

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device begins receiving the SSB sent by the network device from a first time position, wherein the interval between the first time position and the time position of receiving the second information is a first duration, or the interval between the first time position and the time position of sending feedback information for the second information is a first duration.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first time position is: The starting position of the SSB burst; or The starting position of the first SSB index among the candidate SSB indexes in an SSB burst; or... The starting position of the first SSB index actually transmitted in an SSB burst; or... The starting position of the first SSB index in an SSB burst.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The unit of the first time position is a time slot or a symbol.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device stops receiving SSBs sent by the network device from a second time position, where the second time position includes one or more of the following: The time and location at which the fourth information sent by the network device is received, the fourth information being used to indicate the deactivation of SSB transmission; The time position with a second time interval between the first time position and the start of SSB reception; The time position after which a predetermined number of SSBs have been transmitted following the first time position.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the second time position, the terminal device receives the SSB sent by the network device based on a different period than the period used before the second time position.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives an SSB transmitted by the network device based on a target beam among multiple beams, the multiple beams being used for transmission. Multiple cycle correlations of SSB.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The plurality of SSB configurations include the configurations of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: Beam identification; The SSB cycle; A field used to adjust the period of the SSB.

26. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting the synchronization signal broadcast channel block (SSB) of the secondary cell. The SSB is an on-demand SSB. The plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, wherein the plurality of cycles are associated with one or more of the following: The multiple cycles are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; The multiple cycles are associated with SSB bursts; The multiple cycles are associated with the beam.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: The first time period is from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling. The second time period is from the receipt of the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation. The third time period is after the auxiliary cell has been activated.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; The first cycle is used to transmit SSB during the first time period, the second cycle is used to transmit SSB during the second time period, and the third cycle is used to transmit SSB during the third time period.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that, The first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1 and β2 are preset values.

32. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 31, characterized in that, The multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of various time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that, The position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; Where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

34. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 33, characterized in that, One or more of the following information differs in the multiple SSB configurations: The frequency corresponding to SSB; SSB location during an SSB burst; The SSB cycle; Subcarrier spacing of SSB; SSB physical cell identifier; Location of the SSB burst; SSB downlink transmit power; The number of transmissions in an SSB burst; Information associated with the start time of transmission after SSB activation; The index configured by SSB.

35. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 34, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to activate the target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that, The first information is carried in downlink control information (DCI) or media access control element (MAC CE).

37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes one or more of the following: Fields used to hold the index of the target SSB; A field used to indicate when the SSB is transmitted; A field used to indicate the duration of the SSB.

38. The method according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that, The MAC CE carrying the first information has the same encoding scheme as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, The MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried in the same MAC PDU or in different MAC PDUs; And / or, The priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

39. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 38, characterized in that, The DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or... The DCI is a group-wide DCI for a set of terminal devices, and the set of terminal devices includes the terminal devices themselves.

40. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 39, characterized in that, SSB transport is based on one or more of the following activations: The network device sends a second message, which is used to indicate the activation of SSB transmission; The network device is turned on as an access point or a backhaul relay switch; The terminal device sends a third message to the network device, the third message being used to request activation of SSB transmission.

41. The method according to claim 40, characterized in that, The second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the secondary cell; and / or, The third piece of information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

42. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that, The third information is triggered based on the following conditions: The received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, The time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than the second threshold.

43. The method according to any one of claims 40 to 42, characterized in that, The third information is carried in one or more of the following: Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH); In message MSG 3 during the random access RACH process; In the periodic or semi-static physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); In periodic or semi-static physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH).

44. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 43, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends an SSB to the terminal device based on a target beam among multiple beams, wherein the multiple beams are associated with multiple cycles used to transmit the SSB.

45. The method according to claim 44, characterized in that, The plurality of SSB configurations include the configurations of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: Beam identification; The SSB cycle; A field used to adjust the period of the SSB.

46. ​​A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver unit is used to receive configuration information sent by the network device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting the synchronization signal broadcast channel block (SSB) of the secondary cell, wherein the SSB is an on-demand SSB. The plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, wherein the plurality of cycles are associated with one or more of the following: The multiple cycles are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; The multiple cycles are associated with SSB bursts; The multiple cycles are associated with the beam.

47. The terminal device according to claim 46, characterized in that, The secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: The first time period is from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling. The second time period is from the receipt of the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation. The third time period is after the auxiliary cell has been activated.

48. The terminal device according to claim 47, characterized in that, The plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; The first cycle is used to transmit SSB during the first time period, the second cycle is used to transmit SSB during the second time period, and the third cycle is used to transmit SSB during the third time period.

49. The terminal device according to claim 48, characterized in that, The first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

50. The terminal device according to claim 48 or 49, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

51. The terminal device according to claim 48 or 49, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1 and β2 are preset values.

52. The terminal device according to any one of claims 46 to 51, characterized in that, The multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of various time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

53. The terminal device according to claim 52, characterized in that, The position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; Where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

54. The terminal device according to any one of claims 46 to 53, characterized in that, One or more of the following information differs in the multiple SSB configurations: The frequency corresponding to SSB; SSB location during an SSB burst; The SSB cycle; Subcarrier spacing of SSB; SSB physical cell identifier; Location of the SSB burst; SSB downlink transmit power; The number of transmissions in an SSB burst; Information associated with the start time of transmission after SSB activation; The index configured by SSB.

55. The terminal device according to any one of claims 46 to 54, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: The network device receives first information, which is used to activate a target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

56. The terminal device according to claim 55, characterized in that, The first information is carried in downlink control information (DCI) or media access control element (MAC CE).

57. The terminal device according to claim 56, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes one or more of the following: Fields used to hold the index of the target SSB; A field used to indicate when the SSB is transmitted; A field used to indicate the duration of the SSB.

58. The terminal device according to claim 56 or 57, characterized in that, The MAC CE carrying the first information has the same encoding scheme as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, The MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried in the same MAC PDU or in different MAC PDUs; And / or, The priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

59. The terminal device according to any one of claims 56 to 58, characterized in that, The DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or... The DCI is a group-wide DCI for a set of terminal devices, and the set of terminal devices includes the terminal devices themselves.

60. The terminal device according to any one of claims 46 to 59, characterized in that, SSB transport is based on one or more of the following activations: The network device sends a second message, which is used to indicate the activation of SSB transmission; The network device is turned on as an access point or a backhaul relay switch; The terminal device sends a third message to the network device, the third message being used to request activation of SSB transmission.

61. The terminal device according to claim 60, characterized in that, The second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the secondary cell; and / or, The third piece of information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

62. The terminal device according to claim 61, characterized in that, The third information is triggered based on the following conditions: The received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, The time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than the second threshold.

63. The terminal device according to any one of claims 60 to 62, characterized in that, The third information is carried in one or more of the following: Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH); In message MSG 3 during the random access RACH process; In the periodic or semi-static physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); In periodic or semi-static physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH).

64. The terminal device according to any one of claims 60 to 63, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: The network device begins receiving SSBs from a first time location, where the interval between the first time location and the time location at which the second information is received is a first duration, or the interval between the first time location and the time location at which feedback information regarding the second information is sent is a first duration.

65. The terminal device according to claim 64, characterized in that, The first time position is: The starting position of the SSB burst; or The starting position of the first SSB index among the candidate SSB indexes in an SSB burst; or... The starting position of the first SSB index actually transmitted in an SSB burst; or... The starting position of the first SSB index in an SSB burst.

66. The terminal device according to claim 65, characterized in that, The unit of the first time position is a time slot or a symbol.

67. The terminal device according to any one of claims 60 to 66, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: Stop receiving SSBs sent by the network device from a second time location, where the second time location includes one or more of the following: The time and location at which the fourth information sent by the network device is received, the fourth information being used to indicate the deactivation of SSB transmission; The time position with a second time interval between the first time position and the start of SSB reception; The time position after which a predetermined number of SSBs have been transmitted following the first time position.

68. The terminal device according to any one of claims 60 to 67, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: After the second time position, the terminal device receives the SSB sent by the network device based on a different period than the period used before the second time position.

69. The terminal device according to any one of claims 60 to 68, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: The network device receives an SSB transmitted based on a target beam among multiple beams, the multiple beams being associated with multiple cycles used to transmit the SSB.

70. The terminal device according to claim 69, characterized in that, The plurality of SSB configurations include the configurations of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: Beam identification; The SSB cycle; A field used to adjust the period of the SSB.

71. A network device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver unit is used to send configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information includes multiple SSB configurations for transmitting the synchronization signal broadcast channel block (SSB) of the secondary cell. The SSB is an on-demand SSB. The plurality of SSB configurations include configurations for a plurality of cycles for transmitting SSBs, wherein the plurality of cycles are associated with one or more of the following: The multiple cycles are associated with the secondary cell activation process of the terminal device; The multiple cycles are associated with SSB bursts; The multiple cycles are associated with the beam.

72. The network device according to claim 71, characterized in that, The secondary cell activation process includes multiple time periods, which include one or more of the following: The first time period is from receiving the secondary cell configuration information to receiving the secondary cell activation signaling. The second time period is from the receipt of the secondary cell activation signaling to the completion of the secondary cell activation. The third time period is after the auxiliary cell has been activated.

73. The network device according to claim 72, characterized in that, The plurality of cycles includes a first cycle, a second cycle, and a third cycle, wherein the first cycle, the second cycle, and the third cycle are different; The first cycle is used to transmit SSB during the first time period, the second cycle is used to transmit SSB during the second time period, and the third cycle is used to transmit SSB during the third time period.

74. The network device according to claim 73, characterized in that, The first period is longer than the second period, and the third period is located between the first period and the second period.

75. The network device according to claim 73 or 74, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = n1 * T3 = n2 * T2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and n1 and n2 are positive integers.

76. The network device according to claim 73 or 74, characterized in that, The first period, the second period, and the third period satisfy: T1 = α1 × T3 + β1; T2 = α2 × T3 + β2; Where T1 is the length of the first period, T2 is the length of the second period, T3 is the length of the third period, and α1, α2, β1 and β2 are preset values.

77. The network device according to any one of claims 71 to 76, characterized in that, The multiple SSB configurations include the configuration of various time intervals between adjacent SSB indices in an SSB burst.

78. The network device according to claim 77, characterized in that, The position of the SSB index in the SSB burst is: ti = t0 + i * Δt; Where ti is the position corresponding to SSB index i, t0 is the position corresponding to SSB index 0, i is the SSB index, and Δt is the time interval.

79. The network device according to any one of claims 71 to 78, characterized in that, One or more of the following information differs in the multiple SSB configurations: The frequency corresponding to SSB; SSB location during an SSB burst; The SSB cycle; Subcarrier spacing of SSB; SSB physical cell identifier; Location of the SSB burst; SSB downlink transmit power; The number of transmissions in an SSB burst; Information associated with the start time of transmission after SSB activation; The index configured by SSB.

80. The network device according to any one of claims 71 to 79, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: Send first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to activate the target SSB configuration among the plurality of SSB configurations.

81. The network device according to claim 80, characterized in that, The first information is carried in downlink control information (DCI) or media access control element (MAC CE).

82. The network device according to claim 81, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes one or more of the following: Fields used to hold the index of the target SSB; A field used to indicate when the SSB is transmitted; A field used to indicate the duration of the SSB.

83. The network device according to claim 81 or 82, characterized in that, The MAC CE carrying the first information has the same encoding scheme as the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell; and / or, The MAC CE carrying the first information and the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell are carried in the same MAC PDU or in different MAC PDUs; And / or, The priority of the MAC CE used to activate the secondary cell is higher than the priority of the MAC CE carrying the first information.

84. The network device according to any one of claims 81 to 83, characterized in that, The DCI is a DCI specific to the terminal device; or... The DCI is a group-wide DCI for a set of terminal devices, and the set of terminal devices includes the terminal devices themselves.

85. The network device according to any one of claims 71 to 84, characterized in that, SSB transport is based on one or more of the following activations: The network device sends a second message, which is used to indicate the activation of SSB transmission; The network device is turned on as an access point or a backhaul relay switch; The terminal device sends a third message to the network device, the third message being used to request activation of SSB transmission.

86. The network device according to claim 85, characterized in that, The second information is signaling used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the secondary cell; and / or, The third piece of information is a wake-up signal sent by the terminal device.

87. The network device according to claim 86, characterized in that, The third information is triggered based on the following conditions: The received signal strength of the reference cell associated with the secondary cell of the terminal device is less than a first threshold; and / or, The time difference between the downlink reception timing of the secondary cell and the reference cell is greater than the second threshold.

88. The network device according to any one of claims 85 to 87, characterized in that, The third information is carried in one or more of the following: Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH); In message MSG 3 during the random access RACH process; In the periodic or semi-static physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); In periodic or semi-static physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH).

89. The network device according to any one of claims 71 to 88, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is also used for: Based on a target beam among multiple beams, an SSB is sent to the terminal device, wherein the multiple beams are associated with multiple cycles used to transmit the SSB.

90. The network device according to claim 89, characterized in that, The plurality of SSB configurations include the configurations of the plurality of beams, wherein the configuration of each beam includes one or more of the following: Beam identification; The SSB cycle; A field used to adjust the period of the SSB.

91. A terminal device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the terminal device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

92. A network device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or transmit signals so that the network device performs the method according to any one of claims 26 to 45.

93. An apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

94. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

95. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It contains a program that causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

96. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a program that causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

97. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 45.

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