Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a first synchronization signal block on a first time-domain resource, wherein the first synchronization signal block comprises a first synchronization signal, a first PBCH, and a first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is located before the first PBCH, and the first PBCH is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal; the first PBCH comprises first information, which indicates a reference frequency; and the first carrier frequency calibration signal is used for performing CFO calibration on a terminal device. In the method, the CFO calibration is performed on the basis of the reference frequency indicated by the first information and the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and therefore power consumption caused by performing blind detection on a target frequency before performing the CFO calibration on the terminal device is reduced.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411999892.0, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on December 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) is a new Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Compared with traditional IoT technologies, its most significant feature is the massive scale of A-IoT devices and the low power consumption of terminal devices in A-IoT systems. For low-power terminal devices in A-IoT systems, reducing the power consumption and complexity of these devices when connecting to the network is currently a hot research topic. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device to reduce the power consumption and complexity of carrier frequency deviation calibration when a terminal device enters the network.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the terminal device. Exemplarily, the terminal device may also be referred to as a receiving device, or a device in A-IoT, etc. This application describes the method using a terminal device as an example.

[0006] The method includes: receiving a first synchronization signal block on a first time-domain resource, the first synchronization signal block including a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and a first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being located before the first PBCH, the first PBCH being located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH, the first PBCH including first information indicating a reference frequency, the first carrier frequency calibration signal being used to perform carrier frequency offset (CFO) calibration on the terminal device; and performing CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0007] For example, the reference frequency may include one or more frequencies.

[0008] For example, the first synchronization signal is used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH, or it can be described as the first synchronization signal being used to determine the start of the first PBCH.

[0009] For example, the synchronization signal in this application, also known as a time synchronization signal, such as a time synchronization signal (TSS), is used to indicate the time-domain start position of the first PBCH; the carrier frequency calibration signal, also known as a frequency synchronization signal, such as a frequency synchronization signal (FSS), is used to perform CFO calibration.

[0010] According to the method provided in this application, the first PBCH in the first synchronization signal block is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first PBCH includes first information used to indicate a reference frequency. This method enables the terminal device to perform CFO calibration based on the reference frequency indicated by the first information and the first carrier frequency calibration signal, reducing the power consumption caused by blind frequency detection before CFO calibration and reducing the complexity of CFO calibration.

[0011] In addition, the terminal equipment performs CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal, which can reduce the size of the protection bandwidth of signal transmission and effectively improve the transmission spectrum utilization.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the reference frequency includes multiple frequencies.

[0013] For example, the reference frequency may include two or more frequencies. For instance, the reference frequency may include three frequencies.

[0014] For example, assuming the reference frequency includes three frequencies, before the terminal device performs CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal, the terminal device sequentially detects the three frequencies, and uses the frequency where a detectable signal is obtained as the target frequency. The terminal device then calibrates its own carrier frequency error (CFO) based on the target frequency.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information indicates at least one of the following: a first frequency, a set of frequency offset values; wherein the set of frequency offset values ​​includes at least one frequency offset value, and the reference frequency is associated with the first frequency and the set of frequency offset values.

[0016] For example, the reference frequency is associated with a first frequency and a set of frequency offset values. This can be understood as the reference frequency being determined based on the first frequency and the set of frequency offset values, where the specific determination method is not limited in this application. For instance, it can be obtained through mathematical operations. Assume that the set of frequency offset values ​​includes one frequency offset value, and the reference frequency can be determined based on the first frequency and that frequency offset value in the set, with the number of reference frequencies being 1. Alternatively, assume that the set of frequency offset values ​​includes multiple frequency offset values, and the reference frequency can be determined based on the first frequency and those multiple frequency offset values ​​in the set, with the number of reference frequencies being less than or equal to the number of frequency offset values ​​included in the set.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the reference frequency is the frequency corresponding to the synchronization grid, and one of the reference frequencies satisfies: N*1200KHz+M*50KHz, where N is a proper subset of the set of positive integers from 1 to 2499, and M is {1,3,5}.

[0018] For example, the reference frequency can be either the frequency corresponding to the synchronization grid or the frequency corresponding to the synchronization grid, which is equal to the carrier frequency used for carrier frequency calibration by the FSS.

[0019] Based on the above technical solution, the range of parameter values ​​in the existing formula for determining the frequency corresponding to the synchronization grid is narrowed, thereby reducing the range of frequency blind detection performed by the terminal device, reducing the power consumption of the terminal device, and reducing the complexity of CFO calibration performed by the terminal device.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first PBCH also includes public information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first synchronization signal block further includes a second PBCH, which is located after the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The second PBCH includes the common information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0022] For example, the first synchronization signal block sequentially includes: a first synchronization signal, a first PBCH, a first carrier frequency calibration signal, and a second PBCH. The second PBCH is located after the first carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device calibrates the CFO based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and then receives the second PBCH. The second PBCH is transmitted after the CFO calibration. The CFO calibration reduces the protection bandwidth for transmitting the second PBCH, meaning that the transmission of the second PBCH can use a smaller protection bandwidth, thereby effectively improving spectrum utilization.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving a second synchronization signal block on a second time-domain resource, the second synchronization signal block including a second synchronization signal and a third PBCH, the second synchronization signal block not including a second carrier frequency calibration signal, the second synchronization signal being located before the third PBCH, the second synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the third PBCH, the third PBCH including the common information, the common information including at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0025] For example, the third PBCH also includes second information indicating a reference frequency. This second information indicates a reference frequency similar to that indicated by the first information described above; please refer to the relevant description in the first information section for details.

[0026] For example, the second time-domain resource can be any time-domain resource other than the first time-domain resource during the entire synchronization signal block transmission cycle. The synchronization signal block can refer to the first synchronization signal block, the second synchronization signal block, the third synchronization signal block, and so on.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, the second carrier frequency calibration signal is not included in the second synchronization signal block received on the second time domain resource, thereby saving certain transmission resources.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the third PBCH indicates that the second synchronization signal block does not include the second carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving a third synchronization signal block on a third time-domain resource, the third synchronization signal block including a third synchronization signal and a third carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal block not including a fourth PBCH, the third synchronization signal being located before the second carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the fourth PBCH, the fourth PBCH including the common information, the common information including at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0030] For example, the fourth PBCH also includes third information, which indicates a reference frequency. The reference frequency indicated by this third information is similar to the reference frequency indicated by the first information described above; please refer to the relevant explanation in the first information section for details.

[0031] For example, the third time-domain resource can be any time-domain resource other than the first time-domain resource during the entire synchronization block transmission cycle. Alternatively, the third time-domain resource can be any time-domain resource other than the first and second time-domain resources during the entire synchronization block transmission cycle.

[0032] For example, the third time-domain resource can also be the time-domain resource after the terminal device has performed CFO calibration.

[0033] For example, the third time-domain resource can also belong to a time-domain resource whose reference frequency is not updated.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, the fourth PBCH is not included in the third synchronization signal block received on the third time domain resource, thereby saving certain transmission resources.

[0035] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the third synchronization signal indicates that the third synchronization signal block does not include the fourth PBCH.

[0036] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: initiating random access N cycles after the third synchronization signal block following the third time-domain resource, where N is a positive integer.

[0037] For example, this period can be understood as the period of a synchronization signal block, or the transmission period of a synchronization signal block. Here, "synchronization signal block" is a class concept; that is, the first synchronization signal block, the second synchronization signal block, and the third synchronization signal block all belong to the synchronization signal block category.

[0038] For example, the N periods can be the period of the third synchronization signal block, or the period of the synchronization signal block, wherein the periods of the first synchronization signal block, the second synchronization signal block, and the third synchronization signal block are the same, which are all the periods of the synchronization signal.

[0039] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the network device. For example, the network device can also be referred to as a transmitting device, used to send data or information to other devices.

[0040] The method includes: determining a first synchronization signal block; transmitting the first synchronization signal block on a first time-domain resource, wherein the first synchronization signal block includes a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being located before the first PBCH, the first PBCH being located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH, the first PBCH including first information indicating a reference frequency, and the first carrier frequency calibration signal being used to perform carrier frequency deviation (CFO) calibration on the terminal device.

[0041] It should be understood that the second aspect corresponds to the first aspect above, and some descriptions and technical effects can be found in the description of the first aspect above.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the reference frequency includes multiple frequencies.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first information indicates at least one of the following: a first frequency, a set of frequency offset values; wherein the set of frequency offset values ​​includes at least one frequency offset value, and the reference frequency is associated with the first frequency and the set of frequency offset values.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the reference frequency is the frequency corresponding to the synchronization grid, and one of the reference frequencies satisfies: N*1200KHz+M*50KHz, where N is a proper subset of the set of positive integers from 1 to 2499, and M is {1,3,5}.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first PBCH also includes public information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first synchronization signal block further includes a second PBCH, which is located after the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The second PBCH includes the public information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0047] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: transmitting a second synchronization signal block on a second time-domain resource, the second synchronization signal block including a second synchronization signal and a third PBCH, the second synchronization signal block not including a second carrier frequency calibration signal, the second synchronization signal being located before the third PBCH, the second synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the third PBCH, the third PBCH including the common information, the common information including at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0048] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the third PBCH indicates that the second synchronization signal block does not include the second carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0049] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: transmitting a third synchronization signal block on a third time-domain resource, the third synchronization signal block including a third synchronization signal and a third carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal block not including a fourth PBCH, the third synchronization signal being located before the second carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal being used to determine the time-domain start position of the third carrier frequency calibration signal, the fourth PBCH including the common information, the common information including at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0050] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the third synchronization signal indicates that the third synchronization signal block does not include the fourth PBCH.

[0051] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving information for requesting random access N cycles after the third synchronization signal block following the third time-domain resource, where N is a positive integer.

[0052] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. This communication device may be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuitry, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit within the aforementioned device or apparatus. It should be noted that in this application, the term "communication device" can refer to the communication device itself, or to a chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the communication device that performs the methods provided in this application. This device is used to execute the methods provided in the first or second aspect. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules for executing the methods provided in any implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0053] When the apparatus is used to perform the method provided in either the first aspect or the second aspect, the apparatus may include a transceiver unit (or transceiver module), or the apparatus may further include a processing unit (or processing module).

[0054] In some implementations, the processing unit may be at least one processor. The transceiver unit may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver may be transceiver circuitry. Optionally, the input / output interface may be input / output circuitry.

[0055] In some implementations, the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit within a device or reader. The transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuitry on the chip, chip system, or circuitry. The processing unit can be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0056] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a processor for executing the methods provided in the above aspects. Unless otherwise specified, or unless contradicted by its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input, and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas.

[0057] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processor is located in a communication device, which is either a device or a reader / writer.

[0058] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can execute the method provided in any of the implementations of the first aspect, and the second communication device can execute the method provided in any of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0059] For example, the first communication device may be the aforementioned terminal device or a chip in the terminal device, and the second communication device may be the aforementioned network device or a chip in the network device.

[0060] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores instructions or program code that, when executed by a processor, can implement the method provided in any of the implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0061] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0062] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided in any of the implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0063] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip also includes a memory storing computer programs or instructions. The processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the first or second aspects described above.

[0064] The beneficial effects of the third to eighth aspects mentioned above can be found in the descriptions of the beneficial effects in the first or second aspects, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0065] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a synchronization signal block.

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0068] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0069] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 7 is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0072] Figure 8 is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems, New Radio (NR) systems, or future networks. The 5G mobile communication system described in this application includes non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication systems or standalone (SA) 5G mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. Communication systems can also be public land mobile networks (PLMN) networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, IoT communication systems, or other communication systems.

[0076] In this application, "terminal equipment" can refer to an access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, relay station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user equipment (UE), terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. Terminal equipment can also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device, wearable device, terminal equipment in a 5G network, or terminal equipment in a future public land mobile network (PLMN) or future vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, etc. This application does not limit the scope of the term.

[0077] As an example and not a limitation, in this application embodiment, wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices. This is a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functionality without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific application function and require use with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. For example, the terminal device can also be a tag, such as an active tag or a passive tag. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. In this embodiment, IoT technology can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low terminal power consumption through technologies such as narrowband (NB).

[0079] In addition, in this embodiment, the terminal device may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0080] The network device in this application embodiment can be any communication device with wireless transceiver capabilities used to communicate with terminal devices. This device includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home evolved Node B (HeNB, or home Node B (HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, etc. It can also be a 5G system, such as a gNB in ​​an NR system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. The network device can also be a reader / writer, etc.

[0081] In some deployments, the network device in this application embodiment can refer to a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), or the network device includes both a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements some of the gNB's functions. For example, the CU is responsible for handling non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for handling physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media / medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Since the information in the RRC layer ultimately becomes information in the PHY layer, or is transformed from information in the PHY layer, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It is understood that network devices can be one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. Furthermore, a CU can be classified as a network device in the radio access network (RAN) or as a network device in the core network (CN); this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0082] Furthermore, the Core Unit (CU) can be divided into the central unit-control plane (CU-CP) and the central unit-user plane (CU-UP). The CU-CP and CU-UP can be deployed on different physical devices. The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly comprising the RRC layer and the PDCP-C layer. The PDCP-C layer is primarily responsible for control plane data encryption / decryption, integrity protection, and data transmission. The CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly comprising the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer and the PDCP-U layer. The SDAP layer is primarily responsible for processing core network data and mapping flows to bearers. The PDCP-U layer is primarily responsible for at least one function of the data plane, including encryption / decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, and data transmission. Specifically, the CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via a communication interface (e.g., an E1 interface). CU-CP represents a network device connected to the core network device via a communication interface (e.g., Ng interface) and connected to the DU via a communication interface (e.g., F1-C (control plane) interface). CU-UP is connected to the DU via a communication interface (e.g., F1-U (user plane) interface).

[0083] Another possible implementation is that the PDCP-C layer is also included in CU-UP.

[0084] It is understood that the above protocol layer division of CU and DU, as well as CU-CP and CU-UP, is only an example, and there may be other division methods. This application does not limit the specific division methods.

[0085] The network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, or DU, or devices including CU and DU, or devices including control plane CU nodes (CU-CP nodes), user plane CU nodes (CU-UP nodes), and DU nodes.

[0086] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0087] In this embodiment, the terminal device or network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and main memory. The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0088] Furthermore, various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0089] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG1 as an example. As shown in FIG1, the communication system 100 may include at least one network device, such as network device 101 shown in FIG1. ​​The communication system 100 may also include at least one terminal device, such as terminal devices 102 to 107 shown in FIG1. ​​The terminal devices 102 to 107 may be mobile or fixed. One or more of network device 101 and terminal devices 102 to 107 can communicate via a wireless link. Each network device can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and can communicate with terminal devices located within that coverage area.

[0090] Optionally, terminal devices can communicate directly with each other. For example, device-to-device (D2D) technology can be used to achieve direct communication between terminal devices. As shown in Figure 1, terminal devices 105 and 106, and terminal devices 105 and 107 can communicate directly using D2D technology. Terminal devices 106 and 107 can communicate with terminal device 105 individually or simultaneously.

[0091] Terminal devices 105 to 107 can also communicate with network device 101 respectively. For example, they can communicate directly with network device 101, as shown in the figure where terminal devices 105 and 106 can communicate directly with network device 101; they can also communicate indirectly with network device 101, as shown in the figure where terminal device 107 communicates with network device 101 via terminal device 105.

[0092] Each communication device can be configured with multiple antennas. For each communication device in the communication system 100, the configured multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Therefore, the communication devices in the communication system 100 can communicate with each other through multi-antenna technology.

[0093] For example, the terminal device involved in the embodiments of this application has a low-power receiving circuit with envelope detection, which is used to receive information. As shown in FIG1, the communication system includes at least one terminal device with a low-power receiving circuit with envelope detection (e.g., one or more of terminal devices 102 to 107 with low-power receiving circuits with envelope detection).

[0094] Specifically, the terminal device with low-power receiving circuit with envelope detection involved in the embodiments of this application can be understood as an entity on the user side used to receive or transmit signals, such as industrial network sensors, video surveillance cameras, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches), water meters, electricity meters, and other terminal devices with auxiliary circuits.

[0095] As one possible implementation, the low-power receiving circuit with envelope detection in the terminal device can be a wake-up radio (WUR) transceiver for receiving a wake-up signal (WUS).

[0096] In this application embodiment, the specific implementation of the auxiliary circuit in the terminal device with auxiliary circuitry is not limited; it can be any functional entity capable of receiving WUS. This functional entity can be co-located with the terminal device.

[0097] It should be understood that Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding, and the communication system 100 may also include other network devices or other terminal devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0098] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the basic concepts involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly explained.

[0099] Synchronization signal block (SSB)

[0100] SSB is a special signal block in 5G NR networks, which includes synchronization signals and broadcast signals. The synchronization signal consists of the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), while the broadcast signal includes data from the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and the demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0101] The functions and roles of the SSB include: 1) Cell search: The SSB is the foundation for cell search. By detecting the SSB, the terminal device can obtain the physical cell identifier (ID) and achieve downlink synchronization in the time and frequency domains. 2) Timing and frequency synchronization: The SSB is crucial for timing and frequency synchronization. The SSB enables the UE to maintain frequency synchronization with the base station, ensuring the stability and accuracy of communication. 3) Location and mobility management: The SSB is also used for location and mobility management, enabling the UE to determine its location and manage its mobility in the network. 4) Access and measurement reference signal: In 5G NR networks, the SSB is used as a reference signal for access and measurement, supporting UE access to the network and signal quality measurement.

[0102] In 5G NR scenarios, when terminal devices communicate with network devices, the terminal devices first need to perform initial access via SSB signals. The NR SSB signals include synchronization signals (SS) and PBCH. Before detecting the SS signal, the terminal device knows the synchronization raster information of its current frequency band and performs a blind search across multiple frequency points corresponding to the Sync Raster. The SS signal is detected at the Sync Raster frequency position corresponding to the SS. In 5G, the SSB is defined to be aligned with the Sync Raster, and each Sync Raster frequency position has a unique number – the global synchronization channel number (GSCN). The GSCN defined by NR is shown in Table 1 below:

[0103] Table 1

[0104] Based on Table 1 above, taking the frequency band below 3 GHz as an example, it can be seen from Table 1 that the minimum interval between the corresponding frequency positions of NR Sync Raster is 100 kHz. This is because when N is fixed, the frequencies corresponding to M values ​​of {1, 3, 5} are {50 kHz, 150 kHz, 250 kHz}.

[0105] After the terminal device detects the PSS and SSS, it determines the cell ID. The PSS determines the first cell ID (there are 3 possibilities), and the SSS determines the second cell ID (there are 336 possibilities), resulting in a total of 1008 cell IDs. After determining the cell ID, the terminal device parses the information carried by the PBCH. The PBCH contains master information block (MIB) information, which includes at least one of the following fields: system frame number, common subcarrier spacing (SCS indicating the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for SIB1 transmission), subcarrier offset Kssb of the SSB, Type A pre-pilot position of the PDSCH for SIB1 transmission, scheduling information of the PDCCH for SIB1 DCI transmission, access control, cell selection or reselection, etc.

[0106] With the development of communication technology, A-IoT is a new Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Compared with traditional IoT technologies, its most significant feature is the large scale of A-IoT devices and the low power consumption of devices in A-IoT systems. For terminal devices in A-IoT systems, how to reduce the complexity of network access while maintaining low power consumption is currently a hot research topic.

[0107] For terminal devices in A-IoT, an air interface design for an SSB (A-SSB) in the A-IoT scenario is required. This is primarily due to the low power consumption of A-IoT terminal devices, for example, devices consuming [1-10] mW. For these low-power devices, downlink transmission still uses on-off keying (OOK) modulation, while downlink reception uses intermediate frequency (IF) or zero intermediate frequency (ZIF) reception. The high-frequency signal received by the terminal device is filtered by IF or ZIF, then envelope detection is performed, and finally OOK modulation demodulation is applied. Due to the power consumption limitations of the terminal device, the crystal oscillator accuracy for generating the high-frequency carrier is very low, for example, the initial accuracy is only [100-200] ppm. In the frequency division duplex (FDD) band, taking 900MHz as the carrier frequency as an example, the carrier frequency offset (CFO) caused by the initial frequency offset can reach 90kHz-180kHz. This level of CFO requires sufficient guard-band bandwidth in both downlink and uplink transmissions. This ensures that even with the CFO present, the receiving devices for the corresponding uplink / downlink transmissions can still obtain a valid signal after filtering, thus avoiding performance loss. However, a larger guard-band bandwidth will cause significant system frequency domain resource overhead and reduce the spectral efficiency of downlink or uplink transmissions.

[0108] Currently, in 5G NR scenarios, network devices send calibration signals to terminal devices for CFO calibration. However, with the development of communication systems, terminal devices have relatively low power consumption and require more periodic reporting services. Considering the long transmission time of periodic services, terminal devices also need to periodically calibrate their CFOs.

[0109] Referring to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a synchronization signal block, the synchronization signal block includes a time synchronization signal (TSS), a frequency synchronization signal (FSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The FSS is located between the TSS and the PBCH. The TSS is used by the terminal device to determine the time-domain start position of the FSS. The FSS refers to a single-tone signal that lasts for a certain period of time. The FSS is used by the terminal device for CFO calibration. The PBCH includes common information, which includes at least one of the following: cell ID, frame number, access control information, etc.

[0110] Based on the frame structure of the synchronization signal block shown in Figure 2 above, the terminal device cannot know the specific target frequency when performing CFO calibration. Therefore, the terminal device cannot directly generate the corresponding carrier signal based on the corresponding target frequency. The terminal device still needs to perform blind detection on multiple frequency positions over a wide range until a signal is detected at a certain frequency position before it can generate the corresponding carrier signal locally for CFO calibration.

[0111] As can be seen, in the frame structure shown in Figure 2, the terminal device needs to perform blind detection on multiple frequency positions over a large area before performing CFO calibration. This process significantly increases the power consumption and operational complexity of the terminal device and is not suitable for low-power devices. For example, the frame structure shown in Figure 2 cannot be applied to terminal devices in A-IoT scenarios, or to low-power terminal devices in existing NR scenarios, or to low-power terminal devices in other communication scenarios.

[0112] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method to solve the problem that the terminal device cannot obtain the target frequency when performing CFO calibration, while effectively reducing the power consumption and complexity of the device performing CFO calibration.

[0113] It should be understood that the communication method provided in this application can also be applied to terminal devices with high power consumption in existing communication systems, terminal devices with low power consumption, and terminal devices with low power consumption or high power consumption in future communication systems.

[0114] Referring to Figure 3, which is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, Figure 3 includes the following steps.

[0115] 301. The network device sends a first synchronization signal block to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first synchronization signal block from the network device.

[0116] For example, the network device determines a first synchronization signal block and sends the first synchronization signal block to the terminal device on a first time domain resource. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first synchronization signal block from the network device on the first time domain resource.

[0117] It should be understood that the first synchronization signal block includes a first synchronization signal, a first PBCH, and a first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is located before the first PBCH, and the first PBCH is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH. The first PBCH includes first information indicating a reference frequency. The first carrier frequency calibration signal is used to perform carrier frequency deviation (CFO) calibration on the terminal device.

[0118] For example, the first information indicates a reference frequency, which includes one or more frequencies. When the reference frequency includes one frequency, that frequency can be used by the terminal device for CFO calibration. When the reference frequency includes multiple frequencies, at least one of those frequencies can be used by the terminal device for CFO calibration.

[0119] As an example, the first information indicates a reference frequency, which includes at least one frequency, or it can be understood that the first information indicates a set of reference frequencies, which includes the at least one frequency. For example, the reference frequency may include one frequency, two frequencies, or three frequencies. Accordingly, the set of reference frequencies may include one frequency, two frequencies, or three frequencies.

[0120] As another example, the first information indicates a reference frequency, and the first information may specifically indicate at least one of the following:

[0121] 1) First frequency; 2) Set of frequency offset values.

[0122] The frequency offset value set includes at least one frequency offset value (e.g., the frequency offset value set includes one frequency offset value, or the frequency offset value set includes at least two frequency offset values), and the reference frequency is associated with the first frequency and the frequency offset value set.

[0123] For example, the first information indicates a first frequency. If the set of frequency offset values ​​is not indicated, the set of frequency offset values ​​may be predefined or preconfigured, or indicated to the terminal device through other information. This application does not limit this.

[0124] Assuming that the first information indicates a first frequency, the terminal device can determine at least one reference frequency based on the first frequency and at least one frequency domain offset value from a pre-configured set of frequency domain offset values.

[0125] For example, if the first frequency indicated by the first information is f#1, and the pre-configured set of frequency domain offset values ​​includes a frequency domain offset value of f_offset#1, then the terminal device can determine a reference frequency based on f#1 and f_offset#1. This reference frequency includes a frequency. For example, the reference frequency can be determined based on the sum of f#1 and f_offset#1 (e.g., the reference frequency equals f#1 + f_offset#1), or it can be determined based on the absolute value of the difference between f#1 and f_offset#1 (e.g., the reference frequency equals the absolute value of f#1 - f_offset#1), or it can be determined based on other calculations of f#1 and f_offset#1.

[0126] For example, if the first frequency indicated by the first information is f#1, and the pre-configured set of frequency domain offset values ​​includes frequency domain offset values ​​f_offset#1 and f_offset#2, then the terminal device can determine the reference frequency based on f#1, f_offset#1, and f_offset#2. This reference frequency includes two frequencies: frequency #1 and frequency #2. For instance, frequency #1 in the reference frequency is determined based on f#1 and f_offset#1, and frequency #2 in the reference frequency is determined based on f#1 and f_offset#2. The specific calculation method is not limited in this application.

[0127] Furthermore, assuming that the first information indicates a set of frequency domain offset values, the terminal device can determine at least one reference frequency based on at least one frequency domain offset value in the set of frequency domain offset values ​​and a pre-configured first frequency.

[0128] For example, if the set of frequency domain offset values ​​indicated by the first information includes a frequency domain offset value of f_offset#3 and the pre-configured first frequency is f#2, then the terminal device can determine the reference frequency based on f#2 and f_offset#3. It is evident that this reference frequency includes one frequency. For instance, the reference frequency is determined based on f#2 and f_offset#3. The specific calculation method is not limited in this application.

[0129] For example, if the set of frequency domain offset values ​​indicated by the first information includes frequency domain offset values ​​f_offset#3 and f_offset#4, and the pre-configured first frequency is f#2, then the terminal device can determine the reference frequency based on f#2, f_offset#3, and f_offset#4. This reference frequency includes two frequencies: frequency #3 and frequency #4. For instance, frequency #3 in the reference frequency is determined based on f#2 and f_offset#3, and frequency #4 in the reference frequency is determined based on f#2 and f_offset#4. The specific calculation method is not limited in this application.

[0130] For example, this first frequency can be understood as the reference frequency.

[0131] As another example, assuming the reference frequency is in the frequency domain corresponding to the Sync Raster, one frequency of this reference frequency can satisfy Formula 1:

[0132] N*1200KHz+M*50KHz;

[0133] Wherein, N is a proper subset of the set of positive integers from 1 to 2499, and M is {1, 3, 5}.

[0134] It should be understood that the value of N is within the set of positive integers from 1 to 2499.

[0135] For example, N is a set of positive integers ranging from 690 to 810, and M is a set of values ​​ranging from {1, 3, 5}. This reference frequency can be obtained based on Formula 1 above, as well as the ranges of N and M. This reference frequency can include 363 frequencies. The specific values ​​of these frequencies will not be listed individually in this application.

[0136] For example, if N is 750 from the set of positive integers from 1 to 2499, and the value of M is in the range of {1,3,5}, then based on the above formula, the reference frequencies include: 900050KHz, 900150KHz, and 900250KHz.

[0137] For example, if N is 810 from the set of positive integers 1 to 2499, and M is 3 from {1, 3, 5}, then based on Formula 1 above, the reference frequency includes 972150 kHz. For example, if N is 690 from the set of positive integers 1 to 2499, and M is 5 from {1, 3, 5}, then based on Formula 1 above, the reference frequency includes 828250 kHz.

[0138] For example, N is a set of positive integers ranging from 690 to 695, and M is 1 in {1,3,5}. Based on Formula 1 above, the reference frequencies include: 828050KHz, 829250KHz, 830450KHz, 831650KHz, 832850KHz, and 834050KHz.

[0139] It should be understood that any one or more frequencies in the reference frequency range can satisfy Formula 1 above, or all frequencies in the reference frequency range can satisfy Formula 1 above, and this application does not limit this.

[0140] The frame structure of the first synchronization signal block will be exemplified below.

[0141] Referring to Figure 4, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0142] As shown in Figure 4(1), the frame structure corresponding to the first synchronization signal block is: a first synchronization signal, a first PBCH, and a first carrier frequency calibration signal. Optionally, in the frame structure shown in Figure 4(1), the first PBCH includes first information, and the first PBCH also includes common information. The common information may include at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0143] As shown in Figure 4(2), the frame structure corresponding to the first synchronization signal block is: a first synchronization signal, a first PBCH, a first carrier frequency calibration signal, and a second PBCH. The first frequency calibration signal is located before the second PBCH. Optionally, in the frame structure shown in Figure 4(2), the first PBCH includes first information, and the second PBCH includes common information. This common information may include at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information.

[0144] It should be understood that, as shown in the frame structure of the first synchronization signal block in Figure 4(2), the second PBCH is received after the terminal device performs CFO calibration. It can be seen that the second PBCH in this frame structure can be transmitted using a smaller guard bandwidth, effectively improving spectrum utilization during the transmission of the second PBCH.

[0145] 302, The terminal device performs CFO calibration based on the first synchronization signal block.

[0146] For example, after receiving the first synchronization signal block, the terminal device obtains the reference frequency based on the first information included in the first PBCH in the first synchronization signal block, and then performs CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal in the first synchronization signal block.

[0147] Assuming the reference frequency includes a frequency (e.g., frequency #5), the terminal device generates a corresponding carrier signal based on frequency #5, mixes it with the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and then performs CFO calibration.

[0148] Furthermore, assuming that the reference frequency includes multiple frequencies (e.g., frequency #6, frequency #7, and frequency #8), the terminal device first performs detection based on the frequency domain position corresponding to each frequency in the reference frequency to determine the frequency at which the signal can be detected. For example, if the terminal device detects a signal at the frequency position corresponding to frequency #7, the terminal device generates a corresponding carrier signal locally based on frequency #7, mixes it with the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and then performs CFO calibration.

[0149] It should be understood that when a terminal device performs CFO calibration, for example, the terminal device mixes the received carrier calibration signal (e.g., FSS signal) with the carrier signal generated according to the reference frequency. Further, based on the characteristics of the mixed signal (e.g., frequency characteristics), it determines whether the error between the frequency of the carrier signal generated by the terminal device and the reference frequency meets the carrier frequency error specification range. If it meets the error specification range, it means that the current carrier frequency error has been calibrated to the carrier error range, and the carrier error calibration is complete. If it does not meet the error specification range, it means that the current carrier frequency error has not yet been calibrated to the carrier error range, and the carrier frequency calibration process continues.

[0150] Optionally, after the terminal device performs CFO calibration based on the first synchronization signal block, the terminal device may initiate random access to the network device.

[0151] Based on the above description, this method enables the terminal device to perform CFO calibration according to the reference frequency indicated by the first information and the first carrier frequency calibration signal. This reduces the power consumption caused by blind frequency detection before CFO calibration and also reduces the complexity of CFO calibration. Furthermore, performing CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal reduces the size of the signal transmission protection bandwidth, effectively improving the transmission spectrum utilization.

[0152] Suppose that a terminal device has a periodic service reporting requirement, and the transmission time of this periodic service is relatively long. The terminal device needs to perform periodic CFO calibration, in which synchronization signal blocks also need to be transmitted periodically. In this embodiment, the synchronization signal block transmitted on a first time domain resource is designated as the first synchronization signal block, the synchronization signal block transmitted on a second time domain resource as the second synchronization signal block, and the synchronization signal block transmitted on a third time domain resource as the third synchronization signal block. The specific frame structure of the synchronization signal blocks transmitted on different time domain resources is exemplarily described.

[0153] As shown in Figure 3, the method may also include the following steps:

[0154] 303, The network device sends a second synchronization signal block to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second synchronization signal block from the network device.

[0155] For example, the network device determines a second synchronization signal block and sends the second synchronization signal block to the terminal device on a second time domain resource. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the second synchronization signal block from the network device on the second time domain resource.

[0156] It should be understood that the second synchronization signal block includes a second synchronization signal and a third PBCH, with the second synchronization signal preceding the third PBCH. The second synchronization signal block does not include a carrier frequency calibration signal (e.g., a second carrier frequency calibration signal).

[0157] The second synchronization signal in the second synchronization signal block functions similarly to the first synchronization signal in the first synchronization signal block. For example, the second synchronization signal is used to determine the time-domain start position of the third PBCH located after the second synchronization signal block.

[0158] The third PBCH includes public information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information. Optionally, the third PBCH may also include second information indicating a reference frequency. The reference frequency indicated by the second information is similar to the reference frequency indicated by the first information included in the first PBCH, as described in step 301 above.

[0159] Optionally, the third PBCH can be used to indicate that the second synchronization signal block does not include the second carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0160] After receiving the second synchronization signal block, the terminal device sequentially acquires the second synchronization signal and the third PBCH according to the frame structure of the second synchronization signal block. When the terminal device acquires the third PBCH, it determines that the second synchronization signal block does not include the second carrier frequency calibration signal, thus avoiding meaningless detection of the carrier frequency calibration signal (e.g., the second carrier frequency calibration signal) and reducing the resource overhead of the terminal device.

[0161] The frame structure of the second synchronization signal block will be illustrated below.

[0162] Referring to Figure 5, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0163] As shown in Figure 5, the frame structure corresponding to the second synchronization signal block is: the second synchronization signal and the third PBCH.

[0164] It should be understood that step 303 can be located before or after step 301, and this application does not limit it.

[0165] For example, N periods after the second synchronization signal block following the second time-domain resource, the terminal device initiates random access to the network device, where N is a positive integer. Alternatively, it can be understood that the periods of the M second synchronization signal blocks preceding the terminal device's random access include the second time-domain resource, where M is a positive integer.

[0166] 304, The network device sends a third synchronization signal block to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third synchronization signal block from the network device.

[0167] For example, the network device determines a third synchronization signal block and sends the third synchronization signal block to the terminal device on a third time domain resource. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the third synchronization signal block from the network device on the third time domain resource.

[0168] It should be understood that the third synchronization signal block includes a third synchronization signal and a third carrier frequency calibration signal, with the third synchronization signal preceding the third carrier frequency calibration signal. The third synchronization signal block does not include the PBCH (e.g., a fourth PBCH).

[0169] The third synchronization signal in the third synchronization signal block is used to determine the time-domain start position of the third carrier frequency calibration signal located after the third synchronization signal block.

[0170] The third carrier frequency calibration signal functions similarly to the first carrier frequency calibration signal in the first synchronization signal block. This third carrier calibration signal is used to perform carrier frequency deviation (CFO) calibration on the terminal device.

[0171] The fourth PBCH includes public information, which includes at least one of the following: cell identification information, frame number, or access control information. Optionally, the fourth PBCH may also include third information, which indicates a reference frequency. The reference frequency indicated by the third information is similar to the reference frequency indicated by the first information included in the first PBCH, as described in step 301 above.

[0172] Optionally, the third synchronization signal can be used to indicate that the third synchronization signal block does not include the fourth PBCH.

[0173] After receiving the third synchronization signal block, the terminal device sequentially obtains the third synchronization signal and the third carrier frequency calibration signal according to the frame structure of the third synchronization signal block. The third synchronization signal block does not include the PBCH (e.g., the fourth PBCH), thereby saving transmission resources.

[0174] The frame structure of the second synchronization signal block will be exemplified below.

[0175] Referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another synchronization signal block provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0176] As shown in Figure 6, the frame structure corresponding to the third synchronization signal block is: the third synchronization signal and the third carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0177] It should be understood that step 304 can be located before or after step 301, and this application does not limit it.

[0178] For example, N cycles after the third synchronization signal block following the third time-domain resource, the terminal device initiates random access to the network device, where N is a positive integer. Alternatively, it can be understood that the M cycles of the third synchronization signal block preceding the terminal device's random access include the third time-domain resource, where M is a positive integer.

[0179] For example, within a certain time-domain resource range, if the reference frequency used by a terminal device for CFO calibration does not change or remains unchanged, the synchronization signal block transmitted by the terminal device on a certain time-domain resource within that range may include a synchronization signal, a PBCH, and a carrier frequency calibration signal. Synchronization signal blocks transmitted on other time-domain resources within the same range may include both the synchronization signal and the carrier frequency calibration signal. For instance, the reference frequency used by the terminal device for CFO calibration does not change within a first time-domain resource range, which includes a first time-domain resource and a third time-domain resource. The network device transmits a first synchronization signal block on the first time-domain resource and a third synchronization signal block on the third time-domain resource.

[0180] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 3 to 6. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 9. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0181] Referring to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of this application, the device 700 includes a transceiver unit 710. The transceiver unit 710 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 710 can also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit. The device 700 also includes a processing unit 720. The processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing, such as beam measurement. The processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing, such as beam measurement (or channel measurement). The functions of the processing unit 720 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-in-chip (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0182] Optionally, the device 700 may further include a storage unit for storing instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 720 may read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0183] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 may include a receiving unit and a sending unit. The receiving unit can be used to perform receiving-related operations (such as receiving data or messages), and the sending unit can be used to perform sending-related operations (such as sending data or messages).

[0184] In a first possible design, the device 700 can be the terminal device in the foregoing embodiments, which can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, for example, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to execute steps 301, 303, and 304 in the embodiment shown in FIG3. The processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages), for example, the processing unit 720 can be used to execute step 302 in the embodiment shown in FIG3.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 receives a first synchronization signal block on a first time-domain resource. The first synchronization signal block includes a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is located before the first PBCH, and the first PBCH is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH. The first PBCH includes first information indicating a reference frequency. The first carrier frequency calibration signal is used to perform carrier frequency deviation (CFO) calibration on the terminal device. The processing unit 720 performs CFO calibration based on the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal.

[0186] In a second possible design, the device 700 can be a network device as described in the foregoing embodiments. This device 700 can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device corresponding to those described in the method embodiments above. Specifically, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the network device in the method embodiments above. For example, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to perform steps 301, 303, and 304 in the embodiment shown in FIG3. The processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the network device in the method embodiments above, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages). For example, the processing unit 720 can be used to perform step 302 in the embodiment shown in FIG3.

[0187] One possible implementation is that the processing unit 720 determines a first synchronization signal block; the transceiver unit 710 transmits the first synchronization signal block on a first time-domain resource, wherein the first synchronization signal block includes a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is located before the first PBCH, and the first PBCH is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal. The first synchronization signal is used to determine the time-domain start position of the first PBCH. The first PBCH includes first information indicating a reference frequency. The first carrier frequency calibration signal is used to perform carrier frequency deviation (CFO) calibration on the terminal device.

[0188] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0189] It should also be understood that the device 700 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 700 can specifically be the communication device in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0190] The apparatus 700 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device in the above-described methods. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by processors, each executing the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0191] In addition, the transceiver unit 710 described above can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit.

[0192] It should be noted that the device in Figure 7 can be the communication device in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0193] Referring to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of this application, the device 800 includes a processor 810 coupled to a memory 820. The memory 820 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 810 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 820, or to read the data stored in the memory 820, to perform the methods in the above-described method embodiments.

[0194] Optionally, there may be one or more processors 810.

[0195] Optionally, the memory 820 may be one or more.

[0196] Alternatively, the memory 820 can be integrated with the processor 810, or it can be set separately.

[0197] Optionally, as shown in FIG8, the device 1300 further includes a transceiver 830 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 810 controls the transceiver 830 to receive and / or transmit signals. The transceiver 830 may further be divided into a receiver and / or a transmitter, where the receiver receives signals and the transmitter transmits signals. The receiver performs the reception-related operations in the method shown in FIG3, and the transmitter performs the transmission-related operations in the method shown in FIG3.

[0198] As an example, processor 810 may have the functions of processing unit 720 shown in FIG. 7, memory 820 may have the functions of storage unit, and transceiver 830 may have the functions of transceiver unit 710 shown in FIG. 7.

[0199] As one option, the device 800 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0200] For example, processor 810 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 820 to implement the relevant operations of terminal devices or network devices in the various method embodiments described above.

[0201] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0202] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. 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. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: 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).

[0203] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0204] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0205] Referring to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of a chip system 900 provided in an embodiment of this application, the chip system 900 (or processing system) includes logic circuitry 910 and an input / output interface 920.

[0206] The logic circuit 910 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 900. The logic circuit 910 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 900 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 920 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 900, outputting processed information from the chip system 900, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 900 for processing.

[0207] Optionally, the logic circuit 910 may be implemented by one or more processors, including the one or more processors or the processing portion of the one or more processors.

[0208] Optionally, the input / output interface 920 may include transceiver circuitry, a transceiver, input / output circuitry, or a communication interface.

[0209] As one approach, the chip system 900 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0210] For example, logic circuit 910 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 920 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments.

[0211] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described method embodiments.

[0212] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods described in the embodiments of the above methods, which are executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0213] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods described above as being performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0214] This application also provides a communication system that includes the terminal device and / or network device described in the preceding embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in FIG3.

[0215] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0216] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus 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 mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0217] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0218] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device, and comprises: receiving a first synchronization signal block on a first time domain resource, the first synchronization signal block comprising a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and a first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being located before the first PBCH, the first PBCH being located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal being used to determine a time domain starting position of the first PBCH, the first PBCH comprising first information, the first information indicating a reference frequency, and the first carrier frequency calibration signal being used to calibrate a carrier frequency offset (CFO) of the terminal device; performing CFO calibration according to the reference frequency and the first carrier frequency calibration signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The reference frequency comprises a plurality of frequencies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information indicates at least one of: a first frequency, a set of frequency offset values; wherein the set of frequency offset values comprises at least two frequency offset values, and the reference frequency is associated with the first frequency and the set of frequency offset values.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The reference frequency is a frequency corresponding to a synchronization raster, and one of the reference frequencies satisfies: N*1200KHz+M*50KHz, wherein N is a positive integer in a true subset of a set of 1 to 2499, and M is {1, 3, 5}.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first PBCH further comprises common information, and the common information comprises at least one of: identification information of a cell, a frame number or access control information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first synchronization signal block further comprises a second PBCH, the second PBCH being located after the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and the second PBCH comprising the common information, the common information comprising at least one of: identification information of a cell, a frame number or access control information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the method further comprises: receiving a second synchronization signal block on a second time domain resource, the second synchronization signal block comprising a second synchronization signal and a third PBCH, the second synchronization signal block not comprising a second carrier frequency calibration signal, the second synchronization signal being located before the third PBCH, the second synchronization signal being used to determine a time domain starting position of the third PBCH, and the third PBCH comprising common information, the common information comprising at least one of: identification information of a cell, a fame number or access control information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The third PBCH indicates that the second synchronization signal block does not comprise the second carrier frequency calibration signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a third synchronization signal block on a third time domain resource, the third synchronization signal block comprising a third synchronization signal and a third carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal block not comprising a fourth PBCH, the third synchronization signal being located before the second carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal being used to determine a time domain starting position of the third carrier frequency calibration signal, and the fourth PBCH comprising common information, the common information comprising at least one of: identification information of a ceil, a frame number or access control information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The third synchronization signal indicates that the third synchronization signal block does not include the fourth PBCH.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: initiating random access after N periods of the third synchronization signal block after the third time domain resource, wherein N is a positive integer.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a network device or a chip in the network device, and includes: determining the first synchronization signal block; sending the first synchronization signal block on a first time domain resource, wherein the first synchronization signal block includes a first synchronization signal, a first physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal is located before the first PBCH, the first PBCH is located before the first carrier frequency calibration signal, the first synchronization signal is used to determine the time domain starting position of the first PBCH, the first PBCH includes first information, the first information indicates a reference frequency, and the first carrier frequency calibration signal is used for carrier frequency offset (CFO) calibration of the terminal device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The reference frequency includes a plurality of frequencies.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first information indicates at least one of: a first frequency, a set of frequency offset values; wherein the set of frequency offset values includes at least two frequency offset values, and the reference frequency is associated with the first frequency and the set of frequency offset values.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The reference frequency is a frequency corresponding to a synchronization raster, and one of the reference frequencies satisfies: N*1200KHz+M*50KHz, wherein N is a positive integer in the range of 1 to 2499, and M is in the set {1, 3, 5}.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The first PBCH is further used to indicate common information, and the common information includes at least one of: identification information of a cell, a frame number, or access control information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that, The first synchronization signal block further includes a second PBCH, the second PBCH is located after the first carrier frequency calibration signal, and the second PBCH is used to indicate the common information, and the common information includes at least one of: identification information of a cell, a frame number, or access control information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending a second synchronization signal block on a second time domain resource, the second synchronization signal block including a second synchronization signal and a third PBCH, the second synchronization signal block not including a second carrier frequency calibration signal, the second synchronization signal being located before the third PBCH, the second synchronization signal being used to determine the time domain starting position of the third PBCH, the third PBCH including common information, the common information including at least one of: identification information of a cell, a frame number, or access control information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The third PBCH indicates that the second synchronization signal block does not include the second carrier frequency calibration signal.

20. The method of any one of claims 12-19, wherein, The method further includes: transmitting a third synchronization signal block on a third time domain resource, the third synchronization signal block comprising a third synchronization signal and a third carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal block not comprising a fourth PBCH, the third synchronization signal being located before the second carrier frequency calibration signal, the third synchronization signal being used to determine a time domain starting position of the third carrier frequency calibration signal, the fourth PBCH comprising common information, the common information comprising at least one of the following: identification information of a cell, a frame number, or access control information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The third synchronization signal indicates that the third synchronization signal block does not comprise the fourth PBCH.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving information for requesting random access after N periods of the third synchronization signal block after the third time domain resource, wherein N is a positive integer.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 22.

24. A communications device, characterized by comprising at least one processor coupled with at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the at least one memory to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, having instructions or program codes stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer program codes which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

27. A chip, characterized by The chip comprises a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being configured to transmit information to and / or receive information from other communication devices other than the communication device comprising the chip, the processor being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

28. A communication system, characterized by The communication system comprises a first communication device configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, and a second communication device configured to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 22.

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