Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus, which can be applied to an NTN, such as a satellite communication system. In the method, after a first communication apparatus determines first subframe information on the basis of a first offset, the first communication apparatus can receive a system information block (SIB) in a first radio frame set on the basis of the first subframe information. The first radio frame set contains some or all downlink frames that overlap with a first downlink subframe among radio frames within an SIB sending period, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe within a time division duplex (TDD) frame period. In this way, within an SIB sending period, a first communication apparatus can receive an SIB in a frame in which a downlink subframe in a TDD frame period is located, so that a frame in which a non-downlink subframe in the TDD frame period is located can be avoided, and transmission interference to the SIB by the frame in which the non-downlink subframe in the TDD frame period is located can be avoided or reduced, thereby improving SIB reception performance, and enabling the communication apparatus to quickly access a network on the basis of the received SIB.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411844229.3, filed on December 12, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", 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 apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication can be a transmission communication between two or more communication devices that does not propagate through conductors or cables. These two or more communication devices include network devices and terminal devices.

[0004] Currently, terminal devices can receive broadcast signals (such as synchronization signals) from network devices to achieve synchronization. After synchronization, the terminal device can receive broadcast information to obtain cell configuration and other network parameters. Taking the broadcast information as a system information block (SIB) as an example, to support terminal devices with limited capabilities (such as terminal devices supporting narrowband (NB) communication), the terminal device can receive signals in a subframe of different frames within a SIB transmission period and parse the signals received in that different frame to obtain the SIB.

[0005] However, how to improve the receiving performance of SIB is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for improving the receiving performance of SIBs, thereby enabling the communication device to quickly access the network based on the received SIBs.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device), or it may be a component within the communication equipment (e.g., a module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-chip (SoC) chips containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SIP) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the first communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a first communication device as an example.

[0008] In this method, a first communication device determines first subframe information based on a first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period, and the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry an SIB; the first communication device receives the SIB in a first radio frame set based on the first subframe information; wherein the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, after the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, it can receive the SIB based on the first subframe information in the first radio frame set. The first radio frame set consists of some or all downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe within the SIB transmission period, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe within the TDD frame period. In this way, within the SIB transmission period, the first communication device can receive the SIB within the frame containing the downlink subframe of the TDD frame period, avoiding frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period. This avoids or reduces transmission interference from frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period to the SIB, improving the SIB reception performance and enabling the first communication device to quickly access the network based on the received SIB.

[0010] Optionally, the aforementioned SIB can be the narrowband system information block 1 (SIB1-NB) of a narrowband (NB) system, meaning the aforementioned SIB transmission period can be the SIB1-NB transmission period. In the above process, the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period. In this way, the SIB1-NB transmission period can be compatible with downlink subframes of the TDD frame period, avoiding or reducing the impact on the transmission of other signals involved in the SIB1-NB transmission period (such as the narrowband primary synchronization signal (NPSS), narrowband secondary synchronization signal (NSSS), and narrowband master information block (MIB-NB)).

[0011] Optionally, the first offset can be predefined by a standard or protocol, which can reduce configuration overhead and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB before accessing the network, and subsequently access the network based on the received SIB.

[0012] Alternatively, the first offset may be configured by a network device (e.g., the second communication device described later), which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB based on the first offset specified by the network device, thereby improving the reception performance of the SIB.

[0013] Optionally, the TDD frame period may include one or more downlink subframes and one or more non-downlink subframes. The one or more non-downlink subframes may include uplink subframes (used for uplink transmission) and / or guard period (GP) subframes. Optionally, the frame containing the uplink subframe may be called an uplink frame (i.e., the uplink frame contains at least one uplink subframe used for uplink transmission), and the frame containing the GP subframe may be called a GP frame (i.e., the GP frame contains at least one GP subframe acting as a GP).

[0014] Alternatively, the TDD frame period can be replaced with the TDD frame structure period, Iridium frame structure, Iridium frame period, or other names defined by the network in the future.

[0015] As an example, in a TDD frame period, the number of frames contained in each TDD frame period is 9 or an integer multiple of 9. For example, a TDD frame period may be 90 milliseconds (ms), 180 ms, or other durations defined by the network in the future.

[0016] As another example, in a TDD frame period, the number of subframes for downlink transmission contained in each TDD frame period is 8, 20, or 30. Optionally, the subframes for downlink transmission contained in each TDD frame period are consecutive.

[0017] For example, each TDD frame period contains 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 8 consecutive subframes can be located in the same frame (i.e., the frame numbers corresponding to these 8 consecutive subframes can be the same); or, these 8 consecutive subframes can be located in 2 consecutive frames (i.e., the frame numbers corresponding to some of these 8 consecutive subframes can be different).

[0018] For example, each TDD frame period contains 20 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 20 consecutive subframes can be located in 2 frames, which can be downlink frames; or, these 20 consecutive subframes can be located in 3 consecutive frames.

[0019] For example, each TDD frame period contains 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 30 consecutive subframes can be located in 3 frames, which can be downlink frames; or, these 30 consecutive subframes can be located in 4 consecutive frames.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first communication device receives the SIB in a first set of radio frames based on the first subframe information, including: the first communication device receives the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each radio frame in the first set of radio frames.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can receive SIBs in the same subframe number on different radio frames included in the first radio frame set based on one or more subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information, thereby reducing the implementation complexity.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the subframe numbers of the subframes used to carry the SIB are the same in each radio frame in the first radio frame set. For example, the first subframe information is the subframe numbers of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, in the first set of radio frames, the subframe numbers used to carry subframes on different radio frames are the same (for example, the subframe numbers are all the four subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information), which can reduce the implementation complexity.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, comprising: the first communication device determining the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can determine the first subframe information according to the first offset and the number of times the SIB is repeated. That is, different numbers of SIB repetitions can correspond to different first subframe information, so that different numbers of SIB repetitions can correspond to different subframes used to carry the SIB, i.e., different first subframe information. For example, more numbers of SIB repetitions correspond to a larger number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, and vice versa, fewer numbers of SIB repetitions correspond to a smaller number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, so that the number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information can meet the transmission requirements of different numbers of SIB repetitions.

[0026] As an example, if the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes within a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one or two subframes. For example, for a subset of frames in the first radio frame set where one subframe carries the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one subframe in that subset; for another subset of frames in the first radio frame set where two subframes carry the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of two subframes in that other subset.

[0027] As another example, the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes. For example, for a portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 2, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 subframes in that portion of the frames; for another portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 4, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 4 subframes in that other portion of the frames.

[0028] As another example, the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the four subframes.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB, including: the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can determine the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of times the SIB is repeated, as well as the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different first subframe information. In other words, the subframe number used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different, so that the first subframe information can be associated with the cell identifier, and different cells can send the SIB based on different first subframe information, thereby reducing signal interference between different cells.

[0031] Understandably, the resource location of an SIB can be determined through a broadcast signal, and the cell identifier can also be determined through this broadcast signal. For example, this broadcast signal could be a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB or S-SS / PSBCH block), or some other name defined by the future network.

[0032] As an example, the SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of a subframe in a radio frame used to carry the SIB, and the subframe number of the subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

[0033] As another example, the SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined by the cell identifier from two candidate subframe numbers.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0035] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can determine the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set according to the number of repetitions of the SIB. That is, different repetitions of the SIB can correspond to different numbers of frames contained in the first radio frame set, so that the number of frames received by the first communication device can be associated with the number of repetitions of the SIB. For example, more repetitions of the SIB correspond to more frames, and vice versa, fewer repetitions of the SIB correspond to fewer frames, so that the number of frames received by the first communication device can meet the transmission requirements of different SIB repetitions.

[0036] As an example, the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0037] As another example, the SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0038] As another example, the SIB repeats 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the frame number of the frame in which the SIB is transmitted within the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

[0040] Based on the above scheme, during the SIB transmission cycle, the first communication device can determine the frame number of the frame that transmits the SIB within the SIB transmission cycle through the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different frame numbers. In other words, the frame numbers of the frames used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different, so that the frame number of the SIB received by the first communication device can be associated with the cell identifier, and different cells can also transmit the SIB based on different frame numbers, thereby reducing signal interference between different cells.

[0041] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a network device), or it may be a component within the communication equipment (e.g., a module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions, including but not limited to modem chips, baseband chips, system-on-chip (SoC) chips containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SIP) chips, etc.). Alternatively, the second communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a second communication device as an example.

[0042] In this method, a second communication device generates an SIB; the second communication device transmits the SIB in a first radio frame set based on first subframe information; the first subframe information is associated with a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period; the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the system information block (SIB); a TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms); the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe; the first downlink subframe is the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, after the second communication device transmits the SIB based on the first subframe information in the first radio frame set, the first communication device can receive the SIB in the first radio frame set based on the first subframe information associated with the first offset. The first radio frame set consists of some or all downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe within the radio frames during the SIB transmission period. The first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe within the TDD frame period. In this way, during the SIB transmission period, the first communication device can receive the SIB within the frames containing the downlink subframes in the TDD frame period, avoiding frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period. This avoids or reduces transmission interference from frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period to the SIB, thereby improving the SIB reception performance and enabling the first communication device to quickly access the network based on the received SIB.

[0044] Optionally, the aforementioned SIB can be SIB1-NB, meaning the aforementioned SIB transmission period can be the SIB1-NB transmission period. In the above process, the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period. In this way, the SIB1-NB transmission period can be compatible with downlink subframes of the TDD frame period, avoiding or reducing the impact on the transmission of other signals involved in the SIB1-NB transmission period (such as NPSS, NSSS, MIB-NB, etc.).

[0045] Optionally, the first offset can be pre-configured by a standard or protocol, which can reduce configuration overhead and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB before accessing the network, and subsequently access the network based on the received SIB.

[0046] Alternatively, the first offset may be configured by a network device (e.g., a second communication device), which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB based on the first offset specified by the network device, thereby improving the reception performance of the SIB.

[0047] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second communication device transmits the SIB in a first set of radio frames based on the first subframe information, including: the second communication device transmits the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each radio frame in the first set of radio frames.

[0048] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can transmit SIBs using the same subframe number on different radio frames included in the first radio frame set, based on one or more subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information, thereby reducing implementation complexity.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the subframe numbers of the subframes used to carry the SIB are the same in each radio frame within the first radio frame set. For example, the first subframe information is the subframe numbers of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

[0050] Based on the above scheme, in the first set of radio frames, the subframe numbers used to carry subframes on different radio frames are the same (for example, the subframe numbers are all the four subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information), which can reduce the implementation complexity.

[0051] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first subframe information is associated with the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0052] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can determine the first subframe information according to the first offset and the number of SIB repetitions. That is, different SIB repetitions can correspond to different first subframe information, so that different SIB repetitions can correspond to different subframes used to carry the SIB, i.e., different first subframe information. For example, a larger number of SIB repetitions corresponds to a larger number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, and vice versa, a smaller number of SIB repetitions corresponds to a smaller number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, so that the number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information can meet the transmission requirements of different SIB repetitions.

[0053] As an example, if the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes within a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one or two subframes. For example, for a subset of frames in the first radio frame set where one subframe carries the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one subframe in that subset; for another subset of frames in the first radio frame set where two subframes carry the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of two subframes in that other subset.

[0054] As another example, the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes. For example, for a portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 2, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 subframes in that portion of the frames; for another portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 4, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 4 subframes in that other portion of the frames.

[0055] As another example, the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the four subframes.

[0056] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first subframe information is associated with the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

[0057] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can determine the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of times the SIB is repeated, as well as the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different first subframe information. In other words, the subframe number used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different, so that the first subframe information can be associated with the cell identifier, and different cells can send the SIB based on different first subframe information to reduce signal interference between different cells.

[0058] As an example, the SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of a subframe in a radio frame used to carry the SIB, and the subframe number of the subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

[0059] As another example, the SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined by the cell identifier from two candidate subframe numbers.

[0060] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0061] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can determine the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set according to the number of repetitions of the SIB. That is, different repetitions of the SIB can correspond to different numbers of frames contained in the first radio frame set, so that the number of frames transmitted by the second communication device for the SIB can be associated with the number of repetitions of the SIB. For example, more repetitions of the SIB correspond to more frames, and vice versa, fewer repetitions of the SIB correspond to fewer frames, so that the number of frames transmitted by the second communication device for the SIB can meet the transmission requirements for different SIB repetitions.

[0062] As an example, the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0063] As another example, the SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0064] As another example, the SIB repeats 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0065] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the frame number of the frame in which the SIB is transmitted within the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

[0066] Based on the above scheme, during the SIB transmission cycle, the second communication device can determine the frame number of the frame that transmits the SIB within the SIB transmission cycle through the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different frame numbers. In other words, the frame numbers of the frames used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different, so that the frame number of the SIB transmitted by the second communication device can be associated with the cell identifier, and different cells can transmit the SIB based on different frame numbers, thereby reducing signal interference between different cells.

[0067] A third aspect of this application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine first subframe information based on a first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period, and the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry an SIB. The transceiver unit is configured to receive the SIB based on the first subframe information in a first set of radio frames. The first set of radio frames consists of some or all downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with a first downlink subframe, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0068] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is configured to receive the SIB in a first set of radio frames based on the first subframe information, comprising: the transceiver unit receiving the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each radio frame in the first set of radio frames.

[0069] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

[0070] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the processing unit determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, including: the processing unit determines the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0071] In one possible implementation of the third aspect

[0072] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or,

[0073] The SIB is repeated 7 or 8 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or,

[0074] The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB.

[0075] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the processing unit is configured to determine first subframe information based on a first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB, comprising: the processing unit determining the first subframe information based on the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

[0076] In one possible implementation of the third aspect

[0077] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of one subframe used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the one subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier; or,

[0078] The SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined from the two candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

[0079] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the number of frames contained in the first wireless frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0080] In one possible implementation of the third aspect

[0081] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or,

[0082] The SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or,

[0083] The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0084] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the frame number of the frame in which the SIB is transmitted within the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

[0085] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, at least one of the following is satisfied:

[0086] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 9 frames; or,

[0087] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 8, 20, or 30 subframes for downlink transmission; or,

[0088] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains frames for uplink transmission and / or guard interval frames.

[0089] In the third aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0090] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is used to generate an System Information Block (SIB). The transceiver unit is used to transmit the SIB based on first subframe information in a first radio frame set. The first subframe information is associated with a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period. The first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the System Information Block (SIB). The TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms). The first radio frame set is a portion or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe. The first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0091] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the SIB in a first set of radio frames based on the first subframe information, comprising: the transceiver unit transmitting the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each radio frame in the first set of radio frames.

[0092] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

[0093] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first subframe information is associated with the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0094] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect

[0095] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or,

[0096] The SIB is repeated 7 or 8 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or,

[0097] The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB.

[0098] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first subframe information is associated with the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

[0099] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect

[0100] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of one subframe used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the one subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier; or,

[0101] The SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined from the two candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

[0102] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the number of frames contained in the first wireless frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0103] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect

[0104] The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or,

[0105] The SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or,

[0106] The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0107] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the frame number of the frame in which the SIB is transmitted within the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

[0108] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, at least one of the following is satisfied:

[0109] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 9 frames; or,

[0110] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 8, 20, or 30 subframes for downlink transmission; or,

[0111] In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains frames for uplink transmission and / or guard interval frames.

[0112] In the fourth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0113] The fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the communication device to implement the method described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0114] Optionally, the communication device may include the memory, and / or the at least one processor is coupled to the memory; wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions.

[0115] The sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit; the logic circuit is configured to perform the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above.

[0116] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0117] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0118] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0119] The tenth aspect of this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects.

[0120] For example, the chip may include a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system-in-package (SIP) chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0121] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0122] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0123] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system provided in this application;

[0124] Figures 2a to 2e are some schematic diagrams of the satellite communication process provided in this application;

[0125] Figures 3a to 3d are schematic diagrams of the communication process provided in this application;

[0126] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application;

[0127] Figures 5a to 5f are some schematic diagrams of the resource locations provided in this application;

[0128] Figures 6a and 6b are schematic diagrams of the resource locations provided in this application;

[0129] Figures 7 to 10 are some schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0130] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0131] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0132] Terminal equipment can be various communication kits with wireless communication capabilities (kits may include, for example, antennas, power supply modules, cables, and Wi-Fi modules). Terminal equipment can also be communication modules with satellite communication capabilities, satellite phones or their components, or satellite communication terminals, such as very small aperture terminals (VSAT terminals), portable stations, fixed stations, vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminals, etc. It should be understood that satellite communication terminals can act as micro base stations to further provide data interfaces to accessing user equipment. Terminal equipment can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the wireless access network. Examples of wireless terminal equipment include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as systems, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, mobile stations (MS), remote stations, access points (APs), remote terminals, access terminals, user terminals, user agents, subscriber stations (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminals, user equipment (UEs), mobile terminals (MTs), and drones. Terminal equipment can also include wearable devices and future communication systems. Of course, the terminal device in this application may also refer to a chip, modem, system on a chip (SoC), or communication platform that may include radio frequency (RF) components, etc., that is mainly responsible for related communication functions.

[0133] (2) Network equipment: This can be equipment within a wireless network. For example, network equipment can be a RAN node (or device) that connects terminal devices to the wireless network, and can also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN equipment include: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network architecture, network equipment can include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment including CU nodes and DU nodes.

[0134] Optionally, the RAN node can also be a macro base station, micro base station, indoor station, relay node, donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The RAN node can be a satellite (or satellite base station) or a high altitude platform station (HAPS), or base station equipment mounted on a satellite / HAPS. The satellite can include at least one of the following: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite or non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite. Non-geostationary earth orbit satellites can include at least one of the following: medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. There are no restrictions here. The RAN node can also be a gateway station (or ground station, earth station, signal gateway, gateway, or gateway station). The RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or vehicle-mounted equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0135] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0136] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0137] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0138] The correspondence between network elements and their achievable protocol layer functions in the ORAN system can be found in Table 1 below.

[0139] Table 1

[0140] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0141] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the function of the network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0142] (3) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device sending configuration information or parameter values ​​of some parameters to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device and the terminal device have negotiated in advance, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device or the terminal device uses as specified by the standard protocol, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that are pre-stored in the network device or the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0143] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0144] (4) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0145] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0146] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0147] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0148] (6) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0149] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0150] This application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or new wireless vehicle-to-everything (NR V2X) systems; it can also be applied to systems with hybrid LTE and 5G networks; or device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or drone communication systems; or communication systems supporting multiple wireless technologies, such as LTE and NR technologies. The methods provided in this application's embodiments can be applied to terrestrial network communication systems or non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems. The NTN system can be an NTN system integrated with 4G, 5G, and any future generation of communication systems, such as NR NTN, IoT NTN, etc. NTN communication systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, and can also include drones, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other aerial access network equipment; this application does not limit this. Alternatively, this communication system can also be applied to narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems or other communication systems. These systems include network devices and terminal devices, with the network device acting as a configuration information sending entity and the terminal device acting as a configuration information receiving entity. Specifically, in this communication system, one entity sends configuration information to another entity and sends data to or receives data from another entity; the other entity receives the configuration information and, based on the configuration information, sends data to or receives data from the configuration information sending entity. This application can be applied to terminal devices in a connected or active state, as well as to terminal devices in an inactive or idle state.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0152] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are applicable to terrestrial communication systems. Alternatively, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are applicable to communication systems that integrate terrestrial and satellite communication, which can also be called non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems. For example, RAN100 in Figure 1 may include a terrestrial base station, wherein the terrestrial base station may include a TN cell (i.e., the signal of the TN cell can be transmitted and received through the terrestrial base station); and RAN100 in Figure 1 may also include a non-terrestrial base station, taking a satellite as an example, the satellite may include an NTN cell (i.e., the signal of the NTN cell can be transmitted and received through the satellite). The terrestrial communication system may be, for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a 5G communication system, or a new radio (NR) system, or a communication system that is the next step in the development of the 5G communication system, etc., and is not limited here.

[0153] Compared to traditional mobile communication systems, satellite communication offers advantages such as wider coverage, communication costs independent of transmission distance, and the ability to overcome natural geographical barriers like oceans, deserts, and mountains. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional communication networks, satellite communication can serve as an effective supplement. It is generally believed that non-terrestrial network communication has different channel characteristics compared to terrestrial network communication, such as large transmission delays and Doppler frequency offsets. For example, the round-trip time (RTT) of GEO satellite communication is 238–270 milliseconds (ms), while that of LEO satellite communication is 8 ms–20 ms. Based on orbital altitude, satellite communication systems can be classified into three types: geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication systems (also known as geosynchronous orbit satellite systems); medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication systems; and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems.

[0154] GEO satellites, also known as geostationary orbit satellites, orbit at an altitude of 35,786 kilometers. Their main advantages are relative stationary position and large coverage area. However, GEO satellites also have significant drawbacks: their large distance from Earth necessitates larger antennas; their transmission latency is relatively high, around 0.5 seconds, failing to meet the demands of real-time services; and their orbital resources are relatively scarce, resulting in high launch costs and an inability to provide coverage to polar regions. MEO satellites, orbiting at altitudes between 2,000 and 35,786 km, can achieve global coverage with a relatively small number of satellites, but their transmission latency is higher than that of LEO satellites, and they are primarily used for positioning and navigation. Furthermore, satellites orbiting at altitudes between 300 and 2,000 km are called Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. LEO satellites are lower in altitude than MEO and GEO satellites, resulting in lower data propagation latency, lower power loss, and relatively lower launch costs. Therefore, LEO satellite communication networks have made significant progress and attracted considerable attention in recent years.

[0155] In one possible implementation, satellite equipment can be categorized into transparent mode and regenerative mode based on its operating mode.

[0156] The two modes will be illustrated below using the implementation methods shown in Figures 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d.

[0157] In the transparent transmission mode implementation shown in Figure 2a, the satellite and the gateway station (i.e., the NTN Gateway in Figure 2a) act as relays, specifically the Remote Radio Unit (RTU) shown in Figure 2a. Communication between the terminal equipment and the gNB requires this relay process. In other words, in transparent transmission mode, the satellite has a relay forwarding function.

[0158] For example, in the transparent transmission mode implementation shown in Figure 2b, when the satellite (including GEO satellites, MEO satellites, LEO satellites, etc.) operates in transparent transmission mode, the satellite has a relay forwarding function. The gateway station (or signaling station) has the function of a base station or part of the function of a base station; in this case, the gateway station can be regarded as a base station. Alternatively, the base station can be deployed separately from the gateway station, in which case the delay of the feeder link includes two parts: the delay from the satellite to the gateway station and the delay from the gateway station to the gNB.

[0159] Optionally, the transparent transmission mode can be used as an example where the gateway station and gNB are together or in close proximity. For cases where the gateway station and gNB are far apart, the feeder link delay can be calculated by adding the delay from the satellite to the gateway station and the delay from the gateway station to the gNB.

[0160] As shown in Figure 2c, in the regeneration mode implementation, the satellite and the gateway station (i.e., the NTN Gateway in Figure 2c) act as gNBs and can communicate with the terminal devices. In other words, in regeneration mode, the satellite has the functions of a base station or some of the functions of a base station, and in this case, the satellite can be regarded as a base station.

[0161] For example, in the regeneration mode implementation shown in Figure 2d, when the satellite (including GEO satellites, MEO satellites, LEO satellites, etc.) is working in regeneration mode, compared with the implementation shown in Figure 2b, the satellite has the function of a base station or part of the function of a base station. In this case, the satellite can be regarded as a base station (i.e., an airborne base station).

[0162] Alternatively, in Figures 2b and / or 2d, the satellite can be implemented in other ways, such as by a drone or a high-altitude platform as shown in the figures.

[0163] It should be noted that NTN and terrestrial network base stations can be interconnected through a shared core network. They can also achieve more timely assistance and interconnection through interfaces defined between base stations. In NR, the interface between base stations is called the Xn interface, and the interface between the base station and the core network is called the NG interface. In a converged network, both NTN nodes and terrestrial nodes can achieve interoperability and collaboration through these interfaces.

[0164] In addition, satellites, as network devices, can transmit ephemeris information so that the recipient of the ephemeris information (such as terminal equipment, its base station, or other satellites) can determine the relevant information about the satellite's orbit based on the ephemeris information.

[0165] It should be noted that this application can be applied to long term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or future communication networks / systems.

[0166] Taking 5G as an example, a 5G satellite communication system architecture is shown in Figure 2e. Ground terminal equipment accesses the network through the 5G New Radio interface, while 5G base stations are deployed on satellites and connected to the ground core network via wireless links. Simultaneously, wireless links exist between satellites to facilitate signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations. The devices and interfaces in Figure 2e are described below:

[0167] 5G Core Network: This includes services such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. It consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. The Access and Mobility Management Unit (AMF) is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The User Plane Unit (UPF) is responsible for managing user plane data transmission and traffic statistics. The Session Management Function (SMF) is mainly used for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, modification, and release.

[0168] Ground station: Responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between satellite base stations and the 5G core network.

[0169] 5G New Radio: The wireless link between a terminal and a base station.

[0170] Xn interface: The interface between 5G base stations, mainly used for signaling interactions such as handover.

[0171] NG interface: The interface between 5G base stations and 5G core networks, mainly used for exchanging non-access stratum (NAS) signaling of the core network and user service data.

[0172] Furthermore, network devices in terrestrial network communication systems and satellites in NTN communication systems can be uniformly considered as network devices. The apparatus used to implement the functions of a network device can be a network device itself; it can also be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed within the network device. In the following description of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application, a satellite is used as an example to illustrate the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. It is understood that when the methods provided by the embodiments of this application are applied to terrestrial network communication systems, the actions performed by the satellite can be applied to the base station or network device for execution.

[0173] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device is a terminal or UE as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0174] In addition, the aforementioned satellites can be geostationary satellites, non-geostationary satellites, artificial satellites, low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, and high-Earth orbit satellites, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0175] The foregoing content describes various wireless communication scenarios involved in this application. It should be understood that the above content is merely an illustrative description of the scenarios in which this application can be applied, and this application can also be applied to other application scenarios, which are not limited here. The wireless communication process involved in this application will be described below.

[0176] Currently, terminal devices can receive broadcast signals (such as synchronization signals) from network devices to achieve synchronization. After synchronization, the terminal device can receive broadcast information to obtain cell configuration and other network parameters. Taking the broadcast information as a system information block (SIB) as an example, to support terminal devices with limited capabilities (such as those supporting narrowband (NB) communication), the terminal device can receive signals in a subframe of different frames within a SIB transmission period and parse the received signals in that different frame to obtain the SIB. However, improving the SIB reception performance in the above process is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0177] Figures 3a and 3b illustrate the transmission method of SIB1 in the current NB-IoT system. In the NB-IoT system, SIB1 can be referred to as Narrowband System Information Block 1 (SIB1-NB). The transmission of SIB1-NB is indicated by the master information block (MIB) with a repetition count of 4, 8, or 16. It has a fixed period of 2560ms.

[0178] As shown in Figure 3a, a 2560ms interval can contain the SIB1-NB transmission cycle. Within one SIB1-NB transmission cycle, a repetition occurs every 160ms. For example, a maximum of 16 repetitions can be transmitted within 2560ms, i.e., 16 160ms intervals as shown in the figure. Figure 3a uses 4 repetitions of SIB1-NB as an example; with 4 repetitions, the transmission is repeated 4 times at equal intervals within 2560ms. For instance, the 4 repetitions of SIB1-NB occupy the 0th, 4th, 8th, and 12th 160ms intervals within 2560ms. The interval between each adjacent repetition is 480ms (480ms = 160 * 3), i.e., the interval between repetition 1 and repetition 2 is 480ms, the interval between repetition 2 and repetition 3 is 480ms, and the interval between repetition 3 and repetition 4 is 480ms.

[0179] Furthermore, in each repeated transmission, SIB1-NB occupies the 4th subframe in even-numbered frames (e.g., system frames 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 in the figure). In other words, for the terminal device, it needs to receive the signal in the 4th subframe of each even-numbered frame within a 160ms repetition to obtain the SIB1-NB. For example, in Figure 3a, it can be understood that SIB1-NB contains 8 parts: the 4th subframe of system frame 0 is used to transmit the 1st part, the 4th subframe of system frame 2 is used to transmit the 2nd part, the 4th subframe of system frame 4 is used to transmit the 3rd part, the 4th subframe of system frame 6 is used to transmit the 4th part, the 4th subframe of system frame 8 is used to transmit the 5th part, the 4th subframe of system frame 10 is used to transmit the 6th part, the 4th subframe of system frame 12 is used to transmit the 7th part, and the 4th subframe of system frame 10 is used to transmit the 8th part.

[0180] As shown in Figure 3b, in the current NB-IoT system, the 10 subframes contained in a system frame can be used to transmit broadcast signals / broadcast information. For example, the 0th subframe can be used to transmit the narrowband (NB) MIB (denoted as MIB-NB), the 4th subframe can be used to transmit SIB1-NB, the 5th subframe can be used to transmit the NB's primary synchronization signal (PSS) (denoted as NPSS), and the 9th subframe can be used to transmit the NB's secondary synchronization signal (SSS) (denoted as NSSS).

[0181] Optionally, in the example shown in Figure 3b, of the 10 subframes contained in a system frame, six subframes other than those used for transmitting MIB-NB, SIB1-NB, NPSS, and NSSS can be used for transmitting data.

[0182] As shown in Figure 3c, 2560ms can be represented as 16 rows of resources in Figure 3c. Each row contains 16 squares, and each square represents 10ms. For example, squares with frame numbers 0-15 in the first row represent the first 160ms in 2560ms, squares with frame numbers 16-31 in the second row represent the second 160ms in 2560ms, and so on. Squares with frame numbers 239-255 in the 16th row represent the 16th 160ms in 2560ms. Correspondingly, the four repetitions of SIB1-NB occupy the 0th, 4th, 8th, and 12th 160ms in 2560ms, which can be represented as the four repetitions of SIB1-NB occupying the resources corresponding to the even-numbered frames in rows 0, 4, 8, and 12 of the 16 rows of resources in Figure 3c. Furthermore, within each of the 16 blocks (i.e., 160ms) in these four rows of resources, the eight parts of SIB1-NB occupy the fourth subframe in the even-numbered frames. The diagram indicates the eight parts of SIB1-NB by numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

[0183] Similarly, if the repetition count is 8, the signal is transmitted 8 times at equal intervals within 2560ms. For example, the 8 repetitions of SIB1-NB occupy the 0th, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, and 14th 160ms intervals within 2560ms, with a 160ms interval between each two adjacent repetitions. If the repetition count is 16, the SIB is transmitted every 160ms within 2560ms. For example, the 16 repetitions of SIB1-NB occupy the 0th to 15th 160ms intervals within 2560ms.

[0184] Optionally, the method shown in Figure 3a supports the transmission of SIB1-NBs in multiple cells, meaning different cell identifiers correspond to different resource transmission locations for SIB1-NBs. The SIB1-NB repeatedly transmits the starting radio frame and the cell identifier (denoted as...). The pre-configured relationships can be satisfied, and these pre-configured relationships can be achieved through tables, formulas, etc.

[0185] For example, if the number of repetitions is 4, then mod represents the modulo operation, so the initial radio frame is 0. In this case, the 4 repetitions occupy the 0th, 4th, 8th, and 12th 160ms of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 1, 5, 9, and 13 in Figure 3b.

[0186] For example, if the number of repetitions is 4, then... The initial radio frame is 16. In this case, the four repetitions occupy the 1st, 5th, 9th, and 13th 160ms segments of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 2, 6, 10, and 14 in Figure 3b.

[0187] For example, if the number of repetitions is 4, then... The initial radio frame is 32. In this case, the four repetitions occupy the 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 14th 160ms segments of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 3, 7, 11, and 15 in Figure 3b.

[0188] For example, if the number of repetitions is 4, then... The initial radio frame is 48. In this case, the four repetitions occupy the 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th 160ms of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 4, 8, 12, and 16 in Figure 3b.

[0189] For example, if the number of repetitions is 8, then... The initial radio frame is 0. In this case, the 8 repetitions occupy the 0th, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, and 14th 160ms segments of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 in Figure 3b.

[0190] For example, if the number of repetitions is 8, then... The starting radio frame is 16. In this case, the 8 repetitions occupy the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, and 15th 160ms in the 2560ms in Figure 3a, which are the resources in rows 2, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, and 16th in Figure 3b.

[0191] For example, if the number of repetitions is 16, then... The initial radio frame is 0. In this case, the 16 repetitions occupy 16 160ms of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, and in each 160ms, SIB1-NB occupies the even-numbered frames in the 16 system frames (i.e., system frames 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 in Figure 3a), which are the resources in rows 1 to 16 in Figure 3b.

[0192] For example, if the number of repetitions is 16, then... The initial radio frame is 1. In this case, the 16 repetitions occupy 16 160ms intervals out of the 2560ms in Figure 3a, and in each 160ms interval, SIB1-NB occupies the non-even or odd number of system frames in the 16 system frames (i.e., system frames 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 in Figure 3a), which are the resources in rows 1 to 16 in Figure 3b.

[0193] With the development of communication technology, network devices (as shown in Figures 2a / 2b / 2c / 2d / 2e of the communication system) may not be fixed to a specific location on the ground. For example, these network devices could be high-speed mobile devices belonging to an NTN cell, including but not limited to drones and high-altitude platforms; or satellite equipment such as low-Earth orbit, medium-Earth orbit, and high-Earth orbit satellites. In such scenarios, some communication systems may use time division duplex (TDD) transmission. For instance, a portion of the time resources within a TDD frame period may be used for downlink transmission, while other time resources are used for non-downlink transmission. During the non-downlink transmission time resources of a TDD frame period, signal reception by the terminal device may be affected, potentially causing the terminal device to fail to resolve the SIB.

[0194] As shown in Figure 3d, taking a TDD frame period of 90ms as an example, assume that each TDD frame period contains 8 downlink subframes used for downlink transmission and 82 subframes not used for downlink transmission. In this case, compared to the implementation shown in Figure 3c, within each row of 16 blocks (i.e., 160ms), some subframes not used for downlink transmission are represented by the diagonally filled blocks in Figure 3d. As can be seen from Figure 3d, if the network device still transmits SIB1-NB in ​​the manner shown in Figure 3c, the non-downlink transmission resources in the TDD frame period will interfere with the SIB1-NB.

[0195] For example, taking the first row of resources in Figure 3d (i.e., the first 160ms in 2560ms) as an example, the seven parts of SIB1-NB transmitted in the seven blocks numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 will interfere with the non-downlink transmission resources in the TDD frame period. Similarly, similar interference will exist in the resources of rows 5, 9, and 13.

[0196] For example, if the non-downlink transmission resources in the TDD frame period are used to transmit uplink signals, these uplink signals will also interfere with the seven parts of the SIB1-NB, thereby affecting the receiving performance of the SIB1-NB.

[0197] Similarly, the aforementioned interference also exists when the number of repetitions is 8 or 16, which in turn affects the reception performance of the SIB1-NB.

[0198] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. In Figure 4, the method is illustrated using a first communication device and other communication devices (such as a second communication device) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration. However, this application does not limit the execution subjects of this interactive illustration. For example, the communication device can be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or network device), or a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, SoC chip (such as an SoC chip containing a modem core), SIP chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software, etc., within the communication equipment.

[0199] As an example, the first communication device can be a terminal device and the second communication device can be a network device. Optionally, the network device can be an access network device or an ORAN device (including at least one of O-CU, O-DU, and O-RU).

[0200] S401. The first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset. The first offset is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period, and the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB.

[0201] As an example, a TDD frame period may include one or more downlink subframes and one or more non-downlink subframes. The one or more non-downlink subframes may include uplink subframes (used for uplink transmission) and / or guard period (GP) subframes. Optionally, the frame containing the uplink subframe may be called an uplink frame (i.e., the uplink frame contains at least one uplink subframe used for uplink transmission), and the frame containing the GP subframe may be called a GP frame (i.e., the GP frame contains at least one GP subframe acting as a GP).

[0202] Alternatively, the TDD frame period can be replaced with TDD structure period, Iridium frame structure, Iridium frame period, or other names defined by the network in the future.

[0203] As an example, in a TDD frame period, the number of frames contained in each TDD frame period is 9 or an integer multiple of 9. For example, a TDD frame period may be 90 milliseconds (ms), 180 ms, or other durations defined by the network in the future.

[0204] As another example, in a TDD frame period, the number of subframes for downlink transmission contained in each TDD frame period is 8, 20, or 30. Optionally, the subframes for downlink transmission contained in each TDD frame period are consecutive.

[0205] For example, each TDD frame period contains 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 8 consecutive subframes can be located in the same frame (i.e., the frame numbers corresponding to these 8 consecutive subframes can be the same); or, these 8 consecutive subframes can be located in 2 consecutive frames (i.e., the frame numbers corresponding to some of these 8 consecutive subframes can be different).

[0206] For example, each TDD frame period contains 20 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 20 consecutive subframes can be located in 2 frames, which can be downlink frames; or, these 20 consecutive subframes can be located in 3 consecutive frames.

[0207] For example, each TDD frame period contains 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. These 30 consecutive subframes can be located in 3 frames, which can be downlink frames; or, these 30 consecutive subframes can be located in 4 consecutive frames.

[0208] As shown in Figure 3b above, in a system frame containing 10 subframes, the MIB-NB occupies the 0th subframe, and the NSSS occupies the 9th subframe. However, a TDD frame period may only contain 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. In this case, if the transmission method shown in Figure 3b is used, and the starting position of the system frame number is the same as the starting position of the TDD frame period (i.e., the 0th subframe of the TDD frame period is used to transmit the MIB-NB), the NSSS will fail to be sent because the number of downlink transmission subframes is less than 10. To solve this problem, a first offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period can be used, allowing the NSSS to be sent.

[0209] As shown in Figure 5a, in the 8 downlink subframes contained in the TDD frame period, the corresponding subframe numbers are 0 to 7. Subframe 0 is used to transmit SIB1, subframe 1 is used to transmit NPSS, subframe 5 is used to transmit NPSS, and subframe 6 is used to transmit MIB-NB. While maintaining the relative positions of these four signals / information, a first offset is introduced to achieve the transmission of these four signals / information, thereby minimizing the impact on the existing system.

[0210] As an example, for SIB1, the first offset indicates the offset between the 4th subframe in FIG3b and the 0th subframe in FIG5a. For example, the offset value indicated by the first offset is 4 (i.e., 4-0=4).

[0211] As another example, for NPSS, the first offset indicates the offset between the 5th subframe in Figure 3b and the 1st subframe in Figure 5a. For example, the first offset indicates an offset value of 4 (i.e., 5-1=4).

[0212] As another example, for NSSS, the first offset indicates the offset between the 9th subframe in Figure 3b and the 5th subframe in Figure 5a. For example, the first offset indicates an offset value of 4 (i.e., 9-5=4).

[0213] As another example, for NPSS, the first offset indicates the offset between the 0th subframe (e.g., subframe 10) of the next frame in Figure 3b and the 6th subframe in Figure 5a. For example, the first offset indicates an offset value of 4 (i.e., 10-6=4).

[0214] Optionally, Figure 5a is merely an example of one implementation of the first offset. In practical applications, the first offset can indicate other offset values. For example, if the first offset indicates an offset value of 3, then SIB1 can be carried in the first subframe of the 10 frames contained in a radio frame, NPSS can be carried in the second subframe, NPSS can be carried in the sixth subframe, and MIB-NB can be carried in the seventh subframe.

[0215] Optionally, the first offset may be pre-configured by a standard or protocol, or the first offset may be configured by the network device.

[0216] Optionally, if the TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 downlink subframes, the transmission method of SIB1 can follow the method shown in Figure 3b or the method shown in Figure 5a, and there is no limitation here.

[0217] S402. The second communication device transmits an SIB, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the SIB. For example, the second communication device transmits an SIB based on first subframe information in a first radio frame set, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the SIB based on the first subframe information in the first radio frame set. The first radio frame set consists of some or all downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe within the SIB transmission period, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe within the TDD frame period.

[0218] Optionally, the SIB referred to in this application may be SIB1, SIB1-NB, or other names defined in the future network.

[0219] Based on the scheme shown in Figure 4, after the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, it can receive the SIB based on the first subframe information in the first radio frame set. The first radio frame set consists of some or all downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe within the SIB transmission period, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe within the TDD frame period. In this way, within the SIB transmission period, the first communication device can receive the SIB within the frame containing the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period, avoiding frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period. This avoids or reduces transmission interference from frames containing non-downlink subframes in the TDD frame period to the SIB, improving the SIB reception performance and enabling the first communication device to quickly access the network based on the received SIB.

[0220] Optionally, the aforementioned SIB can be SIB1-NB, meaning the aforementioned SIB transmission period can be the SIB1-NB transmission period. In the above process, the first communication device determines the first subframe information based on a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period. In this way, the SIB1-NB transmission period can be compatible with downlink subframes of the TDD frame period, avoiding or reducing the impact on the transmission of other signals involved in the SIB1-NB transmission period (such as NPSS, NSSS, MIB-NB, etc.).

[0221] Optionally, the first offset can be pre-configured by a standard or protocol, which can reduce configuration overhead and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB before accessing the network, and subsequently access the network based on the received SIB.

[0222] Alternatively, the first offset may be configured by a network device (e.g., a second communication device), which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation and enable the first communication device to determine the subframe number of one or more subframes used to carry the SIB based on the first offset specified by the network device, thereby improving the reception performance of the SIB.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the first subframe information determined by the first communication device in step S401 may have multiple implementation methods, which will be introduced below with reference to some implementation examples.

[0224] In the first implementation method, the first subframe information can be used to determine that the subframe number of the subframe used to carry the SIB is the same on different radio frames in the first radio frame set.

[0225] In implementation method one, the process of the first communication device receiving the SIB in step S402 includes: in each radio frame in the first radio frame set, the first communication device can receive the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information. That is, the first communication device can receive the SIB on different radio frames included in the first radio frame set using the same subframe number based on one or more subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information, which can reduce the implementation complexity.

[0226] For example, the subframe numbers of the subframes used to carry the SIB are the same on each radio frame in the first radio frame set. For instance, the first subframe information is the subframe numbers of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame. Thus, in the first radio frame set, the subframe numbers used to carry the subframes are the same on different radio frames (e.g., the subframe numbers are all the four subframe numbers indicated by the first subframe information), which can reduce implementation complexity.

[0227] The following example illustrates implementation method one, using the example that each TDD frame period contains 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. In the example below, SIB is taken as SIB1.

[0228] As shown in Figure 5b, in each TDD frame period, there are 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, and 4 subframes are used to transmit SIB1. Referring to Figure 5a, when the offset value of the first offset indicator is 4, subframes 0, 2, 3, 4, and 7 can be used to transmit SIB1 in the consecutive subframes for downlink transmission within the TDD frame period. Figure 5b uses subframes 0, 2, 3, and 4 as an example of SIB1 transmission. In the examples shown in Figures 3a to 3d above, one subframe can be used to carry one of the 8 parts of SIB1. In the above scheme, assuming the parameters of SIB1 (e.g., code rate, modulation scheme, etc.) remain unchanged, 4 of the 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission in a TDD frame period can be used to transmit SIB1, and these 4 subframes can be used to transmit 4 of the 8 parts of SIB1 (e.g., the first 4 parts or the last 4 parts).

[0229] It should be noted that the method shown in Figure 5b is only one implementation example. In a TDD frame period containing eight consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, the four subframes used for transmitting SIBs can also be implemented in other ways. For example, in a TDD frame period containing eight subframes for downlink transmission, besides the three subframes used for transmitting NPSS, NSSS, and MIBs, there are five other subframes. The four subframes used for transmitting SIBs can be located at any four positions within these other five subframes.

[0230] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through the four subframes 0, 2, 3, and 7.

[0231] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through the four subframes 0, 3, 4, and 7.

[0232] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through the four subframes 0, 2, 4, and 7.

[0233] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through four subframes: subframes 0, 1, 3, and 4.

[0234] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through the four subframes 0, 1, 4, and 5.

[0235] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through four subframes: subframes 0, 1, 3, and 5.

[0236] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through four subframes: subframes 1, 3, 4, and 5.

[0237] As shown in Figure 5c, taking four of the eight consecutive subframes used for downlink transmission in a TDD frame period as an example, the first four or the last four parts of the eight parts of SIB1 are used to transmit.

[0238] In the first row of resources in Figure 5c (i.e., the first 160ms in 2560ms), there are downlink subframes for two TDD frame periods. The first four parts (denoted as SIB1-1,2,3,4) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the first TDD frame period, and the last four parts (denoted as SIB1-5,6,7,8) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the second TDD frame period.

[0239] In the fifth row of resources in Figure 5c (i.e. the fifth 160ms in 2560ms), there is a downlink subframe of one TDD frame period. The first four parts (denoted as SIB1-1,2,3,4) can be transmitted in this downlink subframe of one TDD frame period.

[0240] In the resource of the 9th row of Figure 5c (i.e. the 9th 160ms in 2560ms), there is a downlink subframe of 1 TDD frame period. The last 4 parts (denoted as SIB1-5, 6, 7, 8) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of this 1 TDD frame period.

[0241] In the 13th row of resources in Figure 5c (i.e. the 13th 160ms in 2560ms), there are downlink subframes for two TDD frame periods. The first four parts (denoted as SIB1-1,2,3,4) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the first TDD frame period, and the last four parts (denoted as SIB1-5,6,7,8) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the second TDD frame period.

[0242] As shown in the example in Figure 5c, this SIB1 transmission method can ensure that the acquisition delay of SIB1-NB is close to the original 160ms. Furthermore, under this configuration, the transmission of SIB1 is remapped and allocated to two available downlink subframe periods, that is, four out of the eight subframes in the original 160ms of each TDD 90m are used to transmit SIB1.

[0243] Optionally, when each TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, the configuration of 8 subframes described in the above embodiment can still be used. This is because the first communication device may not know the resource pattern of the current TDD frame period after receiving NPSS, NSSS and MIB-NB, and will receive SIB1 according to the default configuration of 8 subframes. Therefore, when the number of DL subframes is 20 or 30, the configuration at the same position when the number of DL subframes is 8 can remain unchanged.

[0244] Alternatively, in cases where each TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, other configurations can be used (e.g., this configuration is suitable for SIB repetitions of 15 or 16).

[0245] As shown in Figure 5d, SIB1 is transmitted in the first two downlink frames of each TDD frame period. The first frame of these two downlink frames can be the frame corresponding to the above-mentioned subframe number of 8 (e.g., frames with frame numbers 0 and 9 in the first row, frames with frame numbers 18 and 27 in the second row, etc.), and the second frame of these two downlink frames can be the next frame adjacent to the first frame (e.g., frames with frame numbers 1 and 10 in the first row, frames with frame numbers 19 and 28 in the second row, etc.). Furthermore, both of these downlink frames can refer to the above-mentioned configuration of 8 subframes. In this way, even when each TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, more subframes for SIB1 transmission can be provided. This improves the receiving performance of SIB1 and also increases the number of downlink subframes, allowing data transmission through more downlink subframes and thus improving data transmission performance.

[0246] In the second implementation method, the first subframe information can be used to determine that the subframe number of the subframe used to carry the SIB may be different on different radio frames in the first radio frame set.

[0247] In implementation method two, the process of the first communication device determining the first subframe information in step S401 includes: the first communication device determining the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB. Therefore, the first communication device can determine the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB, meaning different repetitions of the SIB can correspond to different first subframe information, such that different repetitions of the SIB can correspond to different subframes used to carry the SIB, i.e., different first subframe information. For example, a higher number of SIB repetitions corresponds to a higher number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, and vice versa, a lower number of SIB repetitions corresponds to a lower number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information, ensuring that the number of subframes indicated by the first subframe information can meet the transmission requirements for different SIB repetition counts.

[0248] As an example, if the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes within a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one or two subframes. For example, for a subset of frames in the first radio frame set where one subframe carries the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of one subframe in that subset; for another subset of frames in the first radio frame set where two subframes carry the SIB, the first subframe information indicates the subframe number of two subframes in that other subset.

[0249] As another example, the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB. In other words, when the SIB repetition count is 7 or 8, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 or 4 subframes. For example, for a portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 2, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 2 subframes in that portion of the frames; for another portion of the first radio frame set where the number of subframes carrying the SIB is 4, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the 4 subframes in that other portion of the frames.

[0250] As another example, the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information is the subframe number of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame. In other words, when the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, the first subframe information indicates the subframe numbers of the four subframes.

[0251] The following example illustrates implementation method two, using the example that each TDD frame period contains 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. In the following example, SIB is taken as SIB1. In the following example, at least one subframe (e.g., subframe 0 in Figure 5a) in each downlink subframe of the TDD frame period is used to transmit SIB1, and each subframe is used to transmit one of the 8 parts contained in SIB1.

[0252] As shown in Figure 5e, taking one of the eight consecutive subframes used for downlink transmission in a TDD frame period as an example, which is used to transmit one of the eight parts of SIB1, these eight parts can be referred to as SIB1-1, SIB1-2, SIB1-3, SIB1-4, SIB1-5, SIB1-6, SIB1-7, and SIB1-8.

[0253] In the first row of resources in Figure 5e (i.e., the first 160ms in 2560ms), there are downlink subframes for two TDD frame periods. The first part (denoted as SIB1-1) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the first TDD frame period, and the second part (denoted as SIB1-2) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the second TDD frame period.

[0254] In the second row of resources in Figure 5e (i.e., the second 160ms in 2560ms), there are downlink subframes containing two TDD frame periods. The third part (denoted as SIB1-3) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the first TDD frame period, and the fourth part (denoted as SIB1-4) can be transmitted in the downlink subframe of the second TDD frame period.

[0255] ......

[0256] Similarly, as shown in Figure 5e, there are 29 downlink frames for transmitting SIBs within 2560ms. To be compatible with the repetition count defined by the current network (i.e., 4, 8, or 16), two of the eight parts of SIB1 can be transmitted in three of the downlink frames in Figure 5e to achieve SIB1 transmission with four or eight repetitions.

[0257] For example, the three downlink frames mentioned above are the downlink frame of the 5th row resource (frame number 72), the downlink frame of the 9th row resource (frame number 135), and the downlink frame of the 14th row resource (frame number 216) in Figure 5e.

[0258] As an example, if the repetition count of SIB1 is 3 or 4, then the transmission method of the 8 downlink subframes overlapping with the TDD frame period in each of the 26 downlink frames other than the aforementioned 3 downlink frames in Figure 5e can refer to the example shown in Figure 5a. That is, in these 26 downlink frames, the subframe with subframe number 0 is used to transmit SIB1. Furthermore, when the repetition count of SIB1 is 4, SIB1 can be transmitted through 2 downlink subframes contained in the 8 downlink subframes of one TDD frame period in the aforementioned 3 downlink frames.

[0259] As shown in the example in Figure 5f, SIB1 can be transmitted through two downlink subframes, subframe 0 and subframe 2, in the eight downlink subframes of a TDD frame period. This allows the method shown in Figure 5e to contain 32 downlink subframes for transmitting SIB1. Since each SIB1 contains eight parts and each subframe carries one of the eight parts, four repeated transmissions of SIB1 are achieved in the 32 downlink subframes for transmitting SIB1.

[0260] Optionally, the method shown in Figure 5f is merely one implementation example. In a TDD frame period containing eight consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, the two subframes used for transmitting SIBs can also be implemented in other ways. For example, in a TDD frame period containing eight subframes for downlink transmission, besides the three subframes used for transmitting NPSS, NSSS, and MIBs, there are five other subframes. The two subframes used for transmitting SIBs can be located at any two positions within these other five subframes.

[0261] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through subframes 0 and 3.

[0262] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indicator is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through subframes 0 and 4.

[0263] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 4, SIB1 can also be transmitted through subframes 0 and 7.

[0264] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indicator is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through subframes 0 and 1.

[0265] For example, if the offset value of the first offset indication is 3, SIB1 can also be transmitted through subframes 0 and 5.

[0266] As another example, if the repetition count of SIB1 is 8, then the transmission method of the 8 downlink subframes overlapping with the TDD frame period in each of the 26 downlink frames other than the 3 downlink frames mentioned above in Figure 5e can be referenced to the example shown in Figure 5f. That is, in these 26 downlink frames, the two subframes with subframe number 0 and subframe number 2 are used to transmit SIB1. Furthermore, when the repetition count of SIB1 is 8, SIB1 can be transmitted through 4 downlink subframes contained in the 8 downlink subframes of one TDD frame period in the 3 downlink frames mentioned above.

[0267] As shown in the example in Figure 5b, in the 8 downlink subframes of a TDD frame period, SIB1 can be transmitted through 4 downlink subframes: subframe 0, subframe 2, subframe 3, and subframe 4. This allows the method shown in Figure 5e to contain 64 downlink subframes for transmitting SIB1. Since each SIB1 contains 8 parts and each subframe carries one of those 8 parts, the SIB1 is transmitted 8 times repeatedly in the 64 downlink subframes for transmitting SIB1.

[0268] Optionally, the method shown in Figure 5b is only one implementation example. In a TDD frame period, there are 8 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. The 4 subframes for sending SIBs can also be implemented in other ways. For details, please refer to Figure 5b and related implementation examples above.

[0269] As another example, if the number of repetitions of SIB1 is 16, then in the 29 downlink frames included in Figure 5e for transmitting SIBs, 4 downlink frames in some or all of the downlink frames can be used to transmit SIB1. Since each SIB1 contains 8 parts and each subframe carries one of the 8 parts, 14, 15 or 16 repetitions of SIB1 are achieved in the 64 downlink subframes for transmitting SIB1.

[0270] Optionally, if the repetition count of SIB1 is 16, it can be applied to cases where each TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission. As shown in Figure 5d, the second communication device can transmit SIB1 in the first two downlink frames of each TDD frame period, with four subframes for transmitting SIB1 in each downlink frame. For example, in a TDD frame period of 20 or 30 downlink subframes, SIB1 can be transmitted through eight downlink subframes: subframes 0, 2, 3, and 4 in one downlink frame, and subframes 0, 2, 3, and 4 in another downlink frame.

[0271] In one possible implementation, the first set of wireless frames may have multiple implementation methods, which will be introduced below with some implementation examples.

[0272] Method A, in which the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

[0273] In method A, the first communication device can determine the number of frames contained in the first radio frame set based on the number of repetitions of the SIB. That is, different repetitions of the SIB correspond to different numbers of frames contained in the first radio frame set, allowing the first communication device to associate the number of frames received by the SIB with the number of SIB repetitions. For example, more SIB repetitions correspond to a larger number of frames, and vice versa, fewer SIB repetitions correspond to a smaller number of frames, ensuring that the number of frames received by the first communication device can meet the transmission requirements for different SIB repetition counts.

[0274] As an example, the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, and the first radio frame set contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames. As shown in Figure 5c, in the implementation described above, the SIB repeats 3 or 4 times, and the first radio frame set contains the frames that transmit SIB1 in Figure 5c (e.g., downlink frames in rows 1, 5, 9, and 13; downlink frames in rows 2, 6, 10, and 14; downlink frames in rows 3, 7, 11, and 15; downlink frames in rows 4, 8, 12, and 16). These frames transmitting SIB1 have a frame density of 1 / 64 or 2 / 64 out of 256 frames in 2560ms, meaning the first radio frame set contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0275] As another example, the SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first radio frame set contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames. As shown in the example of Implementation Method 1 above, the SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first radio frame set contains the frames that transmit SIB1 in Figure 5c (e.g., downlink frames in rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15; and, as well as, downlink frames in rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16). These frames transmitting SIB1, within 256 frames in 2560ms, have a frame density of 3 / 64 or 4 / 64, meaning the first radio frame set contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0276] As another example, the SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first radio frame set contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames. As shown in the example of Implementation Method 1 above, when each TDD frame period contains 20 or 30 consecutive subframes for downlink transmission, the SIB can be repeated 15 or 16 times. Furthermore, SIB1 is transmitted in the first two downlink frames of each TDD frame period, and the first radio frame set contains the frames in Figure 5d that transmit SIB1 (e.g., the downlink frames in rows 1 to 16). These frames transmitting SIB1 have a frame density of 7 / 64 or 8 / 64 out of 2560 ms, meaning the first radio frame set contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

[0277] In Method B, the frame number of the frame in the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

[0278] In Method B, during the SIB transmission cycle, the first communication device can determine the frame number of the frame that transmits the SIB within the SIB transmission cycle by using the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different frame numbers, meaning that the frame numbers of the frames used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different. This allows the frame number of the SIB received by the first communication device to be associated with the cell identifier, and also allows different cells to transmit the SIB based on different frame numbers, thereby reducing signal interference between different cells.

[0279] As an example, let's take the combination of the implementation method 1 and method B mentioned above.

[0280] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 5c above can also be applied to scenarios involving multiple cells.

[0281] For example, the repeated transmission of the start radio frame and cell identifier (denoted as SIB1) in SIB1 The pre-configured relationships can be satisfied. As mentioned above, when the repetition count is 4, the SIBs sent by one cell (denoted as cell A) can occupy the resources in rows 1, 5, 9, and 13; the SIBs sent by another cell (denoted as cell B) can occupy the resources in rows 2, 6, 10, and 14; the SIBs sent by another cell (denoted as cell C) can occupy the resources in rows 3, 7, 11, and 15; and the SIBs sent by another cell (denoted as cell D) can occupy the resources in rows 4, 8, 12, and 16.

[0282] For cell A, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 6 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames of the first row of resources (frame numbers 0 and 9 in the figure), 1 frame of the 5th row of resources (frame number 72 in the figure), 1 frame of the 9th row of resources (frame number 135 in the figure), and 2 frames of the 13th row of resources (frame numbers 198 and 207 in the figure), which can realize 3 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0283] For cell B, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 7 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames of the second row of resources (frame numbers 18 and 27 in the figure), 2 frames of the sixth row of resources (frame numbers 81 and 90 in the figure), 2 frames of the tenth row of resources (frame numbers 144 and 153 in the figure), and 1 frame of the fourteenth row of resources (frame number 216 in the figure), which can realize 3 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0284] For cell C, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 8 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames of the 3rd row of resources (frame numbers 36 and 45 in the figure), 2 frames of the 7th row of resources (frame numbers 99 and 108 in the figure), 2 frames of the 11th row of resources (frame numbers 162 and 171 in the figure), and 2 frames of the 15th row of resources (frame numbers 225 and 234 in the figure), which can realize 4 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0285] For cell D, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 8 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames of the 4th row of resources (frame numbers 54 and 63 in the figure), 2 frames of the 8th row of resources (frame numbers 117 and 126 in the figure), 2 frames of the 12th row of resources (frame numbers 180 and 189 in the figure), and 2 frames of the 16th row of resources (frame numbers 242 and 252 in the figure), which can realize 4 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0286] For example, the repeated transmission of the start radio frame and cell identifier (denoted as SIB1) in SIB1 The pre-configured relationship can be satisfied. As mentioned above, when the repetition count is 8, the SIBs sent by one cell (denoted as cell E) can occupy the resources in rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15, and the SIBs sent by another cell (denoted as cell F) can occupy the resources in rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16.

[0287] For cell E, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 13 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames from the first row of resources (frame numbers 0 and 9 in the figure), 2 frames from the third row of resources (frame numbers 36 and 45 in the figure), 1 frame from the fifth row of resources (frame number 72 in the figure), 2 frames from the seventh row of resources (frame numbers 99 and 108 in the figure), 1 frame from the ninth row of resources (frame number 135 in the figure), 1 frame from the eleventh row of resources (frame numbers 162 and 171 in the figure), 2 frames from the thirteenth row of resources (frame numbers 198 and 207 in the figure), and 2 frames from the fifteenth row of resources (frame numbers 225 and 234 in the figure), which can achieve 6 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0288] For cell F, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 16 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are 2 frames from the second row of resources (frame numbers 18 and 27 in the figure), 2 frames from the fourth row of resources (frame numbers 54 and 63 in the figure), 2 frames from the sixth row of resources (frame numbers 81 and 90 in the figure), 2 frames from the eighth row of resources (frame numbers 117 and 126 in the figure), 2 frames from the tenth row of resources (frame numbers 144 and 153 in the figure), 2 frames from the twelfth row of resources (frame numbers 180 and 189 in the figure), 2 frames from the fourteenth row of resources (frame numbers 208 and 217 in the figure), and 2 frames from the sixteenth row of resources (frame numbers 242 and 252 in the figure), which can achieve 8 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0289] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 5d above can also be applied to scenarios involving multiple cells.

[0290] For example, the repeated transmission of the start radio frame and cell identifier (denoted as SIB1) in SIB1 The pre-configured relationship can be satisfied. As mentioned above, when the repetition count is 16, the SIB sent by one cell (denoted as cell G) can occupy the first downlink frame in the resources of rows 1 to 16, and the SIB sent by another cell (denoted as cell H) can occupy the second downlink frame in the resources of rows 1 to 16.

[0291] For cell G, as shown in Figure 5d, the first radio frame set contains 29 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are: 2 frames from the first row of resources (frame numbers 0 and 9 in the figure), 2 frames from the second row of resources (frame numbers 18 and 27 in the figure), 2 frames from the third row of resources (frame numbers 36 and 45 in the figure), 2 frames from the fourth row of resources (frame numbers 54 and 63 in the figure), 1 frame from the fifth row of resources (frame number 72 in the figure), 2 frames from the sixth row of resources (frame numbers 81 and 90 in the figure), 2 frames from the seventh row of resources (frame numbers 99 and 108 in the figure), and 2 frames from the eighth row of resources (frame numbers 99 and 108 in the figure). The following resources, including frames 117 and 126, one frame in the 9th row (frame 135 in the diagram), two frames in the 10th row (frames 144 and 153 in the diagram), one frame in the 11th row (frames 162 and 171 in the diagram), two frames in the 12th row (frames 180 and 189 in the diagram), two frames in the 13th row (frames 198 and 207 in the diagram), two frames in the 14th row (frames 208 and 217 in the diagram), two frames in the 15th row (frames 225 and 234 in the diagram), and two frames in the 16th row (frames 242 and 252 in the diagram), enable 14 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0292] For cell H, as shown in Figure 5c, the first radio frame set contains 29 frames whose downlink subframes of the TDD frame period overlap with the SIB transmission period of cell A. These are: 2 frames from the first row of resources (frame numbers 1 and 10 in the figure), 2 frames from the second row of resources (frame numbers 19 and 28 in the figure), 2 frames from the third row of resources (frame numbers 37 and 46 in the figure), 2 frames from the fourth row of resources (frame numbers 55 and 64 in the figure), 1 frame from the fifth row of resources (frame number 73 in the figure), 2 frames from the sixth row of resources (frame numbers 82 and 91 in the figure), 2 frames from the seventh row of resources (frame numbers 100 and 109 in the figure), and 2 frames from the eighth row of resources (frame numbers 100 and 109 in the figure). The following resources, including frames 118 and 127, frame 136 in the 9th row of resources, two frames in the 10th row of resources (frames 145 and 154 in the diagram), one frame in the 11th row of resources (frames 163 and 172 in the diagram), two frames in the 12th row of resources (frames 181 and 190 in the diagram), two frames in the 13th row of resources (frames 199 and 208 in the diagram), two frames in the 14th row of resources (frames 209 and 218 in the diagram), two frames in the 15th row of resources (frames 226 and 235 in the diagram), and two frames in the 16th row of resources (frames 243 and 253 in the diagram), enable 14 repeated transmissions of SIB1.

[0293] As another example, let's take the combination of Implementation Method 2 and Implementation Method B as an example. For instance, in Implementation Method 2, the process of the first communication device determining the first subframe information in step S401 includes: the first communication device determining the first subframe information based on the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier. In other words, the basis for the first communication device to determine the first subframe information includes not only the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB, but also the cell identifier. That is, different cell identifiers can correspond to different first subframe information, meaning that the subframe numbers used to carry the SIB in different cells can be different. This allows the first subframe information to be associated with the cell identifier and enables different cells to send SIBs based on different first subframe information, thereby reducing signal interference between different cells.

[0294] Understandably, the resource location of an SIB can be determined through a broadcast signal, and the cell identifier can also be determined through this broadcast signal. For example, this broadcast signal could be a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB or S-SS / PSBCH block), or some other name defined by the future network.

[0295] As an example, the SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of a subframe in a radio frame used to carry the SIB, and the subframe number of the subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

[0296] As shown in Figure 6a, the candidate positions for SIB1 can be the four candidate positions in Figure 6a, namely subframe numbers 0, 2, 3, and 4. Furthermore, the first communication device can base its location on the cell identifier of the access cell (e.g., The process involves determining one of four candidate locations, and then receiving the SIB at that candidate location. This is based on... The process of determining resource locations can be found in the previous description.

[0297] Alternatively, as shown in the example in Figure 5b above, in addition to using subframe numbers 0, 2, 3, and 4 as four candidate positions, any four of subframe numbers 0, 2, 3, 4, and 7 can also be used as four candidate positions.

[0298] As another example, the SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined by the cell identifier from two candidate subframe numbers.

[0299] As shown in Figure 6b, the candidate positions for SIB1 can be one of the two candidate positions shown in Figure 6a: one is subframe number 0 or 2, and the other is subframe number 3 or 4. Furthermore, the first communication device can be based on the cell identifier of the access cell (e.g., The process involves determining one of two candidate locations, and then receiving the SIB at that candidate location. This is based on... The process of determining resource locations can be found in the previous description.

[0300] Optionally, as shown in the example in Figure 5b above, in addition to using subframe numbers 0, 2 and 3, 4 as two candidate positions, any two groups of subframe numbers 0, 2, 3, 4, 7 can also be used as two candidate positions. Each group contains different subframe numbers, and each group contains two of 0, 2, 3, 4, 7.

[0301] Please refer to Figure 7. This application embodiment provides a communication device 700, which can realize the functions of the second communication device or the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 700 can be the first communication device (or the second communication device), or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the first communication device (or the second communication device), such as a chip.

[0302] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 702 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving respectively.

[0303] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the processing unit 701 is used to determine first subframe information based on a first offset, the first offset being the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period, and the first subframe information being the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry an SIB; the transceiver unit 702 is used to receive the SIB based on the first subframe information in a first radio frame set; wherein, the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0304] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the processing unit 701 is used to generate an SIB; the transceiver unit 702 is used to transmit the SIB in a first radio frame set based on first subframe information; the first subframe information is associated with a first offset, the first offset being the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period, the first subframe information being the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the system information block (SIB), a TDD frame period being 90 milliseconds (ms), the first radio frame set being part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe, and the first downlink subframe being the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0305] It should be noted that the information execution process of the unit of the above-mentioned communication device 700 can be specifically described in the method embodiment shown above in this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0306] Please refer to Figure 8, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 800 provided in this application. The communication device 800 includes a logic circuit 801 and an input / output interface 802. The communication device 800 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0307] In this context, the transceiver unit 702 shown in Figure 7 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 802 in Figure 8, and the input / output interface 802 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0308] Optionally, logic circuit 801 is used to determine first subframe information based on a first offset, the first offset being the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the TDD frame period, the first subframe information being the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; input / output interface 802 is used to receive the SIB in a first radio frame set based on the first subframe information; wherein, the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe, the first downlink subframe being a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0309] Optionally, logic circuit 801 is used to generate SIB; input / output interface 802 is used to transmit the SIB in a first radio frame set based on first subframe information; the first subframe information is associated with a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period; the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the system information block (SIB); a TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms); the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period that overlap with the first downlink subframe; the first downlink subframe is the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

[0310] The logic circuit 801 and the input / output interface 802 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 701 shown in FIG7 can be the logic circuit 801 in FIG8.

[0312] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0313] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0314] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0315] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0316] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the communication device 900 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 900 can be the communication device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 9 is that the terminal device is implemented through the terminal device (or the components in the terminal device).

[0317] The present invention provides a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 900, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 901 and a communication port 902.

[0318] In Figure 7, the transceiver unit 702 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 902 in Figure 9. The communication port 902 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 902 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0319] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 903 and a bus 904. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 901 is used to control the operation of the communication device 900.

[0320] Furthermore, the processor 901 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0321] It should be noted that the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and to achieve the corresponding technical effects of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 9 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0322] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1000 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1000 can specifically be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 10 is that the network device is implemented through a network device (or a component in the network device). The structure of the communication device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 10.

[0323] The communication device 1000 includes at least one processor 1011 and at least one network interface 1014. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 1012, at least one transceiver 1013, and one or more antennas 1015. The processor 1011, memory 1012, transceiver 1013, and network interface 1014 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 1015 is connected to the transceiver 1013. The network interface 1014 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1014 may include a network interface between the communication device and a core network device, such as an S1 interface; the network interface may also include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network devices), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0324] In this context, the transceiver unit 702 shown in Figure 7 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 1014 in Figure 10. The network interface 1014 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 1014 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0325] The processor 1011 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs. The processor 1011 in Figure 10 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. Various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0326] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 1012 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 1011. Optionally, the memory 1012 can be integrated with the processor 1011, for example, integrated within a single chip. The memory 1012 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1011. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 1011.

[0327] Figure 10 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0328] Transceiver 1013 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 1013 can be connected to antenna 1015. Transceiver 1013 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1015 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 1013 is used to receive the RF signals from the antennas, convert the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 1011 so that processor 1011 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 1013 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 1011, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 1015. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0329] The transceiver 1013 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0330] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and to achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0331] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0332] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) containing programs or instructions. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the first communication device or the second communication device that may be implemented as described above.

[0333] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0334] This application also provides a communication system, the network system architecture of which includes a first communication device and a second communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0335] 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 an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0336] 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.

[0337] 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. 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 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 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.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The first subframe information is determined based on the first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period. The first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the system information block (SIB). The TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms). Based on the first subframe information, the SIB is received in the first radio frame set; wherein, the first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period, and the first downlink subframe is the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the SIB in the first radio frame set based on the first subframe information includes: The SIB is received on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each of the first radio frames in the first radio frame set.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the first subframe information based on the first offset includes: The first subframe information is determined based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB includes: The first subframe information is determined based on the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Generate System Information Block (SIB); The SIB is transmitted in the first radio frame set based on the information of the first subframe. The first subframe information is associated with a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period. The first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry a System Information Block (SIB). A TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms). The first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period. The first downlink subframe is the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of transmitting the SIB based on the first subframe information in the first radio frame set includes: The SIB is transmitted on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each of the first radio frames in the first radio frame set.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first subframe information is associated with the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first subframe information is associated with the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

9. The method according to claim 2 or 6, characterized in that, The first subframe information is the subframe number of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 7, characterized in that, The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or, The SIB is repeated 7 or 8 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or, The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB.

11. The method according to claim 4 or 8, characterized in that, The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of one subframe used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the one subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier; or, The SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined from the two candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes processing units and transceiver units; The processing unit is used to determine the first subframe information based on the first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period, and the first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry the system information block (SIB), wherein a TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms). The transceiver unit is configured to receive the SIB in a first radio frame set based on the first subframe information; wherein, the first radio frame set consists of some or all downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period, and the first downlink subframe is a downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is configured to receive the SIB in a first radio frame set based on the first subframe information, including: The transceiver unit receives the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each of the first radio frames in the first radio frame set.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The processing unit is used to determine the first subframe information based on the first offset, including: The processing unit determines the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The processing unit determines the first subframe information based on the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB, including: The processing unit determines the first subframe information based on the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes processing units and transceiver units; The processing unit is used to generate System Information Block (SIB); The transceiver unit is used to transmit the SIB in the first radio frame set based on the first subframe information. The first subframe information is associated with a first offset, which is the offset between the starting position of the system frame number and the starting position of the time division duplex (TDD) frame period. The first subframe information is the subframe number of one or more subframes in a radio frame used to carry a System Information Block (SIB). A TDD frame period is 90 milliseconds (ms). The first radio frame set is part or all of the downlink frames that overlap with the first downlink subframe in the radio frames within the SIB transmission period. The first downlink subframe is the downlink subframe in the TDD frame period.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is configured to transmit the SIB in a first radio frame set based on the first subframe information, including: The transceiver unit transmits the SIB on the subframe corresponding to the first subframe information in each of the first radio frames in the first radio frame set.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first subframe information is associated with the first offset and the number of repetitions of the SIB.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first subframe information is associated with the first offset, the number of repetitions, and the cell identifier.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13 or 17, characterized in that, The first subframe information is the subframe number of the four subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame.

21. The apparatus according to claim 14 or 18, characterized in that, The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe number of one or two subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or, The SIB is repeated 7 or 8 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of 2 or 4 subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB; or, The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first subframe information includes the subframe numbers of the four subframes in a radio frame used to carry the SIB.

22. The apparatus according to claim 15 or 19, characterized in that, The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of one subframe used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the one subframe is determined from 4 candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier; or, The SIB is repeated 3, 4, 7, or 8 times; wherein, the first subframe information is the subframe number of the two subframes used to carry the SIB in a radio frame, and the subframe number of the two subframes is determined from the two candidate subframe numbers by the cell identifier.

23. The method or apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that, The number of frames contained in the first wireless frame set is related to the number of repetitions of the SIB.

24. The method or apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that, The SIB is repeated 3 or 4 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 1 or 2 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or, The SIB repeats 7 or 8 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 3 or 4 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames; or, The SIB is repeated 14, 15, or 16 times, and the first set of radio frames contains 7 or 8 frames out of every 64 consecutive frames.

25. The method or apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that, The frame number of the frame in the SIB transmission period is associated with the cell identifier.

26. The method or apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 25, characterized in that, Meet at least one of the following: In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 9 frames; or, In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains 8, 20, or 30 subframes for downlink transmission; or, In the TDD frame period, each TDD frame period contains frames for uplink transmission and / or guard interval frames.

27. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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