Communication method and related product

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and a related product. The communication method may comprise: determining that a first cell is a network energy saving (NES) cell, the NES cell being a cell supporting a system information block (SIB1) request; sending a request message, the request message being used for requesting an SIB1 of the first cell; and receiving the SIB1 of the first cell. By using the present application, when a first cell is identified as an NES cell, an SIB1 is requested on demand, so that energy consumption of a network device can be saved, and an access delay can be reduced.

Description

Communication methods and related products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411639405.X, filed on November 15, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Related Products", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related products. Background Technology

[0003] Network energy conservation is crucial for environmental sustainability, reducing environmental impact, and saving operating costs. Energy consumption has become a key part of operators' operating expenses. Most energy consumption comes from the wireless access network (WLAN). WLAN power consumption can be divided into dynamic and static components. The dynamic component refers to power consumption during data transmission, while the static component refers to power consumption while maintaining necessary WLAN operations, even when data transmission is not occurring. For example, network devices may continuously broadcast System Information Block 1 (SIB1) even when the terminal devices they serve have no access, measurement, or service transmission needs, leading to energy waste. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a communication method and related products that, when the first cell is identified as an NES cell, requests SIB1 on demand, which can save energy consumption of network equipment.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a terminal device or a chip of a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0006] The first cell is identified as an NES cell, which is a cell that supports SIB1 requests. The fact that the first cell is an NES cell means that its SIB1 requests are not sent periodically, but are requested through a request message; that is, the first cell is a cell that supports SIB1 requests.

[0007] Send a request message, the request message being used to request SIB1 of the first cell;

[0008] Receive SIB1 from the first cell.

[0009] Implementing the first aspect of the method, when the first cell is identified as an NES cell, a request message is sent to request the SIB1 of the first cell. Since SIB1 does not need to be transmitted periodically but is transmitted on demand, energy consumption of network equipment can be saved. In addition, the terminal device can identify whether the first cell is an NES cell to determine the method of obtaining SIB1, avoiding blindly searching for CD-SSB, thus reducing access latency.

[0010] In one possible implementation, determining the first cell as a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell includes:

[0011] If a request message configuration information and / or indication information are received, the first cell is determined to be an NES cell. The request message configuration information includes the resources configured to send the request message, and the indication information indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The indication information can also be called cell type indication information, which can indicate the cell type, including NES cells or non-NES cells (also called ordinary cells).

[0012] Implementing this method provides a way to identify whether the first cell is an NES cell, thereby determining how to obtain SIB1 and avoiding blindly searching for CD-SSB, thus reducing access latency.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the request message configuration information is transmitted in a second cell, which is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell; or, the request message configuration information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the indication information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0015] This method identifies whether the first cell is an NES cell by configuring request messages transmitted in the second or first cell. This indirectly determines whether the first cell is an NES cell, providing both indication of NES cell status and the allocation of resources for transmitting request messages, thus saving overhead. Identifying whether the first cell is an NES cell through indication information transmitted in the first cell reduces the design complexity of the indication information.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in the Master Information Block (MIB) and / or the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload.

[0017] By implementing this method, the indication information is carried in the main information block (MIB) and / or PBCH payload of the SSB, which makes it easier for terminal devices to identify whether the first cell is an NES cell when parsing the SSB, thus improving the efficiency of NES cell identification.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the indication information occupies one bit in the MIB, or the indication information occupies one bit in the PBCH payload;

[0019] The value of the first bit indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the value of the first bit is 0 or 1;

[0020] The bit mentioned here is either a newly added bit or a reserved bit.

[0021] By implementing this method, the first cell can be indicated as an NES cell by the bit value of the newly added or reserved bits in the MIB or PBCH load. This method can achieve the indication of NES cells without affecting the function of existing fields in the MIB or PBCH load.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the SSB subcarrier offset k. SSB At least one of the following: control resource set 0, search space 0, and k SSB The control resource set 0 is indicated by the ssb-SubcarrierOffset field in the MIB, the search space 0 is indicated by the controlResourceSetZero field in the MIB, and the searchspace 0 is indicated by the searchSpaceZero field in the MIB.

[0023] Implementing this method allows for the reuse of existing SSB field values ​​to indicate NES cells, making full use of existing fields, requiring minimal changes to the standard, and reducing design complexity.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the k SSB ;

[0025] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell; or,

[0026] The k SSB The value of is greater than or equal to the second value to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0027] To implement this method, k is defined. SSB The value of k is used to indicate the NES cell, making full use of the existing k SSB No need to design new fields, just change k SSB The meaning of the values ​​is relatively simple, requiring minimal changes to the standard and having low implementation complexity.

[0028] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31.

[0029] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15.

[0030] Implementing this method provides a range of values ​​for the first value for different spectral ranges; for FR1, k SSB The value range is 0-23. For FR2, k SSB The value range is 0-11, which is used for CD-SSB. The first value is other values, which can minimize the impact on the existing standard of obtaining SIB1 through CD-SSB.

[0031] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is equal to 30;

[0032] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is equal to 14.

[0033] Implementing this method, for FR1, k SSB The value of 30 is a reserved value. For FR2, k SSB The value of 14 is a reserved value. When the first value is a reserved value, it indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The reserved value can be fully utilized, thereby reducing the impact on the existing standard.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the indication information further includes the control resource set 0 and the search space 0;

[0035] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, including:

[0036] The k SSB The value of is the first value, the value of the control resource set 0 is the third value, and the value of the search space 0 is the fourth value, indicating that the first cell is an NES cell. The third value and the fourth value are integers that are greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 15.

[0037] To implement this method, through k SSB The values ​​of k are used to indicate the NES cell in conjunction with the values ​​of the control resource set 0 and the search space 0. SSB The value of is the first value. When the values ​​of the control resource set 0 and the search space 0 are other values, other functions or information can be indicated, thereby enabling the indication of more functions or information.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the third value is 0 or 15; the fourth value is 0 or 15.

[0039] By implementing this method, the values ​​of the control resource set 0 and the search space 0 are defined as either all 0s or all 1s, which can improve detection efficiency.

[0040] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the second value is 24;

[0041] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the second value is 12.

[0042] If this method is implemented, and the frequency band of the first cell is FR1, then k SSB A value greater than or equal to 24 indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the frequency band of the first cell is FR2. Therefore, k... SSB A value greater than or equal to 12 indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, k SSB The value can be selected more flexibly.

[0043] Secondly, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a terminal device or a chip of a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0044] The system receives request message configuration information and / or indication information, wherein the request message configuration information is used to configure the resources for sending the request message, the indication information indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the request message is used to request SIB1 of the first cell;

[0045] Based on the request message configuration information and / or the indication information, the first cell is determined to be an NES cell, and the NES cell is a cell that supports SIB1 requests.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0047] Send a request message, the request message being used to request SIB1 of the first cell;

[0048] Receive SIB1 from the first cell.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the request message configuration information is transmitted in a second cell, which is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell; or, the request message configuration information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the indication information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in the Master Information Block (MIB) and / or the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the indication information occupies one bit in the MIB, or the indication information occupies one bit in the PBCH payload;

[0053] The value of the first bit indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the value of the first bit is 0 or 1;

[0054] The bit mentioned here is either a newly added bit or a reserved bit.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the synchronization signal block SSB subcarrier offset k. SSB At least one of the following: control resource set 0, search space 0.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the k SSB ;

[0057] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell; or,

[0058] The k SSB The value of is greater than or equal to the second value to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0059] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31.

[0060] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15.

[0061] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is equal to 30;

[0062] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is equal to 14.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the indication information further includes the control resource set 0 and the search space 0;

[0064] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, including:

[0065] The k SSBThe value of is the first value, the value of the control resource set 0 is the third value, and the value of the search space 0 is the fourth value, indicating that the first cell is an NES cell. The third value and the fourth value are integers that are greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 15.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the third value is 0 or 15;

[0067] The fourth value is either 0 or 15.

[0068] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the second value is 24;

[0069] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the second value is 12.

[0070] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, including:

[0071] The processing unit is used to determine that the first cell is a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell;

[0072] Transceiver unit, used to send request message, the request message is used to request the system information block SIB1 of the first cell;

[0073] The transceiver unit is also used to receive SIB1 from the first cell.

[0074] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, including:

[0075] The transceiver unit is used to receive request message configuration information and / or indication information. The request message configuration information is used to configure the resources for sending the request message. The indication information indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The request message is used to request the SIB1 of the first cell.

[0076] The processing unit is configured to determine that the first cell is an NES cell based on the configuration information in the request message and / or the indication information.

[0077] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor and a memory interconnected thereto. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or to perform the method as described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0078] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip including a processor and an interface, the processor and the interface being coupled; the interface is used to receive and / or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect, or to perform the method as described in the second aspect or any optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0079] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in the first aspect or any optional implementation of the first aspect, or implement the method as described in the second aspect or any optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0080] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising a computer program or computer code that, when run on a computer, implements the method described in the first aspect or any optional implementation thereof, or implements the method described in the second aspect or any optional implementation thereof.

[0081] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a network device and a terminal device, the terminal device being used to perform the method described in the first aspect or the method described in the second aspect.

[0082] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in aspects two to nine of this application can be referred to the beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in aspect one, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0083] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the SSB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 3a is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 3b is a schematic diagram of another application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0091] In this embodiment of the application, unless otherwise stated, the character " / " indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an OR relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "AND / OR" describes the relationship between the associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A AND / OR B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone.

[0092] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are used only for distinguishing descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0093] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more items, and "more than one" refers to two or more items. Furthermore, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, which may include any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of A, B, or C can represent: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C. Each of A, B, and C can be an element itself or a set containing one or more elements.

[0094] In this application, terms such as "exemplary," "in some embodiments," and "in another embodiment" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner.

[0095] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "of," "corresponding (relevant)," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing the distinction, their meanings are consistent. Similarly, in the embodiments of this application, "communication" and "transmission" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing the distinction, their meanings are consistent. For example, transmission can include sending and / or receiving, and can be a noun or a verb.

[0096] In the embodiments of this application, the term "equal to" can be used in conjunction with "greater than" to apply to technical solutions employing the condition of "greater than", and can also be used in conjunction with "less than" to apply to technical solutions employing the condition of "less than". It should be noted that when "equal to" is used with "greater than", it cannot be used with "less than"; and when "equal to" is used with "less than", it cannot be used with "greater than".

[0097] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication system may include, but is not limited to, one or more network devices and one or more terminal devices. As shown in Figure 1, one network device and one terminal device are used as examples. In Figure 1, the network device is exemplified by a base station, and the terminal device is exemplified by a mobile phone. The terminal device can establish a wireless link with the network device for communication. The communication system shown in Figure 1 includes, but is not limited to, network devices and terminal devices, and may also include other communication devices. The number and form of devices shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0098] In this application embodiment, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, which may be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, UE agent, or UE device, etc. The terminal device can be fixed or mobile. It should be noted that the terminal device can support at least one wireless communication technology, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or New Radio (NR). For example, terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, in-vehicle terminals, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, wearable devices, terminals in future mobile communication networks, or terminals in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc. In some embodiments of this application, the terminal may also be a device with transceiver functions, such as a chip system. The chip system may include a chip, and may also include other discrete components.

[0099] In this application embodiment, the network device is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, and can also be referred to as an access network device, radio access network (RAN) device, etc. The network device can support at least one wireless communication technology, such as LTE, NR, etc. For example, the network device includes, but is not limited to: next-generation base stations (gNB) in 5th-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, base stations in 6th-generation (6G) mobile communication systems, evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B (HNB)), baseband unit (BBU), transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), mobile switching center, etc. Network devices can also be wireless controllers, centralized units (CUs), and / or distributed units (DUs) in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, or they can be relay stations, access points, vehicle-mounted devices, terminal devices, wearable devices, and network devices in future mobile communications or future evolved PLMNs. In some embodiments, network devices can also be means for providing wireless communication capabilities to terminal devices, such as chip systems. For example, a chip system may include chips, and may also include other discrete devices.

[0100] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, some terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below.

[0101] 1. Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)

[0102] SSB refers to a resource block that contains synchronization signals and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The contents of an SSB typically include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0103] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the SSB. In new radio (NR) systems, the SSB occupies four orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols (0-4). The PSS and SSS each occupy one symbol in the time domain and 127 resource elements (REs) or subcarriers (56-182) in the frequency domain. Specifically, the PSS occupies symbol 0 in the SSB, and the SSS occupies symbol 2.

[0104] 2. PBCH

[0105] PBCH consists of the master information block (MIB) and the PBCH payload.

[0106] The MIB is information from higher-level configuration. The MIB may include the systemFrameNumber field, representing the lower 6 bits of the system frame; the subCarrierSpacingCommon field, representing the subcarriers of SIB1, message (Msg) 2 / 4, and other system information (OSI); and the ssb-SubcarrierOffset field, representing the SSB subcarrier offset k. SSBThe dmrs-TypeA-Position field indicates the position of the first demodulation reference signal (DMRS); the pdcch-ConfigSIB 1 field indicates the parameter configuration of the PDCCH related CORESET and search space for SIB1; the cellBarred field indicates whether the terminal device is allowed to access the cell; the intraFreqReselection field indicates whether the terminal device selects or reselects cells within the intra-frequency measurement; and the spare field is a reserved bit that is not currently in use.

[0107] The PBCH payload currently contains 8 bits, which include... To the end

[0108] 3. Control resource set 0 and search space 0

[0109] The Physical Downlink Control Channel Configuration SIB1 (PDCCH-configSIB1) field may include the Control Resource Set Zero field and the Search Space Zero field. The Control Resource Set Zero can also be referred to as CORESET 0.

[0110] CORESET is a set of physical resources used to carry parameters of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) / downlink control information (DCI), such as the frequency domain resources occupied by the PDCCH in the frequency domain and the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDCCH in the time domain.

[0111] CORESET0 is the control resource set (CORESET) with ID 0. CORESET0 is the physical resource set corresponding to SIB1, specifically the CORESET containing the PDCCH used for SIB1 scheduling. The main function of CORESET0 is to define the time and frequency resources of the common search space (CSS) for the type 0 physical downlink control channel (type 0-PDCCH), as well as the monitoring timing of the Type 0-PDCCH CSS. The terminal device searches for the PDCCH used to schedule SIB1 based on the information in CORESET0, in order to demodulate and receive SIB1. Specifically, after receiving the SSB, the terminal device can determine the number of symbols and frequency domain configuration of the PDCCH based on the ControlResourceSetZero field of PDCCH-ConfigSIB1 in the MIB, and determine time-domain related configurations such as SFN and slot index through the SearchSpaceZero field of PDCCH-ConfigSIB1. There is a mapping relationship between the search space and CORESET; the search space is a set of candidate PDCCHs. The terminal device can determine the possible location of the PDCCH using CORESET and the search space. The terminal device detects the PDCCH at the possible location, where the downlink control information (DCI) carried in the PDCCH is used to schedule the transmission of SIB1. Then, the terminal device receives SIB1 according to the SIB1 scheduling information contained in the DCI.

[0112] 4. Cell-defined SSB (cell-defined synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block, cell-defined SSB or cell defining SSB, CD-SSB) and non-cell-defined SSB (non-cell-defined synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block, non-cell-defined SSB or non-cell defining SSB, NCD-SSB)

[0113] SSB types include CD-SSB and NCD-SSB. CD-SSB contains the necessary information for initial access by the terminal device, such as configuration information indicating the transmission of SIB1 / Creating Minimum System Information (RMSI). For example, PDCCH-ConfigSIB1 in a CD-SSB contains configuration information for CORESET0.

[0114] In contrast to CD-SSB is NCD-SSB. In NCD-SSB, the PBCH does not directly indicate the PDCCH search space. For example, PDCCH-ConfigSIB1 in NCD-SSB can indicate the frequency at which CD-SSB exists. NCD-SSB is mainly used for radio resource management (RRM), mobility measurement, etc.

[0115] 5. k SSB

[0116] k SSB SSB subcarrier offset refers to the number of subcarriers offset between the lowest frequency domain resource of the SSB and subcarrier 0 of the overlapping RB. The overlapping RB refers to the RB that overlaps with the lowest frequency domain resource of the SSB and CORESET0. SSB The unit is the number of subcarriers.

[0117] For the spectral range FR1, k SSB The value range is 0-31, determined by the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field in the MIB and the 1-bit value in the PBCH payload. The indication is represented by a total of 5 bits. For the spectral range FR2, k SSB The value ranges from 0 to 15, indicated by the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field in the MIB.

[0118] For the spectral range FR1, k is indicated in the CD-SSB. SSB The value range is 0-23. The PDCCH-configSIB1 field in CD-SSB can indicate control resource set 0 and search space 0, so that the terminal device can detect the PDCCH used to schedule SIB1 transmission.

[0119] k indicated in NCD-SSB SSB The value range is 24-29 and 31.

[0120] If k is indicated in NCD-SSB SSBWhen the value range is 24-29, the PDCCH-configSIB1 field in NCD-SSB can indicate at which frequency CD-SSB exists.

[0121] If k is indicated in NCD-SSB SSB When the value is 31, the PDCCH-configSIB1 field in NCD-SSB can indicate which frequency points CD-SSB does not exist.

[0122] k SSB The value 30 is a reserved value.

[0123] For the spectral range FR2, k is indicated in the CD-SSB. SSB The value range is 0-11. The PDCCH-configSIB1 field in CD-SSB can indicate control resource set 0 and search space 0, so that the terminal device can detect the PDCCH used to schedule SIB1 transmission.

[0124] k indicated in NCD-SSB SSB The value range is 12, 13, and 15.

[0125] If k is indicated in NCD-SSB SSB When the value range is 12 or 13, the PDCCH-configSIB1 field in NCD-SSB can indicate at which frequency CD-SSB exists.

[0126] If k is indicated in NCD-SSB SSB When the value is 15, the PDCCH-configSIB1 field in NCD-SSB can indicate which frequency points CD-SSB does not exist.

[0127] k SSB The value 14 is a reserved value.

[0128] 6. SIB

[0129] SIBs are used by network devices to transmit important network parameters and configuration information to terminal devices. SIB1 carries the most critical information required for the terminal device to access the cell, such as random access parameters. SIB1 also includes information about the availability and scheduling of other system information besides SIB1 (e.g., SIB2). In some implementations, this other system information besides SIB1 is referred to as "other SIBs".

[0130] In traditional communication systems, network devices periodically transmit SIB1, even when there is no need for terminal device access, measurement, or service transmission, resulting in energy waste.

[0131] To address this technical problem, a solution is proposed whereby terminal devices can trigger SIB1 transmission based on requests (hereinafter referred to as "request messages"). In other words, terminal devices can trigger SIB1 transmission based on their own needs via request messages. For example, if a terminal device needs SIB1, it can send a request message to the network device to trigger SIB1 transmission. Conversely, if a terminal device does not need SIB1, it can choose not to send a request message to the network device. In some scenarios, this SIB1 transmission method can be referred to as on-demand SIB1 transmission. Compared to the periodic transmission of SIB1 in traditional solutions, this on-demand SIB1 transmission method helps save energy and improve resource utilization.

[0132] Since SIB1 can be requested on demand by terminal devices, it helps save energy in the cell corresponding to SIB1 compared to periodic transmission of SIB1. Therefore, the cell corresponding to SIB1 can be called a "network energy saving (NES) cell". The cell corresponding to SIB1 is the cell that transmits SIB1.

[0133] After proposing on-demand SIB1 transmission, some cells may be NES cells and some may be non-NES cells. Non-NES cells can be understood as not supporting on-demand SIB1 transmission, meaning they transmit SIB1 periodically using the traditional method. Specifically, terminal devices need to use the k parsed from the CD-SSB... SSB And the control resource set 0 and search space 0 detection SIB1 indicated by the PDCCH-configSIB1 field, see the aforementioned terminology explanation for details.

[0134] For terminal devices, the inability to identify whether the cell they are in is an NES cell can lead to situations where, even if the terminal device supports on-demand transmission of SIB1, it may mistakenly believe that the cell is a non-NES cell because it cannot identify whether the cell is NES. As a result, the terminal device may continuously attempt to search for CD-SSB on all synchronization grids, or the terminal device may not even know that it is requesting SIB1. In some cases, the terminal device may not receive SIB1 and may even believe that it is prohibited from accessing the cell, resulting in a relatively large access latency.

[0135] The communication method proposed in this application allows a terminal device to identify a first cell as an NES cell, which can be the cell where the terminal device is currently located. Specifically, the terminal device receives request message configuration information transmitted through a second cell, which can be a neighboring cell of the first cell. This request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell, or the terminal device receives request message configuration information transmitted through the first cell. The request message configuration information includes resource configuration information for a request message to request SIB1 from the first cell. Based on the request message configuration information, the terminal device can determine that the first cell is an NES cell. The terminal device can send a request message to the first cell according to the request message configuration information, that is, send the request message on the resources configured in the request message configuration information. This request message is used to request SIB1, and the network device corresponding to the first cell responds to the request message by sending SIB1 to the terminal device. The application scenarios in Figures 3a and 3b are illustrated below:

[0136] Please refer to Figure 3a, which is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. In this application scenario, the first cell corresponds to the first network device, and the second cell corresponds to the second network device. The coverage area of ​​the second cell includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell. The second cell can also be understood as an anchor cell, and the first cell can also be understood as a non-anchor cell. The request process of SIB1 is illustrated below with reference to Figure 3a:

[0137] S10, the first network device and the second network device exchange information.

[0138] The first network device can send interactive information to the second network device, which can indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. Optionally, the second network device can send interactive information to the first network device, which can indicate whether the second cell is an NES cell.

[0139] S11, the second network device sends a request message configuration information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the request message configuration information.

[0140] The second network device can send a request message configuration information via broadcast. The request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell and the resource configuration information of the request message. The request message is used to request SIB1.

[0141] The terminal device can determine that the first cell is an NES cell by requesting configuration information in the message.

[0142] S12, the terminal device sends a request message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the request message.

[0143] When the terminal device is located at the edge of the first cell, and the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell handover conditions, the terminal device can choose to hand over to the first cell. Since the first cell is an NES cell, the terminal device will send a request message to the first network device on the configured resources according to the request message configuration information received in step S11. This request message is used to request SIB1 of the first cell.

[0144] S13, the first network device sends SIB1 to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives SIB1.

[0145] After receiving the request message, the first network device responds to the request message by sending SIB1 to the terminal device.

[0146] Please refer to Figure 3b, which is a schematic diagram of another application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. In this application scenario, the first cell corresponds to the first network device, the second cell corresponds to the second network device, the first cell and the second cell are adjacent, and there is a partial overlap between the first cell and the second cell. The request process of SIB1 is illustrated below with reference to Figure 3b:

[0147] S20, the first network device and the second network device exchange information.

[0148] S21, the second network device sends a request message configuration information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the request message configuration information.

[0149] S22, the terminal device sends a request message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the request message.

[0150] S23, the first network device sends SIB1 to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives SIB1.

[0151] Please refer to steps S10-S13 of embodiment 3a for steps S20-S23 of this application, which will not be repeated here.

[0152] It is understood that Figures 3a and 3b are merely examples of application scenarios. In Figures 3a and 3b, the first cell and the second cell correspond to different network devices, which is used as an example. In some implementations, the first cell and the second cell may correspond to the same network device. If the first cell and the second cell correspond to the same network device, then step S20 may not exist. The network device can send a request message to configure information in the second cell, the terminal device sends a request message to the network device in the first cell, and the network device sends SIB1 to the terminal device in the first cell.

[0153] This application's embodiments do not limit the request message configuration information to be sent in the second cell; for example, it can also be sent in the first cell. This application also does not limit the request message to be sent in the first cell; it can also be sent in the second cell. That is, the second network device can request the SIB1 of the first cell from the second cell, and the second network device can instruct the first network device to send SIB1 to the terminal device, and the first network device sends SIB1 to the terminal device. This application's embodiments also do not limit SIB1 to be sent in the first cell; it can also be sent in the second cell. For example, if the second network device can obtain the SIB1 of the first cell through the first network device, then SIB1 can also be sent in the second cell.

[0154] The above embodiments use the example of a terminal device determining that the first cell is an NES cell through request message configuration information. The terminal device can also determine that the first cell is an NES cell through indication information, which indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The indication information can be carried in the SSB.

[0155] In specific implementations, the terminal device can determine that the first cell is an NES cell by requesting configuration information or indication information alone. Alternatively, the terminal device can determine that the first cell is an NES cell by requesting configuration information and indication information. For details, please refer to the specific description of the following embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0156] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described below. It should be noted that the various technical solutions (or embodiments) of this application can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain inherent connections. This application does not impose limitations. Furthermore, various terms and definitions between the embodiments can be referenced mutually. In each embodiment of this application, different implementation methods can also be implemented in combination or independently.

[0157] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that in a specific implementation, some steps in the following steps may be included, for example, only step 400 in the following steps may be included.

[0158] 400, the terminal device determines that the first cell is an NES cell. An NES cell is a cell that supports SIB1 requests.

[0159] The first cell can be the cell where the terminal device is currently located. For example, when a terminal device prepares to hand over from another cell to the first cell, it needs to determine whether the first cell is an NES cell. In the following embodiment, the other cell is used as the second cell as an example. For instance, if the terminal device measures that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell handover conditions, it can hand over from the second cell to the first cell. The cell handover conditions could be, for example, that the signal quality of the first cell is better than the signal quality of the second cell.

[0160] The terminal device can determine that the first cell is an NES cell by receiving request message configuration information and / or indication information. The request message configuration information can be used to configure the resources for sending the request message, which requests the SIB1 of the first cell. Further optionally, the request message configuration information can indicate the identifier of the first cell. The identifier of the first cell can be uniquely identified by the Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) and the PCI frequency point; that is, the request message configuration information can indicate the PCI and the PCI frequency point. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. The indication information can be indicated by one bit or by indication parameters, such as including but not limited to at least one of the following: k SSB Control resource set 0, search space 0.

[0161] It is understandable that the terminal device can also determine that the first cell is an NES cell in other ways. For example, the terminal device can be pre-configured with a cell identifier for an NES cell, and the terminal device can determine whether the first cell is an NES cell based on the pre-configured cell identifier.

[0162] In this embodiment, the request message configuration information can be transmitted in a second cell, which can be a neighboring cell of the first cell (as shown in Figure 3b), or the coverage area of ​​the second cell can include the first cell (as shown in Figure 3a). In some embodiments, the request message configuration information can also be transmitted in the first cell. The request message configuration information can be sent via broadcast. Taking the transmission of the request message configuration information in a second cell as an example, the network device corresponding to the second cell can broadcast the request message configuration information in the second cell. This request message configuration information can be carried in one of the following SIBs: SIB1, SIB2, SIB3, SIB4, SIB5, or a new SIB. In some implementations, the request message configuration information may also include the identifiers of other neighboring cells of the second cell, which are NES cells, and resource configuration information for requesting SIB1 from other neighboring cells. For example, if the second cell is cell2, and cell1 and cell5 are NES cells among the neighboring cells of cell2, then the request message configuration information may include the identifier of cell1, the identifier of cell5, the resource configuration information of the request message for requesting SIB1 of cell1, and the resource configuration information of the request message for requesting SIB1 of cell5.

[0163] The indication information in this embodiment may be transmitted in a first cell, for example, it may be carried in the SSB of the first cell. In some embodiments, the indication information may also be transmitted in a second cell. The indication information may be sent by broadcast; the following example uses the transmission of indication information in a first cell, where the network device corresponding to the first cell may broadcast the indication information. The indication information may be carried in the PBCH of the SSB, and optionally, it may be carried in the MIB and / or PBCH payload.

[0164] In this embodiment of the application, the network device corresponding to the first cell and the network device corresponding to the second cell may be the same or different.

[0165] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device receives request message configuration information, it determines that the first cell is an NES cell. The request message configuration information may be transmitted in the second cell and includes the identifier of the first cell; alternatively, the request message configuration information may be transmitted in the first cell. In another possible implementation, if the terminal device receives indication information indicating that the first cell is an NES cell, it determines that the first cell is an NES cell. This indication information may be transmitted in the first cell. In yet another possible implementation, if the terminal device receives both the request message configuration information and the indication information, it determines that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0166] 401. The terminal device sends a request message to the network device. The network device then receives the request message.

[0167] Step 401 can be an optional step. If the terminal device determines that the first cell is an NES cell, it can send a request message to request SIB1 of the first cell. For example, the terminal device can send the request message to the network device corresponding to the first cell.

[0168] The resource from which the terminal device sends the request message may be indicated by the request message configuration information or may be pre-configured; this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0169] 402. The network device sends SIB1 of the first cell to the terminal device. The terminal device then receives SIB1.

[0170] Step 402 can be an optional step. The network device receives the request message and, in response to the request message, sends the SIB1 of the first cell to the terminal device.

[0171] It should be noted that the network device that sends the request message to the terminal device in step 401 and the network device that sends SIB1 to the terminal device in step 402 can be the same or different. For example, the terminal device can send a request message to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the network device corresponding to the first cell sends SIB1 to the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can send a request message to the network device corresponding to the second cell, and the network device corresponding to the second cell can obtain the SIB1 of the first cell from the network device corresponding to the first cell and send it to the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can send a request message to the network device corresponding to the second cell, and the network device corresponding to the second cell can send the request message to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the network device corresponding to the first cell sends SIB1 to the terminal device.

[0172] The communication method provided in this application embodiment allows the terminal device to identify whether the first cell is an NES cell. If the first cell is determined to be an NES cell, the terminal device can request the SIB1 of the first cell, thus avoiding the inability to identify the cell and continuously searching for CD-SSB, thereby reducing access latency.

[0173] The following example illustrates how the indication information identifies the first cell as an NES cell:

[0174] Method 1 indicates the bit value of a newly added or reserved bit in the MIB.

[0175] For example, a reserved bit in the MIB can be used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. For instance, the value of the reserved bit can be set to the first bit value to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. For example, the first bit value can be 1.

[0176] For example, a new bit is added to the MIB. If the value of this new bit is set to the first bit value, it is used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. The first bit value is 0 or 1.

[0177] Method 2 indicates the bit value of a newly added bit in the PBCH payload.

[0178] A new bit can be added to the PBCH payload, and the first bit value of this new bit indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The first bit value can be 0 or 1. This new bit can be...

[0179] Method 3, the instruction information includes k SSB At least one of the following: control resource set 0, search space 0.

[0180] For the spectral range FR1, k SSBIt is achieved through the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field in the MIB and the 1-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field in the PBCH payload. Instructions, therefore, instruction information includes k SSB This can also be understood as the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field and the 1-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" in the PBCH payload. The value of this field indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. For the spectrum range FR2, k SSB The value ranges from 0 to 15, and is indicated by the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field in the MIB. Therefore, the indication information includes k. SSB It can also be understood that the value of the 4-bit "ssb-SubcarrierOffset" field indicates that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0181] Control Resource Set 0 is indicated by the Control Resource Set 0 (ControlResourceSetZero) subfield in the PDCCH-configSIB1 field. Therefore, the indication information including Control Resource Set 0 can also be understood as the value of the Control Resource Set 0 (ControlResourceSetZero) subfield being used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0182] Search Space 0 is indicated by the Search Space Zero subfield in the PDCCH-configSIB1 field. Therefore, the indication information including Search Space 0 can also be understood as the value of the Search Space Zero subfield being used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0183] In this application embodiment, the indication information may include k SSB At least one of the following: control resource set 0, search space 0, and the following indicates that the information includes k. SSB As an example:

[0184] In the first possible implementation, k SSB The value is set to the first value to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. The first value can be specified by the protocol.

[0185] If the first cell is located in frequency band FR1, the first value can be an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31. For example, the first value could be 30. If the first cell is located in frequency band FR2, the first value can be an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15. For example, the first value could be 14. By using k... SSBThe value is used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, making full use of existing fields in SSB, with minimal changes to the standard and low implementation complexity.

[0186] In the first possible implementation, k SSB If the value of is the first value, the indication information may further optionally include control resource set 0 and / or search space 0, that is, k SSB The value of k is used in conjunction with the values ​​of the control resource set 0 and / or search space 0 to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. Below, k is used as an example. SSB The value of k is used in conjunction with the value of the control resource set 0 and the value of the search space 0 to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, as an example. When k SSB The value of the first cell is the first value, the value of the control resource set 0 is the third value, and the value of the search space 0 is the fourth value, indicating that the first cell is an NES cell. The third and fourth values ​​are integers greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 15. The third value may be equal to the fourth value, or it may not be equal to the fourth value; this application does not limit this. For example, the third value is 0 or 15, that is, the value of the control resource set 0 (ControlResourceSetZero) subfield is all 0 or all 1. For example, the fourth value is 0 or 15, that is, the value of the search space 0 (SearchSpaceZero) subfield is all 0 or all 1.

[0187] In k SSB The values ​​of k are used in conjunction with the values ​​of the control resource set 0 and the search space 0 to indicate the case where the first cell is an NES cell. SSB The value is the first value. When the value of the control resource set 0 is not equal to the third value and / or the value of the search space 0 is not equal to the fourth value, other functions can be indicated, thereby realizing more function indications.

[0188] In the second possible implementation, k SSB A value greater than or equal to the second value is used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell. The second value can be specified by the protocol.

[0189] If the frequency band of the first cell is within the spectrum range FR1, the second value can be 24. When the terminal device detects k... SSB If the value of is greater than or equal to 24, it indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. It's understood that the second value of 24 is just an example; it can be other values. For example, the second value could be an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31.

[0190] If the frequency band of the first cell is within the spectrum range FR2, the second value can be 12. When the terminal device detects k... SSBIf the value of is greater than or equal to 12, it indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. It's understood that the second value of 12 is just an example; it can be other values. For example, the second value could be an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15.

[0191] The following describes the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0192] This application divides the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 5 to 7.

[0193] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0194] The communication device 1000 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1000 can be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) applied in the terminal device. The transceiver unit 1100 can, for example, be used to perform all the receiving or sending operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1200 is used to perform all operations performed by the terminal device except for the receiving and sending operations.

[0195] The communication device 1000 includes a transceiver unit 1100 and a processing unit 1200.

[0196] Processing unit 1200 is used to determine that the first cell is an NES cell, wherein the NES cell is a cell that supports SIB1 requests;

[0197] Transceiver unit 1100 is used to send a request message, the request message being used to request SIB1 of the first cell;

[0198] The transceiver unit 1100 is also used to receive SIB1 from the first cell.

[0199] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1200 is specifically used for:

[0200] If request message configuration information and / or indication information are received, the first cell is determined to be an NES cell. The request message configuration information includes the resources configured to send the request message, and the indication information indicates that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the request message configuration information is transmitted in a second cell, which is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell; or, the request message configuration information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0202] The instruction information is transmitted in the first cell.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the indication information is carried in the Master Information Block (MIB) and / or the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the indication information occupies one bit in the MIB, or the indication information occupies one bit in the PBCH payload;

[0205] The value of the first bit indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the value of the first bit is 0 or 1;

[0206] The bit mentioned here is either a newly added bit or a reserved bit.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the synchronization signal block SSB subcarrier offset k. SSB At least one of the following: control resource set 0, search space 0.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes the k SSB ;

[0209] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell; or,

[0210] The k SSB The value of is greater than or equal to the second value to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell.

[0211] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31.

[0212] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15.

[0213] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is equal to 30;

[0214] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is equal to 14.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the indication information further includes the control resource set 0 and the search space 0;

[0216] The k SSB The value is a first value used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, including:

[0217] The k SSB The value of is the first value, the value of the control resource set 0 is the third value, and the value of the search space 0 is the fourth value, indicating that the first cell is an NES cell. The third value and the fourth value are integers that are greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 15.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the third value is 0 or 15;

[0219] The fourth value is either 0 or 15.

[0220] In one possible implementation, if the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the second value is 24;

[0221] If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the second value is 12.

[0222] The detailed description and beneficial effects of the device embodiment shown in Figure 5 can be found in the description of the foregoing method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0223] The access network device of the embodiments of this application has been described above. The possible product forms of the terminal device are described below. It should be understood that any product with the functions of the terminal device described in FIG5 above falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. It should also be understood that the following description is only an example and does not limit the product form of the terminal device of the embodiments of this application to this.

[0224] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG6, the processing unit 1200 may be one or more processors, and the transceiver unit 1100 may be a transceiver. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 1100 may also be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, where the transmitting unit may be a transmitter and the receiving unit may be a receiver. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiments of this application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc. The connection method between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0225] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device in Figure 6 can be the terminal device described above.

[0226] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 2000 includes one or more processors 2200 and transceivers 2100. The transceiver 2100 can implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1100, and the processor 2200 can implement the functions of the processing unit 1200.

[0227] In various implementations of the communication device shown in Figure 6, the transceiver may include a receiver for performing the function (or operation) of receiving, and a transmitter for performing the function (or operation) of transmitting. The transceiver is also used to communicate with other devices / appliances via a transmission medium.

[0228] Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include one or more memories 2300 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 2300 is coupled to the processor 2200. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 2200 may operate in conjunction with the memory 2300. The processor 2200 can execute program instructions stored in the memory 2300.

[0229] This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the transceiver 2100, processor 2200, and memory 2300. In Figure 6, the transceiver 2100, processor 2200, and memory 2300 are connected via a bus 2400, indicated by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 6, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0230] In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0231] In this application embodiment, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium capable of carrying or storing program code having instruction or data structure forms, and capable of being read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in this application), but is not limited to this. The memory in this application embodiment may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0232] The processor 2200 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory 2300 is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 2100 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0233] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 2200 can read the software program in the memory 2300, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 2200 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 2200. The processor 2200 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0234] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0235] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application may have more components than those in Figure 6, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the methods described above.

[0236] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG5, the processing unit 1200 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver unit 1100 can be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 1100 can also be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit can be an output interface, and the receiving unit can be an input interface. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface. As shown in FIG7, the communication device shown in FIG7 includes a logic circuit 3001 and an interface 3002. That is, the above-mentioned processing unit 1200 can be implemented using the logic circuit 3001, and the transceiver unit 1100 can be implemented using the interface 3002. Among them, the logic circuit 3001 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 3002 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, pins, etc. For example, FIG7 shows the above-mentioned communication device as a chip, which includes a logic circuit 3001 and an interface 3002.

[0237] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment.

[0238] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in hardware form or in software form, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit it in this way.

[0239] This application also provides a wireless communication system, which includes a network device and a terminal device, and the network device and the terminal device can be used to perform the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0240] In addition, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the operations and / or processes performed by a terminal device or network device in the method provided in this application.

[0241] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program. When the computer code or computer program is run on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by the terminal device or network device in the method provided in this application are executed.

[0242] In the 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. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, or it may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0243] 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 according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0244] Furthermore, 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0245] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0246] 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

A communication method characterized by comprising: include: The first cell is identified as a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell, wherein the NES cell is a cell that supports System Information Block (SIB1) requests; Send a request message, the request message being used to request SIB1 of the first cell; Receive SIB1 from the first cell. The method of claim 1, wherein The determination that the first cell is a Network Energy Saving (NES) cell includes: If request message configuration information and / or indication information are received, the first cell is determined to be an NES cell. The request message configuration information includes the resources configured to send the request message, and the indication information indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The method of claim 2, wherein The request message configuration information is transmitted in a second cell, which is a neighboring cell of the first cell, and the request message configuration information includes the identifier of the first cell; or, the request message configuration information is transmitted in the first cell. The instruction information is transmitted in the first cell. The method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The indication information is carried in the main information block (MIB) and / or the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) payload. The method of claim 4, wherein The indication information occupies one bit in the MIB, or the indication information occupies one bit in the PBCH payload; The value of the first bit indicates that the first cell is an NES cell, and the value of the first bit is 0 or 1; The bit mentioned here is either a newly added bit or a reserved bit. The method of claim 4, wherein The indication information includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB subcarrier offset k SSB , control resource set 0, search space 0. The method of claim 6, wherein The indication information includes the k SSB ; the k SSB is a first value, indicating that the first cell is an NES cell; or The value of the k SSB greater than or equal to the second value indicates that the first cell is an NES cell. The method of claim 7, wherein If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 24 and less than or equal to 31; If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is an integer greater than or equal to 12 and less than or equal to 15. The method of claim 8, wherein If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the first value is equal to 30; If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the first value is equal to 14. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that The instruction information also includes the control resource set 0 and the search space 0; the k SSB a value of the first value is used to indicate that the first cell is an NES cell, comprising: The k SSB value of the search space 0 is a fourth value indicates that the first cell is a NES cell, the third value and the fourth value are integers greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 15. The method of claim 10, wherein The third value is 0 or 15; The fourth value is either 0 or 15. The method of claim 7, wherein If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR1, the second value is 24; If the frequency band where the first cell is located is the spectrum range FR2, the second value is 12. A terminal device characterized by comprising: Includes one or more processors and memory; The memory is coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being used to store computer program code, the computer program code including computer instructions, the one or more processors invoking the computer instructions to cause the terminal device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12. A computer storage medium, characterized by The computer storage medium is used to store a computer program, which, when executed, performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-12. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a terminal device, the method as described in any one of claims 1-12 is performed. A chip system, characterized by The chip system is applied to a terminal device, and the chip system includes one or more processors, the processors being used to invoke computer instructions to cause the terminal device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12.

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