Communication method, communication apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a storage medium, which are used for improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling. The method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: receiving a delay parameter, wherein the delay parameter is used for indicating a first duration; and starting to search for first information after a first moment, wherein the first moment is a moment after the first duration has elapsed from a second moment, the second moment is a moment at which a terminal device determines that downlink data has been received, and the first information is used for scheduling the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, by means of delaying the first duration, the search for the first information is started after the first moment, which prevents the terminal device from blindly detecting invalid scheduling information. Since the second moment is the moment at which the terminal device determines that the downlink data has been received, the start of the search for the first information after the first moment can ensure that an uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window is opened after the terminal device has prepared uplink data, thereby improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices and storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202411957380.8, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 25, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device and Storage Medium", and to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202511766876.1, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 27, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device and Storage Medium", 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, communication device and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Non-terrestrial Networks (NTN) communication features large coverage areas and flexible networking, enabling seamless global network coverage. NTN can be seen as both a supplement to current terrestrial networks and an independent communication system providing users with high-speed global network access.

[0004] In terrestrial communication, terminal devices can use discontinuous reception (DRX) to reduce energy consumption, but this leads to high transmission latency. Therefore, terminal devices can improve the high UL transmission latency in DRX communication scenarios through intelligent uplink (UL) pre-scheduling.

[0005] However, in NTN, the large transmission delay between the satellite and the terminal equipment can cause inaccurate UL smart pre-scheduling windows. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and storage medium for improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method may be a first device, which may be a terminal device, a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Taking a terminal device as an example, the terminal device receives a delay parameter, which is used to indicate a first duration; the terminal device begins searching for first information after a first moment, where the first moment is the moment after the first duration has elapsed since the second moment, and the second moment is the moment when the terminal device determines that it has received downlink data. The first information is used to schedule the terminal device.

[0008] Based on the first aspect of this application, by delaying for a first duration and then starting the search for the first information after the first moment, the terminal device avoids blindly detecting invalid scheduling information. Since the second moment is when the terminal device determines that it has received downlink data, starting the search for the first information after the first moment ensures that the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window opens after the terminal device has prepared uplink data, thereby improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling. Simultaneously, it avoids the network device sending invalid uplink pre-scheduling, reducing the power consumption of the network device.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the second time step is any of the following:

[0010] The time when the terminal device starts receiving downlink data, the time when the terminal device finishes receiving downlink data, the time when the terminal device successfully decodes the downlink data, or the time when the terminal device sends the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the downlink data decoding was successful.

[0011] In this embodiment, since the second moment is the moment when the terminal device determines that it has received the downlink data, the search for the first information begins after the first moment. This ensures that the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window opens after the terminal device has prepared the uplink data, thereby improving the effectiveness of the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip time.

[0013] In this embodiment, since the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip delay, the terminal device can delay opening the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window based on the large transmission delay in the NTN scenario, thereby improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0014] In some possible implementations, if the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the cell coverage area, and the network device is applied to a non-terrestrial network; if the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area; if the delay parameter is a user equipment-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device.

[0015] In this embodiment, since the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip delay, the terminal device can delay opening the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window based on the large transmission delay in the NTN scenario, thereby avoiding the terminal device blindly detecting invalid scheduling information and saving the terminal device's energy consumption.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the first duration is determined based on timing advance and scheduling offset values.

[0017] In this embodiment, signaling overhead is saved by reusing timing advance and scheduling offset values ​​as delay parameters.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0019] Search for the first information after the first timer expires. The start time of the first timer is the second time, and the duration of the first timer is the first duration.

[0020] In this embodiment of the application, by limiting the duration of the first timer to a first duration, the terminal device can start searching for the first information after the first timer ends, thereby ensuring that the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window is opened after the terminal device has prepared the uplink data, and thus improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0022] After the first moment, a second timer is started or restarted, and during the duration of the second timer, the terminal device is used to search for the first information.

[0023] In this embodiment of the application, by determining the time to start the second timer, the terminal device avoids blindly detecting invalid scheduling information and saves the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0025] The search for the first information begins with the first symbol after the first moment, where the first symbol is the first symbol of the first control resource set.

[0026] In this embodiment of the application, by limiting the search for first information to the first symbol, the terminal device can open the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window as late as possible, thereby saving energy consumption.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the first control resource set is the earliest control resource set after the first moment.

[0028] In this embodiment of the application, by limiting the first control resource set to the earliest control resource set after the first moment, uplink scheduling latency is reduced while saving energy.

[0029] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0030] The search for the first information begins at the time of transmission of the first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) after the first moment.

[0031] In this embodiment of the application, by limiting the search for the first information to the first transmission time, the terminal device can open the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window as late as possible, thereby saving energy consumption.

[0032] In some possible implementations, the first PDCCH transmission timing is the earliest PDCCH transmission timing after the first moment.

[0033] In this embodiment of the application, by limiting the first PDCCH transmission time to the earliest PDCCH transmission time after the first moment, uplink scheduling latency is reduced while saving energy.

[0034] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0035] If a control signaling is received, the search for the first information will begin after the first moment.

[0036] In this embodiment of the application, control signaling is used to determine whether to delay the start of the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window, enabling the network device to flexibly indicate the uplink scheduling method.

[0037] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0038] If the delay parameter is not 0, the search for the first information will begin after the first moment.

[0039] In this embodiment, the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window is started with a delay by limiting the value of the delay parameter, so that the network device can flexibly indicate the uplink scheduling method.

[0040] In some possible implementations, the search for first information begins after the first moment, including:

[0041] After the first moment, begin searching for the first information using the first search space set;

[0042] The method also includes:

[0043] The search for the first information begins after the third moment using the second search space set. The third moment is the moment when the terminal device receives the initial transmitted data. The time domain periods of the first search space set and the second search space set are different.

[0044] In this embodiment, by using search space sets with different time-domain periods, the terminal device adopts a PDCCH search space with a shorter period during the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling period, thereby increasing the number of UL scheduling resources and reducing scheduling latency. During non-uplink intelligent pre-scheduling periods, the terminal device adopts a PDCCH search space with a longer period, saving energy.

[0045] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method may be a second device, which may be a network device, a component or device applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU)). Taking a network device as an example, after calculating the delay parameter, the network device sends the delay parameter. The delay parameter is used to indicate a first duration. The first duration is used by the terminal device to determine the time to start searching for first information. The first information is used to schedule the terminal device. The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0046] In some possible implementations, the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip time.

[0047] In some possible implementations, if the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the cell coverage area, and the network device is deployed in a non-terrestrial network; if the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area; if the delay parameter is a user equipment-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device.

[0048] In some possible implementations, the first duration is determined based on timing advance and scheduling offset values.

[0049] In some possible implementations, the first duration is the duration of the first timer.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the network device may also send control signaling to instruct the terminal device to determine the time to begin searching for the first information based on a first duration.

[0051] In some possible implementations, if the delay parameter is not 0, the first duration is used for the terminal device to determine the moment to start searching for the first information.

[0052] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the first device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the second device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0054] The fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which can be a network device (e.g., an NTN device), a component applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., a CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The communication device includes:

[0055] A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0056] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is used to store programs.

[0057] The sixth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the information transmission method described in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0058] The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, pins, or circuits.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself, such as a read-only memory or random access memory.

[0060] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, including communication means for performing the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and communication means for performing the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0061] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above.

[0062] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the DRX cycle of the terminal device in this application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the timer parameters in the DRX cycle in this application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of uplink scheduling in this application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the relationship between uplink basic pre-scheduling and uplink intelligent scheduling in this application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of uplink basic pre-scheduling in this application;

[0068] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling in this application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling process in this application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the terrestrial network architecture in this application;

[0071] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a non-terrestrial network architecture in this application;

[0072] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a non-terrestrial network scenario in this application;

[0073] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the non-terrestrial network scenario in this application;

[0074] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the combination of DRX and uplink intelligent pre-scheduling in a terrestrial network scenario in this application;

[0075] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the combination of DRX and uplink intelligent pre-scheduling in a non-terrestrial network scenario in this application.

[0076] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0077] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the timing advance calculation method in this application;

[0078] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0079] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0080] Figure 18a is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the second time determination method in this application;

[0081] Figure 18b is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the second time determination method in this application;

[0082] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the control resource set in this application;

[0083] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the control resource set in this application;

[0084] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the O-RAN system in this application;

[0085] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0086] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0087] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0088] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and storage medium. By delaying for a first duration and then starting to search for first information after a first moment, the terminal device avoids blindly detecting invalid scheduling information. Since the second moment is the moment when the terminal device determines that it has received downlink data, starting to search for first information after the first moment ensures that the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window opens after the terminal device has prepared uplink data, thereby improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0090] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0091] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0092] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0093] First, some technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced.

[0094] 1) Discontinuous reception (DRX):

[0095] The DRX mechanism is a power-saving technique in wireless communication systems. For terminal devices, the DRX mechanism allows them to enter a sleep state when there is no data transmission requirement, thereby reducing the power consumption of the receiving circuitry. The DRX mechanism works based on a pre-configured periodic reception mechanism. The terminal device is configured with a DRX cycle, during which the access network device only activates the receiver at specific times to receive downlink signals (such as the physical downlink control channel, PDCCH) transmitted by the network device, and shuts down the receiver at other times to save power.

[0096] Figure 1 illustrates one possible implementation of the DRX cycle for a terminal device. When the terminal device is in the active phase, it needs to continuously monitor the PDCCH from the network device. When the terminal device is in the dormant phase, it does not need to monitor the PDCCH.

[0097] Optionally, long cycles and short cycles can alternate within the DRX cycle of the terminal device. Specifically, the network device configures the number of subframes for the duration of the DRX cycle for the terminal device. The number of subframes corresponding to the long cycle can be from 10 to 10240 ms, with a default of 320 ms. The number of subframes corresponding to the short cycle can be from 2 to 640 ms, with a default of 80 ms. The number of subframes corresponding to the long cycle must be K times the number of subframes corresponding to the short cycle, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0098] The number of repetitions for a short cycle can be determined by the parameter ShortCycleTimer. Specifically, the value of ShortCycleTimer can be from 0 to 16. If ShortCycleTimer is 0, it means that the short cycle is not effective.

[0099] Figure 2 illustrates a receiving process for a terminal device during a long DRX cycle. The activation period of the terminal device during the long DRX cycle is determined by timers, which include an on-duration timer, a DRX inactivity timer, a HARQ RTT timer, and a DRX retransmission timer.

[0100] The on-duration timer indicates a continuous downlink subframe, representing the duration of the active period. During this timer's execution, the terminal device continuously monitors the PDCCH. The terminal device starts this timer at the beginning of each new active period. When this timer expires and the DRX inactivity timer is not running, the terminal device enters a sleep state.

[0101] The DRX inactivity timer is used to determine whether the activation period of a terminal device is extended due to the arrival of new data. In other words, during the execution of this timer, the terminal device remains active even if the on-duration timer has expired. During the execution of the DRX inactivity timer, the terminal device needs to continuously monitor the PDCCH. When a PDCCH indication of initial data transmission (also known as first transmission data) is received, the DRX inactivity timer starts or restarts (for example, starting the DRX inactivity timer before the previous one has expired is called restarting the DRX inactivity timer).

[0102] The HARQ RTT timer represents the minimum expected interval between retransmissions. This timer starts when downlink initial data arrives or when downlink retransmission data arrives, and can also be started when downlink data is pre-configured. After the HARQ RTT timer expires, if the data in the corresponding Hybrid Automatic Repeat-Request (HARQ) process buffer is successfully decoded, the terminal device takes no action. If there is undecoded data in the HARQ process buffer, the terminal device starts the DRX retransmission timer.

[0103] The DRX retransmission timer represents the maximum waiting time for the terminal device to be active and await retransmission. During the execution of this timer, the terminal device needs to continuously monitor the PDCCH. The timer is turned off when the terminal device receives retransmitted data.

[0104] 2) Uplink scheduling:

[0105] Uplink scheduling refers to data transmission scheduling from the terminal device to the network device. In this process, the network device (e.g., a base station) dynamically allocates uplink transmission resources to the terminal device (e.g., user equipment (UE)) based on requests and channel quality information to ensure effective data transmission.

[0106] Uplink scheduling is triggered by scheduling requests (SRs) and buffer status reports (BSRs). When there is data to be transmitted uplink, the terminal device sends an SR to request the network device to allocate the resources needed for uplink transmission and related scheduling information.

[0107] Figure 3 illustrates one possible implementation of uplink scheduling. When a terminal device has uplink data to transmit, it sends a Scheduler (SR) to the network device to request uplink authorization, allowing the network device to allocate uplink resources. The SR informs the network device that uplink data needs to be transmitted, but the network device cannot determine the amount of data to be transmitted based on the SR. The network device then sends downlink control information (DCI) to the terminal device, indicating scheduling information. At this point, the network device schedules the terminal device according to a small and fixed data volume. Upon receiving the scheduling instruction, the terminal device transmits data on the uplink resources allocated by the network device, i.e., the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). This PUSCH also carries a Baseline Request Report (BSR) and a Power Headroom Report (PHR). The BSR indicates how much data the terminal device still needs to transmit, and the PHR indicates the terminal device's current power headroom.

[0108] Optionally, if the BSR received by the network device is greater than 0, it means that the terminal device still has data to send. Therefore, the network device will continue to schedule the terminal device and indicate the scheduling information through PDCCH.

[0109] 3) Uplink pre-scheduling:

[0110] Uplink pre-scheduling refers to the network device proactively initiating an uplink scheduling instruction to the terminal device. Regardless of whether the terminal device sends an SR to the network device, the network device will proactively schedule the terminal device once every certain period of time to reduce the time from when the terminal device sends an SR to when it obtains uplink scheduling authorization.

[0111] Uplink pre-scheduling includes two modes: uplink basic pre-scheduling and uplink intelligent pre-scheduling. The relationship between uplink basic pre-scheduling and uplink intelligent pre-scheduling is shown in Figure 4.

[0112] Figure 5 illustrates one possible implementation of basic uplink scheduling. Basic uplink pre-scheduling refers to the network device continuously allocating uplink scheduling resources to terminal devices at regular intervals before uplink data arrives. It only applies to newly accessed users, handover users, or users reconfigured via Radio Resource Control (RRC). When basic pre-scheduling is active, regardless of whether the terminal device has a service request, as long as scheduling resources are available, the terminal device will continue to be scheduled, effectively saving network latency on the user plane by conserving time during the SR and uplink scheduling phases.

[0113] Figure 6 illustrates one possible implementation of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling. Uplink intelligent pre-scheduling only authorizes uplink to the terminal upon receiving downlink data and has a certain timeliness, thus effectively reducing PDCCH overhead and uplink interference to other users. Figure 7 illustrates one possible implementation combining DRX with uplink intelligent pre-scheduling. Intelligent pre-scheduling is triggered whenever downlink data is transmitted from the core network to network equipment (e.g., a base station). If the data is not transmitted within the set duration, the intelligent pre-scheduling duration is automatically extended until the data transmission is complete. t1, t2, and t3 in Figure 7 represent the actual duration of the three intelligent pre-scheduling events. During the intelligent pre-scheduling duration, the terminal device is in the DRX active period. When the terminal device has no service requests, it enters the DRX sleep period, thereby better saving power and resource consumption.

[0114] Please refer to Figure 8. The following is a brief description of the terrestrial network architecture on which the communication method in this embodiment is based:

[0115] Figure 8 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 8, the communication system 10 includes an access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 8, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 8, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 8). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions.

[0116] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G, or future mobile communication system. RAN 100 can also be an open-radio access network (ORAN), a cloud-radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0117] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 8 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 8 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0118] In one possible scenario, access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNodeB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station (BS), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in CRAN scenario, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be access network equipment in 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), TRP, or TP in an NR system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, access network equipment can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized units (CU), distributed units (DU), centralized unit control planes (CU-CP), centralized unit user planes (CU-UP), or radio units (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units. For example, in remote radio units (RRU), active antenna units (AAU), or remote radio heads (RRH). Alternatively, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).It should be understood that the aforementioned TRP can be a device or module located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. The TRP typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The TRP can also be configured with program instructions for the corresponding communication functions.

[0119] It should be noted that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU can also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU can also be called an open-distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open-centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open-centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). This application does not limit the specific names. Any of the units CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0120] Optionally, for network elements in the ORAN system, each network element can implement the protocol layer functions shown in Table 1 below.

[0121] Table 1

[0122] It should be noted that in the ORAN system, the access network equipment in this application can be one or more network elements listed in Table 1 above.

[0123] The architecture of the CU and DU of the access network equipment is described below. An access network equipment includes at least one CU and at least one DU. Optionally, the access network equipment may also include at least one RU.

[0124] The following description uses an access network device consisting of one CU and one DU as an example. The CU has some core network functions and can include CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers). The DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or physical (PHY) layers). Alternatively, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0125] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0126] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF in a 5G system. The AMF is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0127] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0128] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0129] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0130] It should be noted that the access network equipment can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned device or apparatus; this application does not impose any specific limitation. It should also be noted that in this application, the term "access network equipment" can refer to the access network equipment itself, or to the chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the access network equipment that performs the method provided in this application; this application does not impose any specific limitation.

[0131] 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-CPs, CU-UPs, or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0132] 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 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 and hardware modules.

[0133] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart homes, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0134] Please refer to Figure 9. The following is a brief description of the non-terrestrial network architecture on which the communication method in this embodiment is based:

[0135] Ground mobile terminals access the network via a new air interface. Network equipment is 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 network devices. The various network elements in Figure 9 and their interfaces are described below:

[0136] Terminal: Mobile devices that support the New Radio interface, typically such as mobile phones and tablets. They can access satellite networks via the air interface and initiate services such as making calls and accessing the internet.

[0137] Network equipment primarily provides wireless access services, allocates wireless resources to access terminals, and provides reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols. Network equipment deployed on satellites is called an NTN node.

[0138] Core Network: Handles user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, billing, and other services. 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, traffic statistics, and other functions.

[0139] Ground station: Responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between satellite base stations and the core network. A ground station is a network device deployed on the ground. Ground stations used for distributing and collecting satellite communication service data, or for exchanging data within the satellite communication network and routing data to external networks, are called gateway stations. A gateway station can be a network device, a component of a network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0140] New Radio: The wireless link between a terminal and a base station.

[0141] Xn interface: The interface between base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0142] NG interface: The interface between the base station and the CN, mainly used for exchanging non-access stratum (NAS) signaling of the core network and user service data.

[0143] The terminal device in Figure 9 can be located within the beam or cell coverage area of ​​the network device. The terminal device can communicate with the network device via the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL). For example, in the UL direction, the terminal device can send uplink data to the network device via the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); in the DL direction, the network device can send downlink data to the terminal device via the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The terminal device can be a terminal device supporting the new radio interface, which can access the network device via the air interface and initiate services such as calls and internet access. For example, the network device can be a RAN device mounted on a flight platform. When the RAN device is mounted on the flight platform, the RAN device moves synchronously with the flight platform. The RAN device and the flight platform can be considered as a single unit. In this case, the flight platform can be regarded as the RAN device, or it can be described as the flight platform operating in regenerative mode, meaning the flight platform possesses the functions of the RAN device. Additionally, the communication link between the flight platform and the terminal equipment can be referred to as a service link. When the communication system includes multiple flight platforms, the flight platforms can communicate with each other through the Xn interface. In practical applications, the network equipment can also be RAN equipment distributed on the flight platform based on DU, or it can directly serve as the flight platform; the specifics are not limited here.

[0144] The aforementioned flight platform can be a satellite, drone, or other aircraft. For example, the flight platform may include geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, non-geostationary orbit satellites, low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellites, geosynchronous orbit satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system platforms, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), hot air balloons, or high-orbit satellites, etc., and is not specifically limited here. This application uses a satellite as the flight platform for illustration.

[0145] Low-Earth orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites can have their own orbital paths, and multiple satellites typically work together to provide communication over a fixed area. High-Earth orbit (GEO) satellites are generally stationary, and one or a few high-Earth orbit satellites provide communication over a fixed area.

[0146] In this embodiment of the application, the network device deployed on the flight platform is referred to as an NTN device.

[0147] Figure 10 illustrates a possible application scenario for a non-terrestrial network structure. Satellite equipment can be divided into two categories according to its operating mode: transparent mode satellites and regenerative mode satellites.

[0148] When a satellite operates in transparent transmission mode, it has relay forwarding capabilities, i.e., transparent forwarding functionality. A gateway station possesses all or some of the functions of a base station; in this case, the gateway station can be considered a base station. Alternatively, the base station and gateway station can be deployed separately, with the gateway station connected to the base station. In this case, the power supply link transmission includes both the satellite-to-gate station and gateway-to-base station transmissions. For example, from a transmission delay perspective, the delay includes both the satellite-to-gate station transmission delay and the gateway-to-base station transmission delay.

[0149] When a satellite operates in regenerative mode, it possesses strong data processing capabilities and functions as a base station, or partially as one. In this mode, the satellite can be considered a base station. Furthermore, the base station is connected to the core network.

[0150] Figure 11 illustrates another possible application scenario for a non-terrestrial network architecture: air-to-ground (ATG) communication. This scenario includes ground base stations as network equipment and user terminals such as high-altitude aircraft and onboard handheld terminals. The height and diameter shown in Figure 11 are merely examples; other values ​​may exist in practical applications, which are not limited here.

[0151] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other future communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will understand, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0152] Figure 12 illustrates a possible implementation of combining DRX with uplink intelligent pre-scheduling in a terrestrial network communication scenario. When DCI schedules a new PDSCH transmission, uplink intelligent pre-scheduling is activated. During the Drx inactivity timer, the terminal device receives DCI signaling instructing it to transmit uplink signal resources, and then transmits uplink data. Even if the terminal device decodes the initial PDSCH incorrectly, the terminal device and network device can quickly retransmit within the duration of the Drx inactivity timer, ensuring the PDSCH is ultimately transmitted correctly. Then, the terminal device can generate uplink data based on the received downlink data and transmit the corresponding uplink data according to the pre-scheduled resources sent by the network device.

[0153] Figure 13 illustrates a possible implementation of DRX combined with uplink intelligent pre-scheduling in a non-terrestrial network communication scenario. If the terminal device fails to decode the PDCCH and / or PDSCH, due to the large round-trip time between satellite and ground (e.g., the signal transmission round-trip time in the NTN scenario ranges from 4 to 541.46 ms, which is much greater than that of terrestrial cellular networks), the NTN device cannot quickly retransmit the PDSCH. The terminal device cannot generate the corresponding uplink data, and the uplink pre-scheduling of the NTN device is ineffective, resulting in wasted DCI signaling for the NTN device to send pre-scheduled uplink resources and wasted energy for the terminal device to decode the corresponding DCI. Since the terminal fails to decode the DL data, it cannot generate the corresponding uplink data, and even if the base station schedules the terminal to send uplink data, the terminal will not send any uplink data. Therefore, the large transmission delay in NTN can cause inaccurate uplink intelligent pre-scheduling windows.

[0154] Based on this, this application provides a method. Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 14 is executed interactively by a first device and a second device. This method can be applied to the scenarios shown in Figure 10 or Figure 11. The first device can be a terminal device, a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The second device can be a network device (e.g., an NTN device), a component or device applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU)). The following description uses the example of the first device being a terminal device and the second device being a network device. An embodiment of this application includes:

[0155] 1401. The first device receives delay parameters from the second device. Correspondingly, the second device sends delay parameters to the first device.

[0156] The terminal device receives a delay parameter from the network device, which is used to indicate the first duration.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the delay parameter is determined based on the round-trip time (RTD). For example, this delay parameter is a specific value, such as `start_delay`, and its naming is not limited in this embodiment. The value of this parameter is determined by the network device based on the RTD between the network device and the terminal device. For example, the duration represented by `start_delay` is greater than or equal to the RTD between the network device and the terminal device. Another example is that the duration represented by `start_delay` is greater than or equal to the sum of the RTD and an adjustment value. Yet another example is that the duration represented by `start_delay` is greater than or equal to the difference between the RTD and the adjustment value. The adjustment value can be determined based on the time advance (TA) used by the terminal device, estimated based on the positioning error of the network device or terminal device, or determined by the network device based on the signal processing delay. Specific details are not limited here.

[0158] Optional Where RTD(A, B) represents the round-trip time delay of the signal transmitted between A and B. This indicates rounding up the value of A. `slot_duration` represents the time unit, such as the length of a time slot (e.g., 1ms, 0.5ms, or 0.125ms), or a predetermined time length (e.g., 10ms, 5ms, or 1ms).

[0159] Optionally, the delay parameter can be the runtime of the timer, which can be called start_delay_timer. This application does not limit the naming of the timer.

[0160] Optionally, the parameter value start_delay, or the timer start_delay_timer, can be a cell-level parameter, a beam-level parameter, or a UE-level parameter.

[0161] If the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first duration (i.e., the parameter value or timer duration) is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the cell's coverage area. For example, the network device determines that the delay parameter is less than or equal to the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the cell's coverage area. The delay parameter can be carried in a cell-level broadcast message or RRC signaling.

[0162] If the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area. For example, the network device determines that the delay parameter is less than or equal to the minimum round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area. The delay parameter can be carried in beam-level broadcast messages, beam-level multicast messages, or RRC signaling.

[0163] If the delay parameter is a UE-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the network device determines that the delay parameter is less than or equal to the round-trip time between the terminal device and the network device. The delay parameter can be carried in a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) or RRC signaling; specific details are not limited here.

[0164] In another possible implementation, the delay parameter is determined based on the TA (Tracking Time) used by the terminal and the scheduling offset value kma. For example, the delay parameter could be TA + kma (the sum of TA and kma), or it could indicate the sum of the duration represented by TA and the duration represented by kma, or it could be a fixed value or adjustment value added to / subtracted from TA + kma. The fixed value or adjustment value could be a value determined considering the positioning error of the network device or terminal device, or it could be a value determined by the network device based on signal processing delay.

[0165] Optionally, if the delay parameter is determined based on TA and kmac, the terminal device can add / subtract a fixed value or an adjustment value to TA+kmac, i.e., TA+kmac+adjustment value, to counteract the effects of positional errors or kmac quantization errors of the terminal device. For example, the first duration can be TA+kmac-1 (ms) or TA+kmac-slot_duration, where slot_duration indicates the length of a time slot. Alternatively, the first duration can be TA+kmac+1 (ms) or TA+kmac+slot_duration; the specific duration is not limited here. Here, TA can represent the time length corresponding to the TA parameter value, and kmac can represent the time length corresponding to the kmac parameter value. If the time units of TA, kmac, adjustment value, fixed value, and other parameter values ​​are different, they can be converted to the same time unit for calculation; this will not be elaborated further below.

[0166] Optionally, if the delay parameters are determined based on TA and kmac, the terminal device can add / subtract drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL from TA+kmac, where drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL indicates the minimum duration before downlink HARQ retransmission. The terminal device can also add / subtract drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL from TA+kmac, where drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL indicates the minimum duration before authorized uplink HARQ retransmission; the specifics are not limited here.

[0167] It should be noted that in practical applications, the terminal device may not use kmac, or the kmac value may be 0, or the network device may not send a kmac value to the terminal. In this case, the first duration can be TA, meaning that the terminal device starts searching for the first information after a delay of the time represented by TA at the second time point. In this case, the TA value represents the round-trip time of transmission.

[0168] As shown in Figure 15, at the uplink time synchronization reference point (RP), the downlink and uplink frames (timing) are aligned (N). TA,offset =0), or there exists an offset (by N) TA,offset The indicated offset). For example, N TA,offset The time unit is T c .

[0169] For example, N TA,offset These are parameter values ​​related to the duplex mode used in communication. The base station sends these values ​​to the terminal via signaling (such as n-TimingAdvanceOffset). If the base station does not send this signaling to the terminal, it uses the values ​​agreed upon in the protocol, such as determining the corresponding N based on the frequency range, frequency band, and duplex mode used for uplink or downlink transmission. TA,offset value.

[0170] To accommodate propagation delays in NTN, common timing advance (Common TA) and the kmac parameter were introduced.

[0171] Common TA is the timing offset configured by the base station for the terminal. For example, Common TA is equal to the round trip time (RTT) between the RP and the NTN device (e.g., the NTN device carried by the satellite).

[0172] kmac is the offset configured by the base station for the terminal, which is approximately equal to the RTT between the RP and the base station. kmac is used to delay the application or activation time of the downlink configuration indicated by the MAC CE command carried on the PDSCH. Furthermore, when estimating the RTT between the terminal and the base station, it can be sent or provided by the network to the terminal if the downlink and uplink frame timings are misaligned at the base station. During random access, after the terminal sends or transmits Msg1 / MsgA, the terminal uses kmac to determine the start time of the random access response (RAR) window / MsgB window.

[0173] For example, the terminal device calculates TA in the following way:

[0174] Where, N TA This is used to instruct network devices to send timing advance adjustments to terminal devices. During the initial access preamble transmission, N... TA The value of N is 0. TA,ofset This represents the TA offset configured by the network device for the terminal device. For example, N TA,ofset This is a parameter value related to the duplex mode used in communication. T c T represents the unit of time. c =1 / (Δf) max ·N f ), Δf max =480×10 3 Hz, N f =4096. The base station sends this signaling to the terminal via signaling (such as n-TimingAdvanceOffset signaling). If the base station does not send this signaling to the terminal, it uses the value agreed upon in the protocol, such as determining the corresponding NTA, offset value based on the frequency range, frequency band, duplex mode, etc. used for uplink or downlink transmission (e.g., determining NTA using a lookup table method agreed upon in the protocol). TA,ofset (Value). In this application embodiment, the protocol may also be referred to as a standard, technical standard, specification, or technical specification.

[0175] The transmission round-trip time between the uplink time synchronization reference point and the serving satellite is determined by the terminal device based on at least one of the common TA, common TA drift, and common TA drift rate configured by the network device. The round-trip time of the service link is calculated by the terminal device based on the satellite ephemeris parameters configured in the network device (used to determine the satellite position) and the position of the terminal device.

[0176] kmac represents the scheduling offset value. If the downlink and uplink frame timings are misaligned at the network side (or base station side), the network device sends a kmac to the terminal device. For example, the time unit of kmac can be 1 millisecond (ms). kmac is the offset configured by the base station for the terminal, which is approximately equal to the round-trip time (RTT) between the uplink time synchronization reference point and the gNB. kmac is used to delay the application or activation time of the downlink configuration indicated by the MAC CE command carried on the PDSCH. Furthermore, when estimating the RTT between the UE and the gNB, it can be sent or provided by the network to the terminal when the downlink and uplink frame timings are misaligned at the gNB. During random access, after the terminal sends or transmits Msg1 / MsgA, the terminal uses kmac to determine the start time of the RAR window / MsgB window.

[0177] The network device receives the decoding result feedback (e.g., HARQ-ACK) corresponding to the signaling sent by the network device in uplink time slot n. kmac can be applied to scenarios that enhance the effective timing of signaling sent by the network device. The terminal device's configuration for this signaling takes effect in the downlink time slot. The first time slot afterwards, that is, in the time slot Effective, where X = 3.

[0178] Among them, the enhanced scenarios for the effective timing of signaling sent by network devices include:

[0179] 1) The MAC CE signaling (downlink signal configuration command) carried in the PDSCH is a configuration or activation command for the downlink zero power channel state information reference signal (ZP CSI-RS).

[0180] 2) The MAC CE signaling carried in the PDSCH deactivates the downlink ZP CSI-RS resource configuration that has already taken effect.

[0181] 3) The mapping relationship between the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status carried in the PDSCH and the code point in the DCI field.

[0182] 4) The instructions carried in the PDSCH can be used to activate / deactivate the semi-static CSI reporting configuration.

[0183] 5) The instructions carried in the PDSCH can be used to activate / deactivate the CSI-RS / CSI interference measurement (CSI-IM) configuration.

[0184] In this embodiment, signaling overhead is saved by reusing timing advance and scheduling offset values ​​as delay parameters.

[0185] Optionally, the delay parameter can be carried in at least one of the broadcast information such as system information block (SIB) 1, SIB19, other system information (OSI), master information block (MIB), or physical broadcast channel (PDCH) messages, and can be broadcast or multicast by the network device to the terminal.

[0186] It should be noted that by broadcasting or multicasting the above signaling to terminal devices, the conflict caused by network devices scheduling different resources for different terminal devices in order to send the above signaling can be avoided, thereby saving the signaling overhead of scheduling resources and reducing the complexity of system scheduling.

[0187] In this embodiment, if sent during the RRC connection establishment phase and subsequent communication, the network device can carry delay parameters in at least one of the following: RRC signaling (e.g., RRC setup message, RRC reconfiguration message, RRC recovery message, etc.), DCI, group DCI, MAC CE, and timing advance command (TAC). Delay parameters can also be sent with data transmission or via unicast or multicast to the terminal device in a separately allocated PDSCH bearer. By sending delay parameters to the terminal device individually or in groups, the network device can flexibly control the parameter values ​​for each / group of terminal devices, configuring different parameter values ​​for the terminal devices based on their different locations or regions. This achieves the purpose of optimizing system parameters, improving communication performance between the terminal devices and network devices, or optimizing overall system communication performance.

[0188] For example, network devices can configure different start_delay parameter values ​​for terminal devices based on their different locations. For instance, when the round-trip latency between the terminal's location and the base station is small, the network device can configure a smaller start_delay parameter value for that terminal device. This allows for the configuration of appropriate start_delay parameter values ​​for terminal devices in different locations or regions, thereby enabling more precise control of the terminal device's uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window and improving the uplink transmission performance of the communication system.

[0189] It should be understood that if the network device instructs the terminal not to use the delayed start scheme, it can be understood as setting the delay parameter to 0, for example, the network device instructs start_delay=0, or it can be understood as using the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling method as shown in Figure 6.

[0190] 1402. The first device begins searching for the first information after the first moment.

[0191] The first moment is the time elapsed after the first duration of the second moment. The second moment is the moment when the terminal device determines that it has received downlink data. The first information is used to schedule the terminal device to send uplink or downlink signals. Accordingly, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0192] Optionally, the second moment is the time when the terminal device generates / prepares uplink data based on the received downlink data or when the uplink data arrives.

[0193] Optionally, the first information can be scheduling information transmitted via PDCCH, such as DCI information, or information about uplink data sent by the scheduling terminal, or information about downlink data received by the scheduling terminal. The use of the first information for scheduling terminal equipment can be understood as allocating resources for these components; however, this is not specifically limited here.

[0194] Specifically, assuming the first time point is t1 and the second time point is t2, then t2 - t1 is the first duration. The second time point can be understood as the moment the terminal device begins receiving downlink data, the moment the terminal device finishes receiving downlink data, the moment the terminal device successfully decodes the downlink data, or the moment the terminal device sends a second message to the network device. This second message indicates that the terminal device has successfully decoded the downlink data; for example, the second message might be an acknowledgment (ACK).

[0195] As shown in Figure 16, the terminal device receives the PDSCH, decodes the PDSCH, and starts searching for the first information at the first moment after a delay of the second moment.

[0196] In this embodiment, the terminal device searches for the first information after a first delay, avoiding blind detection of invalid scheduling information and thus saving energy. Simultaneously, it avoids the network device sending invalid uplink pre-scheduling, ensuring that the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window opens after the terminal device has prepared uplink data, thereby improving the effectiveness of uplink intelligent pre-scheduling.

[0197] When the delay parameter is the parameter value start_delay, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting to search for the first information after a delay of start_delay time at the second moment.

[0198] When the delay parameter is timer start_delay_timer, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting timer start_delay_timer at the second moment, and starting to search for the first information after timer start_delay_timer expires.

[0199] When the delay parameter is TA+kmac, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting to search for the first information after a delay of TA+kmac time.

[0200] Optionally, if the delay parameter is determined based on TA and kmac, the terminal device can add / subtract a fixed value or an adjustment value to TA+kmac, i.e., TA+kmac+adjustment value, to counteract the effects of positional errors or kmac quantization errors of the terminal device. For example, the first duration can be TA+kmac-1 (ms) or TA+kmac-slot_duration, where slot_duration indicates the length of a time slot. Alternatively, the first duration can be TA+kmac+1 (ms) or TA+kmac+slot_duration; the specific duration is not limited here. Here, TA can represent the time length corresponding to the TA parameter value, and kmac can represent the time length corresponding to the kmac parameter value. If the time units of TA, kmac, adjustment value, fixed value, and other parameter values ​​are different, they can be converted to the same time unit for calculation; this will not be elaborated further below.

[0201] Optionally, if the delay parameters are determined based on TA and kmac, the terminal device can add / subtract drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL from TA+kmac, where drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL indicates the minimum duration before downlink HARQ retransmission. The terminal device can also add / subtract drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL from TA+kmac, where drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL indicates the minimum duration before authorized uplink HARQ retransmission; the specifics are not limited here.

[0202] It should be noted that in practical applications, the terminal device may not use kmac, or the kmac value may be 0, or the network device may not send a kmac value to the terminal. In this case, the first duration can be TA, meaning that the terminal device starts searching for the first information after a delay of the time represented by TA at the second time point. In this case, the TA value represents the round-trip time of transmission.

[0203] Optional, if or If the parameter value is not 0, it indicates that the network device and terminal device are deployed in an NTN scenario or a high transmission latency scenario. Therefore, the terminal device determines that it needs to delay for a certain duration before searching for the first information. Optionally, if the network device does not send the kmac parameter to the terminal device, the terminal device defaults to kmac = 0. Similarly, if or If the parameter value is 0, it means that the network device and the terminal device are not in an NTN scenario or a high transmission latency scenario. Therefore, the terminal device determines that it does not need to delay for the first duration before searching for the first information.

[0204] In one possible implementation, starting the search for the first information at the first moment can also be understood as starting the search for the first information after the first timer ends. The first timer starts at the second moment, and its duration is the first duration. The first timer can be the `start_delay_timer` shown in step 1401; however, this application embodiment does not limit its naming.

[0205] In another possible implementation, starting the search for the first information at the first moment can also be understood as, or equivalent to, or replaced by, starting or restarting the second timer at the first moment. During the operation of the second timer or within its validity period, the terminal device performs blind detection, search, or monitoring of the PDCCH or DCI, thereby sending uplink data according to uplink scheduling information or receiving downlink data according to downlink scheduling information.

[0206] When the delay parameter is the parameter value start_delay, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting or restarting the second timer after a delay of start_delay time at the second moment.

[0207] When the delay parameter is timer start_delay_timer, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting timer start_delay_timer at the second moment, and starting or restarting the second timer after timer start_delay_timer expires.

[0208] When the delay parameter is TA+kmac, the first device starting to search for the first information after the first moment can be understood as the first device starting or restarting the second timer after a delay of TA+kmac.

[0209] It should be noted that the second timer can be a DRX inactivity timer or other timers, such as a newly defined timer new_timer. The naming of this application embodiment is not limited.

[0210] In another possible implementation, starting the search for the first information at the first moment can also be understood as starting the search for the first information from the first symbol after the first moment. For example, the first symbol is the first symbol of the first control resource set. That is to say, the time after the terminal device delays for the first duration and the time when it starts searching for the first information are not necessarily continuous or there may be an interval. In other words, after the first moment, the terminal device continues to wait until the first symbol before starting the second timer.

[0211] Optionally, the first symbol can be the first symbol of the earliest control-resource set (CORSET) resource in the blind detection / search PDCCH configured for the terminal by the network device. The earliest control-resource set refers to the CORSET closest to the first moment after the first moment. In other words, starting the search for the first information at the first moment can also be understood as the terminal device starting its search for the first information from the first symbol of the earliest control-resource set or search space resource in the blind detection / search PDCCH configured for the terminal by the network device after the first moment.

[0212] The first symbol can be the first symbol of the earliest resource after the first moment in the blind detection / search PDCCH resources configured by the network device for the terminal, or the first symbol of the earliest or most recent PDCCH transmission or reception timing after the first moment in the blind detection / search PDCCH timing configured by the network device for the terminal.

[0213] As shown in Figure 17, after the first duration has elapsed since the second time (or, in other words, after the first timer has ended), the first time falls within the time domain corresponding to CORSET-1. At this point, the terminal device needs to wait for the first symbol of CORSET-2, i.e., the first symbol, before it can begin searching for the first information. Alternatively, the terminal device needs to wait for the first symbol of CORSET-2 before starting the second timer. For a description of the first and second timers, please refer to the above embodiment.

[0214] In another possible implementation, starting the search for the first information at the first moment can also be understood as starting the search for the first information from the first PDCCH transmission timing after the first moment.

[0215] Optionally, the first PDCCH transmission timing is the most recent PDCCH transmission timing configured for the terminal device after the first moment.

[0216] It should be noted that when the second moment is the moment when the terminal device sends the second information, there are multiple ways to determine the second moment.

[0217] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device determines the time to send the ACK based on the TA (Temporal Acknowledgment), then the terminal device will send an uplink signal with the same index number before receiving a downlink signal with the same index number. In this case, the second time can be determined based on the actual transmission time of the ACK signal sent by the terminal device according to the TA. As shown in Figure 18a, assume that the decoding feedback ACK is sent in uplink (uplink, UL) slot 3. Considering the TA value, if the terminal device sends the ACK in UL slot 3 as marked in the figure, the second time is taken as the moment when the terminal actually sends the feedback ACK uplink resource using the TA mechanism (based on the timing or time of downlink slot 3, with the time length corresponding to the TA value as the time to send uplink slot 3 in advance). If the second time is in units of time slots, then a first duration is delayed after the end of uplink slot 3.

[0218] In another possible implementation, if the terminal device does not determine the ACK transmission time based on the TA, it can determine it based on the transmission time or corresponding resource timing or time when the terminal does not use the TA, or assuming TA = 0. Alternatively, it can be determined based on the time of the downlink (DL) signal resource corresponding to the uplink resource used to transmit the uplink signal (i.e., the downlink signal resource timing or time with the same resource index number). As shown in Figure 18b, if the terminal device does not determine the ACK transmission time based on the TA (or assumes TA = 0), the terminal device uses the time corresponding to slot 3 as the second time. If the second time is in units of time slots, then a delay of the first duration occurs after the end of uplink slot 3.

[0219] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG14 further includes step 1400. Step 1400 may be performed before step 1401.

[0220] 1400. The first device begins searching for the first information after the third moment.

[0221] Specifically, after the third moment, the terminal device uses the second search space set to start searching for the first information. The third moment is the moment when the terminal device receives the initial transmission or first transmission data, or the moment when the terminal device receives the PDCCH of the initial transmission data, or the moment when the terminal device receives the scheduling signaling corresponding to the initial transmission data, or the moment when the terminal device receives the DCI signaling corresponding to the initial transmission data.

[0222] Optionally, the terminal device may begin searching for the first information using the first search space set after the first moment, and the time domain periods of the first search space set and the second search space set are different.

[0223] In this embodiment, switching between two different PDCCH search space sets with different PDCCH periods can be configured. For example, PDCCH search space set 1 has a larger time domain period, while PDCCH search space set 2 has a smaller time domain period and a denser time domain. Correspondingly, for PDCCH search space set 1, the terminal's blind detection / search PDCCH period will be larger, resulting in greater energy savings. For PDCCH search space set 2, the terminal's blind detection / search PDCCH period will be smaller, allowing for the scheduling of more uplink transmission resources and reducing scheduling latency in a shorter time.

[0224] Terminal devices and network devices can determine different search space sets for different conditions through protocol predefinition or prior agreement. For example, at a third moment (e.g., when the terminal device receives the PDCCH indication for the first downlink transmission / initial transmission data), the terminal device starts or restarts a second timer (e.g., a timer DRX inactivity timer). During the operation of this timer, the terminal device searches for the first information using PDCCH search space set 1, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0225] After receiving the PDSCH, successful decoding, and / or feedback ACK, the terminal device searches for the first information using the PDCCH search space set 2 after a delay of the first duration. This enables the terminal device to send uplink data according to the uplink scheduling information of the base station, thereby increasing the amount of uplink transmission resources and throughput in a short period of time and reducing uplink scheduling latency.

[0226] For example, when the terminal device receives the PDCCH indication for the first downlink transmission / initial transmission data, the terminal device uses PDCCH search space set 2 to search for the first information; after receiving PDSCH, successful decoding and / or feedback ACK, the terminal device uses PDCCH search space set 1 to search for the first information after a delay of the first duration, and the specifics are not limited here.

[0227] In this embodiment, by using search space sets with different time-domain periods, the terminal device adopts a PDCCH search space with a shorter period during the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling period, thereby increasing the number of UL scheduling resources and reducing scheduling latency. During non-uplink intelligent pre-scheduling periods, the terminal device adopts a PDCCH search space with a longer period, saving energy.

[0228] The following is a brief introduction to the candidate set of PDCCH transmission. Figure 19 shows a schematic diagram of the determination of the PDCCH candidate set. In the NR system, information such as the frequency band occupied by the PDCCH in the frequency domain and the number of OFDM symbols occupied in the time domain are encapsulated in the CORESET. Information such as the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol index at the start of the PDCCH and the PDCCH detection period are encapsulated in the search space. After obtaining the CORESET and search space of the PDCCH, the terminal can determine the candidate PDCCH set (or PDCCH candidate set set) to be detected corresponding to each aggregation level.

[0229] CORESET occupies frequency domain space Each PRB, and its frequency domain location, is communicated to the UE by the higher-layer parameter `frequencyDomainResources` (45 bits). Each bit represents a group of six consecutive resource blocks (RBs), with the most significant bit corresponding to the lowest frequency physical resource block (PRB) group within the bandwidth part (BWP). A bit value of 1 indicates that the corresponding PRB group is within the CORESET, while a bit value of 0 indicates that it is not within the CORESET. The maximum value is 270 PRBs.

[0230] CORESET occupies time domain space A series of consecutive OFDM symbols, the starting position of which in a time slot can be configured. The value can be 1, 2 or 3.

[0231] Each BWP can be configured with a maximum of 3 CORESETs. Since each cell can be configured with a maximum of 4 BWPs, each cell can be configured with a maximum of 12 CORESETs. Their indices are 0 to 11. The CORESET index number used by the UE is notified by the higher-layer parameter ControlResourceSetId. ControlResourceSetId is unique among all BWPs in a cell. CORESET0 is dedicated to the Type 0 PDCCH common search space (CSS).

[0232] A PDCCH (or PDCCH data) is aggregated from one or more control channel elements (CCEs), and the number of CCEs included (i.e., the aggregation level of the PDCCH) can be one of {1, 2, 4, 8, 16}. A CCE consists of 6 resource element groups (REGs). One REG occupies one RB in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The PDCCH resource mapping method is as follows: REGs are first bundled in a time-first manner (to achieve frequency diversity, REGs are numbered in ascending order in time priority), and then mapped to control resource CCEs at the REG bundle granularity, either interleaved or non-interleaved. One REG bundle consists of a group of REGs that are consecutive in the time and / or frequency domains.

[0233] The search space is divided into a public search space and a UE-dedicated search space. Within each bandwidth part (BWP), the DMRS of the PDCCH in both the public and UE-dedicated search spaces is fixed on subcarriers 1 / 5 / 9 of a PRB. The total number of search spaces for each cell is limited to 10.

[0234] When the UE detects PDCCH data, it does not know the aggregation level value used by the base station, therefore, it needs to perform blind detection on all possible aggregation level values. The UE can determine the PDCCH candidate set set corresponding to different aggregation levels based on the received CORESET and the search space. As shown in Figure 20, taking aggregation levels {4, 8, 16} as an example, the UE determines the PDCCH candidate set set corresponding to different aggregation levels based on the configuration information of CORESET and the search space. These PDCCH candidate sets constitute the PDCCH search space blind detection set. In the figure, the PDCCH blind detection time-domain position period is 2 slots, each slot contains three PDCCH positions, each PDCCH occupies 2 symbols, and the first symbol position of the PDCCH is symbol number {0, 4, 8}.

[0235] The base station indicates to the UE the number of candidate PDCCHs (or the number of PDCCH candidate sets) corresponding to each aggregation level via the signaling nrofCandidates (included in the Search Space). If the nrofCandidates parameter is not configured, the default definition is used, and the number of PDCCH candidate sets corresponding to different aggregation levels is agreed upon through the protocol.

[0236] Optionally, the embodiment shown in FIG14 further includes step 1401a. Step 1401a may be performed before step 1402.

[0237] 1401a. The first device receives a control signaling message from the second device. Correspondingly, the second device sends a control signaling message to the first device.

[0238] If a control signaling is received, the terminal device begins searching for the first information after the first moment. Alternatively, the control signaling is used to activate a delay parameter, enabling the terminal device to determine the first duration based on the delay parameter, and thus allowing the terminal device to begin searching for the first information after a delay of the first duration following the second moment.

[0239] For example, the control signaling can be the delay_UL_smart_preschedule parameter; its naming is not limited in this application embodiment. This control signaling is used to control whether to use a delayed start uplink smart pre-scheduling window. For instance, the network device can use the delay_UL_smart_preschedule signaling to indicate whether to use the start delay parameter value start_delay to delay the start of the second timer.

[0240] Optionally, if the network device instructs the terminal not to use a delayed start uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window via control signaling, it can be understood that the network device sets the first duration to 0.

[0241] Optionally, the control signaling may be carried in at least one of the broadcast information of system information block (SIB) 1, SIB 19, other system information (OSI), master information block (MIB), or physical broadcast channel (PDCH) messages, and may be broadcast or multicast by the network device to the terminal.

[0242] It should be noted that by broadcasting or multicasting the above control signaling to terminal devices, the conflict caused by network devices scheduling different resources for different terminal devices in order to send the above signaling can be avoided, thereby saving the signaling overhead of scheduling resources and reducing the complexity of system scheduling.

[0243] In this embodiment, if sent during the RRC connection establishment phase and subsequent communication, the network device can carry control signaling in at least one of the following: RRC signaling (e.g., RRC setup message, RRC reconfiguration message, RRC recovery message, etc.), DCI, group DCI, and MAC CE. It can also be sent with data transmission or via unicast or multicast to the terminal device in a separately allocated PDSCH bearer. By sending delay parameters to the terminal devices individually or in groups, the network device can flexibly control the parameter values ​​of each / group of terminal devices, configuring different parameter values ​​for the terminal devices based on their different locations or regions. This achieves the purpose of optimizing system parameters, improving communication performance between the terminal devices and network devices, or optimizing overall system communication performance. For example, the network device can be configured to use or not use a delayed uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window based on its location.

[0244] For example, when the round-trip latency between the terminal's location and the base station is small, the terminal can be configured not to use the delayed start uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window. Therefore, appropriate control signaling can be configured for terminals in different locations or regions, and the terminal can be more accurately controlled to use the delayed start uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window.

[0245] Optionally, step 1401a can be omitted. The network device can control whether to use a delay to initiate the uplink intelligent pre-scheduling window by specifying the value of a delay parameter through a protocol. For example, when the delay parameter is not 0 (i.e., the first duration is not 0), the terminal device will begin searching for the first information after a delay of the first duration following the second time point. Similarly, when the delay parameter is 0 (i.e., the first duration is 0), the terminal device will either not begin searching for the first information after a delay of the first duration following the second time point, or it will begin searching for the first information after the first time point.

[0246] Figure 21 shows a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. It should be understood that an O-RAN system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 21.

[0247] As shown in Figure 21, the BBU in the access network device communicates with the CN through the backhaul link, and the RU in the access network device communicates with at least one UE through the air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through the fronthaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0248] A BBU comprises at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0249] In this embodiment, the delay parameters or control signals sent by the second device can be processed by the CU and DU.

[0250] The communication method in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The communication device in the embodiments of this application is described below. Referring to Figure 22, the communication device 2200 can be used to execute the process performed by the first device in the embodiment shown in Figure 14. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 2200 can be a terminal device, a component or device applied to a terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0251] The communication device 2200 includes an interface module 2201 and a processing module 2202.

[0252] The processing module 2202 is used for data processing. The interface module 2201 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 2201 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0253] Optionally, the communication device 2200 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 2202 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 2200 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0254] The communication device 2200 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the first device, a communication module within the first device, or a circuit or chip in the first device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 2200 can be the first device or a component configurable within the first device. The processing module 2202 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 2201 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the first device side in the above method embodiments.

[0255] Optionally, interface module 2201 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0256] It should be noted that the communication device 2200 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 2200 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 2200 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 2200 is used to perform the actions performed by the first device in the embodiment shown in FIG14. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in FIG14; they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0257] For example, the communication device 2200 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0258] Interface module 2201 is used to receive delay parameters, which are used to indicate the first duration;

[0259] The processing module 2202 is used to start searching for first information after the first moment. The first moment is the moment after the second moment has elapsed for a first duration. The second moment is the moment when the terminal device determines that it has received downlink data. The first information is used to schedule the terminal device.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines the time of receiving downlink data as any one of the following: the time when the terminal device receives downlink data, the time when the terminal device successfully decodes downlink data, or the time when the terminal device sends second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the downlink data decoding was successful.

[0261] In another possible implementation, the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip time.

[0262] In another possible implementation, if the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within the cell coverage area, and the network device is applied to a non-terrestrial network.

[0263] If the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, then the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area;

[0264] If the delay parameter is a user equipment level parameter, then the first duration is determined based on the round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device.

[0265] In another possible implementation, the first duration is determined based on the timing advance and scheduling offset value.

[0266] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0267] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to search for the first information after the first timer expires. The start time of the first timer is the second time, and the duration of the first timer is the first duration.

[0268] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0269] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to start or restart the second timer after the first moment, and during the duration of the second timer, the terminal device is used to search for the first information.

[0270] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0271] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to search for first information starting from the first symbol after the first moment, where the first symbol is the first symbol of the first control resource set.

[0272] In another possible implementation, the first control resource set is the earliest control resource set after the first moment.

[0273] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0274] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to search for the first information starting from the first PDCCH transmission time after the first moment.

[0275] In another possible implementation, the first PDCCH transmission timing is the earliest PDCCH transmission timing after the first moment.

[0276] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0277] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to start searching for the first information after the first moment if a control signaling is received.

[0278] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0279] The processing module 2202 is specifically used to start searching for the first information after the first moment if the delay parameter is not 0.

[0280] In another possible implementation, processing module 2202 is used to begin searching for first information after the first moment, including:

[0281] Processing module 2202 is specifically used to start searching for the first information using the first search space set after the first moment;

[0282] The processing module 2202 is also used to start searching for the first information using the second search space set after the third time. The third time is the time when the terminal device receives the initial transmitted data. The time domain periods of the first search space set and the second search space set are different.

[0283] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0284] Optionally, when the communication device 2200 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the processing module 2202 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. The interface module 2201 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 2201 may also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0285] Optionally, when the communication device 2200 is a circuit or chip in a terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 2202 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processing cores. The function of the interface module 2201 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0286] The following is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to FIG23, the communication device can be used to execute the process performed by the second device in the embodiment shown in FIG14, and for details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0287] The communication device 2300 includes an interface module 2301. Optionally, a processing module 2302.

[0288] The processing module 2302 is used for data processing. The interface module 2301 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 2301 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0289] Optionally, the communication device 2300 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 2302 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 2300 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0290] The communication device 2300 can be used to perform the actions performed by the second device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the second device, a communication module within the second device, or a circuit or chip in the second device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 2300 can be a network device or a component configurable in a network device. The processing module 2302 is used to perform processing-related operations on the second device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 2301 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the second device side in the above method embodiments.

[0291] Optionally, interface module 2301 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0292] It should be noted that the communication device 2300 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 2300 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by the communication device 2300 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 2300 is used to execute the actions performed by the second device in the embodiment shown in FIG14. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in FIG14; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0293] For example, the communication device 2300 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0294] Processing module 2302 is used to generate delay parameters;

[0295] Interface module 2301 is used to send delay parameters. The delay parameters are used to indicate the first duration. The first duration is used by the terminal device to determine the time to start searching for the first information. The first information is used to schedule the terminal device.

[0296] Interface module 2301 is also used to send the first message.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the first duration is determined based on the transmission round-trip time.

[0298] In another possible implementation, if the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within the cell coverage area, and the network device is deployed on a non-terrestrial network.

[0299] If the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, then the first duration is determined based on the minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within the beam coverage area;

[0300] If the delay parameter is a user equipment level parameter, then the first duration is determined based on the round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device.

[0301] In another possible implementation, the first duration is determined based on the timing advance and scheduling offset value.

[0302] In another possible implementation, the first duration is the duration of the first timer.

[0303] In another possible implementation, the interface module 2301 is also used to send control signaling, which instructs the terminal device to determine the time to start searching for the first information based on the first duration.

[0304] In another possible implementation, if the delay parameter is not 0, the first duration is used by the terminal device to determine the moment to start searching for the first information.

[0305] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0306] The processing module 2302 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The interface module 2301 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 2301 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0307] The following describes a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Please refer to Figure 24, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device may be the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, or it may be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first device or the second device in implementing the above methods. This communication device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and for details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0308] The communication device may include one or more processors 2401, which are connected to a memory 2402, an input / output unit 2403, and a bus 2404. The processor 2401 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., base station, baseband chip, terminal, terminal chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0309] Optionally, the communication device may include one or more memories 2402, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 2401, causing the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 2402 may also store data. The processor 2401 and the memories 2402 may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0310] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transceiver and an antenna. A transceiver, also called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, is used to implement transmission and reception functions. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter; the receiver, also called a receiver circuit, is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter, also called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0311] In another possible design, the processor 2401 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0312] In another possible design, the processor 2401 may optionally store instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The instructions may be stored in the processor 2401; in this case, the processor 2401 may be implemented in hardware.

[0313] In another possible design, the communication device may include a circuit that can perform the transmitting or receiving or communication functions of the first or second device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0314] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a first device or a second device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited to FIG. 24. The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0315] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0316] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0317] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0318] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0319] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.

[0320] (6) Others, etc.

[0321] For communication devices that can be chips or chip systems, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 25. The chip 2500 shown in Figure 25 includes a processor 2501 and an interface 2502. Optionally, it may also include a memory 2503. The number of processors 2501 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 2502 can be multiple.

[0322] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the first or second device in the embodiments of this application:

[0323] The interface 2502 is used to receive or output signals;

[0324] The processor 2501 is used to perform data processing operations of the first device or the second device.

[0325] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the communication device given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0326] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0327] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0328] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium may be a non-volatile storage medium.

[0329] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0330] 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.

[0331] 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.

[0332] 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.

[0333] 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.

[0334] 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 to the prior art, 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.

[0335] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is performed by a terminal device or a module applied in the terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving a delay parameter, the delay parameter being used to indicate a first time length; starting to search for first information after a first time point, the first time point being a time point after a second time point by the first time length, the second time point being a time point at which the terminal device determines to receive downlink data, the first information being used to schedule the terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second time point is any one of the following: a time point at which the terminal device starts to receive downlink data, a time point at which the terminal device finishes receiving downlink data, a time point at which the terminal device decodes the downlink data successfully, or a time point at which the terminal device sends second information, the second information being used to indicate that the downlink data is decoded successfully.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first time length is determined according to a transmission round-trip delay.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, If the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and a network device in a cell coverage range, the network device being applied to a non-ground network. If the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a minimum round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device in a beam coverage range. If the delay parameter is a user equipment-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first time length is determined according to a timing advance and a scheduling offset value.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the first time point comprises: starting to search for the first information after a first timer expires, a starting time point of the first timer being the second time point, and a duration of the first timer being the first time length.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the first time point comprises: starting or restarting a second timer after the first time point, and the terminal device being used to search for the first information within a duration of the second timer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the first time point comprises: starting to search for the first information from a first symbol after the first time point, the first symbol being a first symbol of a first control resource set.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first control resource set is a control resource set that is earliest after the first time point.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the first time point comprises: starting to search the first information from a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission occasion after the first time point.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first PDCCH transmission occasion is a PDCCH transmission occasion that is earliest after the first time point.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the starting to search for the first information after the first time point comprises: if control signaling is received, starting to search for the first information after the first time point.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The starting to search for the first information after the starting to search the first information after the first time point comprises: if the delay parameter is not 0, starting to search for the first information after the first time point.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The starting to search for first information after the first time point comprises: starting to search for the first information using a first search space set after the first time point. The method further comprises: The first information is searched for after a third time, the third time being a time at which initial transmission data is received by the terminal device, and the first search space set is different from a time domain period of the second search space set.

15. A method of communication, comprising: The method is performed by a network device or a module applied in the network device, and the method comprises: sending a delay parameter, the delay parameter being used to indicate a first time length, the first time length being used for a terminal device to determine a time at which to start searching for first information, the first information being used to schedule the terminal device; sending the first information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first time length is determined according to a transmission round trip delay.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, If the delay parameter is a cell-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a minimum round trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within a cell coverage range, and the network device is deployed in a non-ground network. If the delay parameter is a beam-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a minimum round trip delay between the terminal device and the network device within a beam coverage range. If the delay parameter is a user equipment-level parameter, the first time length is determined according to a round trip delay between the terminal device and the network device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first time length is determined according to a timing advance and a scheduling offset value.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, The first time length is a duration of a first timer.

20. The method of any one of claims 15-19, wherein, The method further comprises: sending control signaling, the control signaling being used to indicate that the terminal device determines the time at which to start searching for the first information according to the first time length.

21. The method of any one of claims 15-20, wherein, If the delay parameter is not 0, the first time length is used for the terminal device to determine the time at which to start searching for the first information.

22. A communications device, characterized by comprise: a processor configured to execute a program, so that the communication apparatus performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 or any one of claims 15 to 21.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14, or cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 15 to 21.

24. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that, instructions which, when executed on a computer, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14, or cause the computer to execute the method of any one of claims 15 to 21.

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