Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: generating a low-power synchronization signal, the low-power synchronization signal being used for indicating at least one of the following items: cell group information; whether there is one secondary synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; whether there is one SS / PBCH block associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and activating or deactivating first configuration information, the first configuration information being used for configuring the secondary SS / PBCH signal, or the first configuration information being used for configuring the SS / PBCH block; and sending the low-power synchronization signal. By means of the method, if the low-power synchronization signal is used for indicating the cell group information, a network device may not send a PSS, and the low-power synchronization signal replaces a function of the PSS. In this way, a PSS sent by a network side is reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption of the network side.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411993870.3, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 30, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] To meet the ever-increasing demand for data traffic, wireless networks are constantly being built at a rapid pace. As networks grow larger, energy consumption increases continuously, significantly raising electricity costs for operators. Currently, different equipment manufacturers and operators employ various energy-saving methods, primarily including equipment-level, site-level, and network-level energy conservation. Equipment-level energy conservation focuses on hardware improvements through components and hardware design; site-level energy conservation utilizes software improvements such as symbol shutdown, channel shutdown, carrier shutdown, and deep sleep mode; and network-level energy conservation focuses on intelligent energy conservation through multi-network coordination. Even after these energy-saving methods, network-side energy consumption remains relatively high.

[0005] Because base stations need to periodically send broadcast signals such as synchronous signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block or SSB), the power consumption of base stations is still relatively high. Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption on the network side is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for reducing power consumption on the network side.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method, wherein the execution subject of the method is a network device or a module or chip within a network device, and the method is described here using a network device as an example. The method includes: generating a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal indicating at least one of the following: cell group information; the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; the existence of an SS / PBCH block associated with the low-power synchronization signal; activating or deactivating first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information being used to configure the SS / PBCH block; and transmitting the low-power synchronization signal.

[0008] This method allows network devices to reduce power consumption when the low-power synchronization signal (LPS) is used to indicate cell group information. If the LPS is used to indicate the presence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (PBS) associated with it, the overhead of detecting these signals by the terminal device is reduced, avoiding invalid detections and lowering terminal device power consumption. On the network side, the device can send secondary synchronization signals and PBS signals as needed, further reducing power consumption. If the LPS is used to indicate the presence of an SS / PBCH block associated with it, the device can send SS / PBCH blocks as needed, reducing power consumption. If the LPS is used to indicate activation or deactivation of the first configuration information, sending secondary synchronization signals and PBS signals, or SS / PBCH blocks, as needed also reduces power consumption for both network and terminal devices.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information, including: the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate a transmission timing, the transmission timing is used to transmit a low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the low-power signal is an uplink low-power signal or a downlink low-power signal.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block; or, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the terminal device is allowed to access the cell group or carrier group; whether the terminal device in the same frequency cell group is allowed to reselect to the cell group or carrier group; partial information of the secondary synchronization signal; and partial information of the main information block (MIB).

[0014] Secondly, this application provides a communication method, wherein the execution subject of the method is a terminal device or a module or chip in the terminal device, and the terminal device is used as an example for description. The method includes: receiving a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; whether there is a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; whether there is a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) associated with the low-power synchronization signal;

[0015] Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information, including: the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate a transmission timing, the transmission timing is used to transmit a low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the low-power signal is an uplink low-power signal or a downlink low-power signal.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block; or, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; or, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is further used to indicate at least one of the following: whether the terminal device is allowed to access the cell group or carrier group; whether the terminal device in the same frequency cell group is allowed to reselect to the cell group or carrier group; partial information of the secondary synchronization signal; and partial information of the main information block (MIB).

[0021] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method, wherein the execution subject of the method is a network device or a module or chip within a network device, and the method is described here using a network device as an example. The method includes: generating at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; the first low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); the second low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a primary synchronization signal (PSS); the third low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a primary information block (MIB) and / or partial information of time-related information in a physical broadcast channel (PBCH); and transmitting at least one of the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal.

[0022] Using this method, the network device consumes less power when sending the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal, which can reduce the power consumption of the transmitted signal and save energy for the network device.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; and / or, the second low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal; and / or, the third low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: transmitting a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block), wherein the period of the SS / PBCH block is greater than 160ms.

[0026] This method allows network devices to send SS / PBCH blocks with longer periods, which reduces the power consumption of transmitted signals and saves energy for the network devices.

[0027] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method, wherein the execution subject of the method is a terminal device or a module or chip within the terminal device, and the method is described here using a terminal device as an example. The method includes: receiving at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; the first low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a secondary synchronization signal (SSS); the second low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a primary synchronization signal (PSS); and the third low-power signal is used to carry partial information of a primary information block (MIB) and / or partial information of time-related information in a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0028] In one possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; and / or, the second low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal; and / or, the third low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block), wherein the period of the SS / PBCH block is greater than 160ms.

[0031] Fifthly, this application also provides a communication device capable of implementing any of the methods provided in any of the first to fourth aspects. This communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the network device, terminal device, or core network device described above. The communication device may also include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes interface circuitry for supporting communication between the communication device and devices such as terminal devices.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the methods provided in any of the first to fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0035] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor implements the functional modules of the methods in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects through logic circuits or by executing computer programs or instructions. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer programs or instructions.

[0036] A seventh aspect provides a circuit for performing the methods in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects described above, the circuit including chip circuitry. Optionally, the circuit may also be coupled to a memory.

[0037] Eighthly, a chip is provided, comprising a processor, which, when executing a computer program or instructions, implements the methods in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects. Optionally, the chip may further include a memory, and the chip may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0038] Ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor that implements the method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects by means of logic circuits or by executing computer programs or instructions.

[0039] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising a unit or module for performing a method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0040] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects.

[0041] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when read and executed by a computer, implements the method in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects.

[0042] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system. The communication system includes: a terminal device and a network device; the network device is used to implement the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementations thereof; the terminal device is used to implement the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementations thereof. Alternatively, the network device is used to implement the methods of the third aspect and any possible implementations thereof; the terminal device is used to implement the methods of the fourth aspect and any possible implementations thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a mode conversion provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of multiple sub-modes provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a preamble group provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. The terms "first," "second," and corresponding terminology in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged where appropriate; this is merely a way of distinguishing objects with the same attributes in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, system, product, or device that comprises a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units, but may include other units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. The methods and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application are based on the same or similar technical concepts. Since the principles by which the methods and apparatus solve problems are similar, the implementations of the apparatus and methods can refer to each other, and repeated details will not be repeated.

[0060] The method provided in this application can be applied to various mobile communication systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), fourth-generation (4G) communication systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), fifth-generation (5G) communication systems (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)), LTE and NR hybrid architectures, or new communication systems emerging in future communication developments. The communication system can also include machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, machine-type communication (MTC) networks, or other networks.

[0061] The following section will first explain some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application so that those skilled in the art can understand them.

[0062] In this embodiment, the low-power signal, also known as the low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS), can be a linear frequency modulation chirp signal, an on-off keying (OOK) signal (such as OOK-1, OOK-2, OOK-3, OOK-4, etc.), a low-power sequence signal (such as Gold sequence signal, M sequence signal, ZC sequence signal, chirp sequence signal, Walsh sequence signal, Golay sequence signal, Kasami sequence signal, low-density sequence signal, discrete fourier transform (DFT) / fast fourier transform (FFT) sequence signal, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal, symbol-based sequence signal, etc.), amplitude shift keying (ASK) signal, frequency shift keying (FSK) signal, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, etc. The signal may be one or more of the following: multiplexing (OFDM) signals, or the low-power signal may be a signal obtained by optimizing the above signals, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0063] Optionally, the aforementioned low-power signal can be a digital signal or an analog signal, and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0064] The SS / PBCH block includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0065] Among them, it can be determined based on PSS. and There are three possible values. Therefore, there are three distinct PSS sequences. The terminal device performs correlation peak detection between the received PSS and the three PSS sequences to obtain... The value of .

[0066] Based on SSS, it can be determined in

[0067] The cell identifier can be determined based on the PSS and SSS. It must meet the following form:

[0068] The information primarily carried by the PBCH is called the master information block (MIB).

[0069] Terminal devices can receive system information block (SIB) 1 from the PBCH and obtain relevant configuration information for cell access based on SIB1.

[0070] In this embodiment, the network device can be a device in a wireless network, and can also be referred to as a network apparatus, a radio access network device, or an access network device. For example, the network device can be a radio access network (RAN) node that connects a terminal device to a wireless network, and can also be referred to as an access network device. The network device includes, but is not limited to: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), transmission reception point (TRP), next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN), base station in a future mobile communication system, or access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system; or it can be a module or unit that performs some functions of a base station, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module. Access network equipment can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, or donor nodes, etc. This application does not limit the specific technologies or equipment forms used in the network equipment.

[0071] In some implementations, network devices can include centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs). This includes RAN devices at CU and DU nodes that separate the protocol layers of the gNB in ​​the NR system. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining partial or complete protocol layer functions are distributed across the DUs, which are then centrally controlled by the CU. Furthermore, the CU can be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). The CU-CP handles control plane functions, primarily including radio resource control (RRC) and the corresponding packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) (PDCP-C). PDCP-C is mainly responsible for control plane data encryption / decryption, integrity protection, and data transmission. The CU-UP handles user plane functions, primarily including the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the corresponding PDCP (PDCP-U). SDAP is mainly responsible for processing core network data and mapping flows to bearers. PDCP-U is primarily responsible for data plane encryption / decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, and data transmission. CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via the E1 interface. CU-CP represents the gNB connected to the core network via the NG interface and to the DU via the F1 interface control plane (F1-C). CU-UP is connected to the DU via the F1 interface user plane (F1-U). Alternatively, PDCP-C may also be located within CU-UP.

[0072] It is understood that CU (including CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, and CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, and DU as examples. Network devices may also include active antenna units (AAU). CU implements some of the functions of gNB, and DU implements some of the functions of gNB. For example, CU is responsible for handling non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the RRC layer. DU is responsible for handling physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and physical (PHY) layer. In some deployments, the CU can also be divided into a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) node and a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) node. The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, while the CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions.

[0073] The terminal device involved in this application embodiment can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The terminal device can be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), terminal, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device can also be a chip or system-on-a-chip, which is built into the aforementioned user equipment (UE), terminal, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT). The terminal device can be a device including wireless communication functions (providing voice / data connectivity to the user). For example, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or an in-vehicle device, in-vehicle module, etc. Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, wireless terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, intelligent vehicles, in-vehicle infotainment systems (or onboard transmitters) (T-boxes), machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT). of things, IoT (Internet of Things) terminal devices, etc.For example, terminal devices can be in-vehicle equipment, vehicle-mounted equipment, in-vehicle modules, vehicles, on-board units (OBU), roadside units (RSU), T-boxes, chips, or systems-on-chips (SOCs), which can be installed in vehicles, OBUs, RSUs, or T-boxes. Wireless terminals in industrial control can be cameras, robots, etc. Wireless terminals in smart homes can be televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, set-top boxes, etc. Terminal devices can also be V2X devices, such as smart cars, digital cars, unmanned cars, driverless cars, pilotless cars, autonomous cars, pure electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), new energy vehicles, and roadside units (RSUs). Terminal devices can also be devices in device-to-device (D2D) communication, such as electricity meters and water meters. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important component of future information technology development, and its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and machine-to-machine interconnection.

[0074] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the terminal device includes a main module (first module) and a low-power module (second module). The low-power module consumes less power than the main module. The main module can also be called the main radio (MR), main receiver, communication main module, or main circuit, etc. The MR can be used to receive or transmit signaling, data, measurement signals, etc.

[0075] Low-power modules can also be called low-power radios (LP-R or LR), wake-up receivers (WUR), low-power wake-up receivers (LP-WUR), wake-up circuits, communication auxiliary modules, or auxiliary circuits. The operating power consumption of an LR is much lower than that of a MR. LRs are used to receive and / or transmit low-power signals (such as low-power wake-up signals, low-power synchronization signals, low-power measurement signals, etc.) and to notify the MR of wake-up / sleep / monitoring information.

[0076] If the terminal device does not receive or send low-power information, or if the main module can receive or send low-power information, the terminal device may not have a low-power module.

[0077] To reduce the power consumption of terminal devices, the network side can send a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS). For example, the terminal device uses a low-power module to receive LP-WUS, while the main module is in sleep mode. If the LP-WUS does not contain a wake-up message from the terminal device, the terminal device does not need to wake up the main transceiver; that is, the main module remains in sleep mode. When the LP-WUS contains a wake-up message from the terminal device, the low-power module of the terminal device sends a trigger signal to the main module.

[0078] Terminal devices can also use low-power modules to receive low-power synchronization signals (LP-SS), thereby obtaining downlink synchronization of the low-power modules based on LP-SS.

[0079] This application can be applied to standalone network architectures. For example, as shown in Figure 2, a terminal device is connected to a network device, and the network device and the core network to which the network device is connected are of the same standard; for example, the core network is a 5G core network, the network device is a 5G base station, and the 5G base station is directly connected to the 5G core network.

[0080] This application can also be applied to dual connectivity (DC) network architectures. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the terminal device can simultaneously connect to network devices of different / same standards (i.e., network device 1 and network device 2 in the figure). For example, if the core network is a 5G core network, the terminal device can simultaneously connect to a 5G base station and a 4G base station, where the 5G base station acts as the primary station and the 4G base station acts as the secondary station.

[0081] As shown in Figure 4, this application can also be applied to scenarios involving wide-coverage base stations and small-coverage base stations. In the figure, the coverage area of ​​a macro base station includes multiple micro base stations; terminal devices can connect to either the macro base station or the micro base stations.

[0082] As shown in Figure 5, this application is also applicable to macro and micro scenarios composed of base stations of different forms in future networks. The super base station in the figure can be in various forms such as satellite, air balloon station, and drone station. The ground base station in the figure can be a cellular site (macro station, small station, micro station, etc.).

[0083] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0084] It is understood that this application does not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. It can be applied to modules in terminal devices or network devices, as long as they can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following description takes the interaction between terminal devices and network devices as an example.

[0085] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes:

[0086] Step 601: The network device generates a low-power synchronization signal.

[0087] The specific process by which network devices generate low-power synchronization signals is not limited in this application and will not be elaborated here.

[0088] In one implementation, a low-power synchronization signal is used for downlink synchronization. Accordingly, the terminal device can perform downlink synchronization based on this low-power synchronization signal.

[0089] In one implementation, the low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0090] Community group information;

[0091] Does a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal exist that are associated with the low-power synchronization signal?

[0092] Does an SS / PBCH block exist that is associated with a low-power synchronization signal?

[0093] Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block.

[0094] If the low-power synchronization signal does not indicate any of the above information, the information may be preset or indicated in other ways, and this application is not limited in this regard. For example, if the low-power synchronization signal does not indicate cell group information, the cell group information may be preset or indicated in other ways, such as through the PSS in the SS / PBCH block.

[0095] The cell group information can be 0, 1, or 2. The cell group information can be N determined based on the PSS. I ( D 2) Cell group information can also take other values, such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Optionally, if the low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate cell group information, the network device may not need to send a PSS, and the low-power synchronization signal can replace the function of the PSS, thus reducing the PSS sent by the network side and thereby reducing the network side's power consumption.

[0096] In one implementation, the low-power synchronization signal can carry at least one bit. The value of this at least one bit is a first value (e.g., 1), indicating the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal. The value of this at least one bit is a second value (e.g., 0), indicating the absence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal. The secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal are carried through the same resource, which can also be referred to as an SS / PBCH block excluding the PSS. This reduces the overhead of the terminal device detecting the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, avoids invalid detection, and reduces the power consumption of the terminal device. On the network side, network devices can send the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal on demand, reducing the power consumption of the network devices.

[0097] A secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with a low-power synchronization signal can refer to a relationship between the time-domain resources of the low-power synchronization signal and the time-domain resources of the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. For example, the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal may be located after the low-power synchronization signal in the time domain, and the interval between them is less than or equal to a preset duration. Another example is that the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal may be located after the low-power synchronization signal in the time domain, but before the next low-power synchronization signal.

[0098] For example, as shown in Figure 7, the second low-power synchronization signal indicates the presence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with it. The network device can send the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal before sending the next low-power synchronization signal (i.e., the third low-power synchronization signal in the figure). The third low-power synchronization signal indicates the absence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with it. The network device does not send the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal before sending the next low-power synchronization signal (i.e., the fourth low-power synchronization signal in the figure).

[0099] Optionally, the low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. The secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal are associated with the low-power synchronization signal. The time-domain offset can be from the end position of the low-power synchronization signal to the start position of the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or vice versa. The units for the time-domain offset, start position, and end position can be symbols, time slot numbers, subframe numbers, or frame numbers. This method allows network devices to flexibly indicate the time-domain information of the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, facilitating flexible scheduling of these signals by the network side.

[0100] Optionally, the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal, the secondary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal can also be configured by the network side in other ways, such as by the network device configuring the time-domain offset via RRC messages. For example, the configuration information of the low-power synchronization signal sent by the network device may include the time-domain offset; similarly, the configuration information of the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal sent by the network device may also include the time-domain offset. This method can reduce the overhead of dynamically indicating the time-domain offset.

[0101] Optionally, the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal may reside within a single frame, for example, the low-power synchronization signal in the first half of the frame, and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal in the second half of the frame. Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal may all reside in the first half of the frame. For example, the low-power synchronization signal may also indicate that the low-power synchronization signal is in the first half of the frame, and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal are in the second half of the frame; or, the low-power synchronization signal may also indicate that the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal are all in the first half of the frame. Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal may also indicate that the low-power synchronization signal is in either the first half of the frame or the second half of the frame; or, the low-power synchronization signal may also indicate that the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal are in either the first half of the frame or the second half of the frame.

[0102] Optionally, the network device may also send SS / PBCH blocks, which may not include the master synchronization signal.

[0103] In this application, the low-power synchronization signal can carry at least one bit. The value of this at least one bit is a first value (e.g., 1), indicating the presence of an SS / PBCH block associated with the low-power synchronization signal; the value of this at least one bit is a second value (e.g., 0), indicating the absence of an SS / PBCH block associated with the low-power synchronization signal. This reduces the overhead of terminal devices detecting SS / PBCH blocks, avoids invalid detection, and reduces the power consumption of terminal devices. On the network side, network devices can send SS / PBCH blocks on demand, reducing the power consumption of network devices.

[0104] A low-power synchronization (SS / PBCH) block associated with a low-power synchronization signal can refer to a relationship between the time-domain resources of the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block. For example, an SS / PBCH block associated with a low-power synchronization signal may be located after the low-power synchronization signal in the time domain, and the interval between them is less than or equal to a preset duration. Another example is an SS / PBCH block associated with a low-power synchronization signal that is located after the low-power synchronization signal in the time domain but before the next low-power synchronization signal.

[0105] Optionally, the low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block. The SS / PBCH block is associated with the low-power synchronization signal. The time-domain offset can be from the end position of the low-power synchronization signal to the start position of the SS / PBCH block, or from the start position of the low-power synchronization signal to the start position of the SS / PBCH block. This method allows network devices to flexibly indicate the time-domain information of the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, facilitating flexible scheduling of these signals by the network side.

[0106] Optionally, the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block can also be configured on the network side in other ways, as described above, and will not be repeated here. This method can reduce the overhead of dynamically indicating the time-domain offset of the SS / PBCH block.

[0107] In this application, the low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate the activation or deactivation of the first configuration information. It can also be understood as the low-power synchronization signal indicating the presence of multiple active secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals, or the presence of multiple SS / PBCH blocks. The multiple active secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals, or multiple SS / PBCH blocks, are determined based on the first configuration information. The multiple active secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals, or multiple SS / PBCH blocks, can be periodic. This method facilitates the on-demand transmission of secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals, or SS / PBCH blocks, and also helps reduce the power consumption of network devices and terminal devices.

[0108] The first configuration information is configured by the network device. The network device can send the first configuration information to the terminal device before step 601. The specific process of configuring the first configuration information is not limited in this application and will not be described in detail here.

[0109] The first configuration information may indicate at least one of the following: transmission period, time domain position (e.g., half-frame offset / system frame number frequency shift / symbol offset), frequency domain information (e.g., center frequency / subcarrier spacing), spatial domain information (e.g., position in burst set), and transmission power.

[0110] Network devices can be configured with one or more configuration information, or can be preset with one or more configuration information, where the first configuration information is one of the one or more configuration information. Several examples are given below.

[0111] Example 1, as shown in Figure 8, shows that low-power synchronization signals can be used to indicate the activation or deactivation of first configuration information. Network devices can send one or more secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals based on the first configuration information, or send one or more SS / PBCH blocks based on the first configuration information.

[0112] Accordingly, the terminal device can determine that the first configuration information is activated based on the low-power synchronization signal, and then receive one or more auxiliary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals based on the first configuration information, or receive one or more SS / PBCH blocks based on the first configuration information.

[0113] In this example, the low-power synchronization signal can be a signal such as LP-SS, LP-WUS, or WUS.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the network device is configured with only one configuration information, namely the first configuration information. The low-power synchronization signal may contain one bit, the value of which is a first value (e.g., 1) to indicate activation of the first configuration information, and the value of which is a second value (e.g., 0) to indicate deactivation of the first configuration information.

[0115] In another possible implementation, the network device is configured with multiple configuration information, such as three or four. The low-power synchronization signal contains multiple bits that indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first configuration information among the multiple configuration information. The two different configuration information can refer to one or more of the following: transmission period, time-domain location, frequency-domain information, spatial-domain information (e.g., location in a burst set), and transmission power.

[0116] Among them, multiple configuration information is configured by the network device. The network device can send multiple configuration information to the terminal device before step 601. The specific process of configuring multiple configuration information is not limited in this application and will not be described in detail here.

[0117] For example, the network device is configured with three configuration information, namely configuration information 1 to configuration information 3. The low power synchronization signal contains 2 bits, and the meaning of the values ​​of these 2 bits can be seen in Table 1.

[0118] Table 1

[0119] For example, the network device is configured with four configuration information, namely configuration information 1 to configuration information 4. The low power synchronization signal contains 2 bits, and the meaning of the values ​​of these 2 bits can be seen in Table 2.

[0120] Table 2

[0121] If the terminal device does not receive a low-power synchronization signal, or the network device does not send a low-power synchronization signal, it indicates that the configuration information has not been activated.

[0122] The above are just examples. This application does not limit how the low-power synchronization signal specifically indicates whether the first configuration information is activated.

[0123] Example 2: A low-power synchronization signal can be used to indicate a transmission timing, which includes a time-domain position and / or a frequency-domain position, for transmitting a low-power signal used to activate or deactivate first configuration information.

[0124] In the first possible implementation, the transmission timing indicated by the low-power synchronization signal can be used to transmit downlink signals, that is, the low-power signal is a downlink signal.

[0125] As shown in Figure 9, the low-power synchronization signal indicates a transmission opportunity. If the network device sends a low-power signal during the transmission opportunity, it indicates that the first configuration information is activated; if the network device does not send a low-power signal during the transmission opportunity, it indicates that the first configuration information is deactivated.

[0126] Accordingly, the terminal device can determine the transmission timing based on the low-power synchronization signal. If the terminal device receives the low-power signal during the transmission timing, it determines that the first configuration information is activated, and thus receives one or more secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals according to the first configuration information, or receives one or more SS / PBCH blocks according to the first configuration information. If the terminal device does not receive the low-power signal during the transmission timing, it determines that the first configuration information is not activated.

[0127] Taking the activation of the first configuration information as an example, the network device can send one or more secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals according to the first configuration information, or send one or more SS / PBCH blocks according to the first configuration information.

[0128] In this implementation, the low-power synchronization signal can be LP-SS, and the low-power signal can be LP-WUS or downlink (DL) LP-WUS or DL ​​WUS, etc.

[0129] In the second possible implementation, the transmission timing indicated by the low-power synchronization signal can be used to transmit the uplink signal, that is, the low-power signal is the uplink signal.

[0130] As shown in Figure 10, the low-power synchronization signal indicates a transmission opportunity. If the terminal device sends a low-power signal during this transmission opportunity, it indicates that the first configuration information is activated; if the terminal device does not send a low-power signal during this transmission opportunity, it indicates that the first configuration information is deactivated. In the figure, the upper row low-power signal indicates that the terminal device sends a low-power signal during this transmission opportunity.

[0131] This application does not limit the circumstances under which the terminal device sends low-power signals. For example, the terminal device determines whether to send low-power signals based on its implementation, capabilities, and quality of service (QoS). Terminal failures might include whether the main module and the low-power module (MR) use the same crystal oscillator, and whether their crystal oscillators have a synchronization mechanism. Terminal device capabilities might include the ability of the LR to assist the MR, and the LR's synchronization capability. If there is a synchronization mechanism, the network side can send fewer SS / PBCH blocks, and the terminal device's MR can receive fewer SS / PBCH blocks, thus achieving MR synchronization. This method allows the terminal device to assist the network device in sending auxiliary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals or SS / PBCH blocks as needed based on the first configuration information, reducing the power consumption of both the terminal device and the network device.

[0132] Accordingly, if the network device receives a low-power signal during transmission, it determines that the first configuration information is activated, and then sends one or more secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals according to the first configuration information, or sends one or more SS / PBCH blocks according to the first configuration information. If the network device does not receive a low-power signal during transmission, it determines that the first configuration information is not activated, and then does not send one or more secondary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel signals according to the first configuration information, or does not send one or more SS / PBCH blocks according to the first configuration information.

[0133] In this implementation, the low-power synchronization signal can be LP-SS, and the low-power signal can be a signal carried in the physical random access channel (PRACH) (such as a preamble) or an uplink LP-WUS or uplink WUS signal.

[0134] In the third possible implementation, a low-power synchronization signal is used to activate or deactivate a transmission timing, which is used to transmit a low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

[0135] In this implementation, the low-power signal can be a downlink signal or an uplink signal, as described in the first or second possible implementation above.

[0136] In this implementation, the time domain position and / or frequency domain position of the transmission timing can be preset or configured by the network device in other ways; this application does not limit this.

[0137] Optionally, in this implementation, if the network device sends a low-power synchronization signal, the low-power synchronization signal is used to activate the transmission timing; if the network device does not send a low-power synchronization signal, the low-power synchronization signal is used to deactivate the transmission timing.

[0138] Optionally, in this implementation, the low-power synchronization signal includes one bit corresponding to the transmission timing. If the value of this bit is a first value (e.g., 1), the low-power synchronization signal is used to activate the transmission timing; if the value of this bit is a second value (e.g., 0), the low-power synchronization signal is used to deactivate the transmission timing.

[0139] Optionally, in this implementation, there may be multiple transmission opportunities, and a low-power synchronization signal is used to activate or deactivate one of the multiple transmission opportunities.

[0140] For example, the network device is configured with three transmission timings, namely transmission timing 1 to transmission timing 3. The low-power synchronization signal contains 2 bits, and the meaning of the values ​​of these 2 bits can be seen in Table 3.

[0141] Table 3

[0142] For example, the network device is configured with four transmission timings, namely transmission timing 1 to transmission timing 4. The low-power synchronization signal contains 2 bits, and the meaning of the values ​​of these 2 bits can be seen in Table 4.

[0143] Table 4

[0144] If the terminal device does not receive a low-power synchronization signal, or the network device does not send a low-power synchronization signal, it indicates that there is no opportunity to activate transmission.

[0145] In this application, the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block, also have at least one of the following relationships, which are predefined or configured by the protocol and are not limited by this application.

[0146] Relationship 1: The low-power synchronization signal, auxiliary synchronization signal, and physical broadcast channel signal can be multiplexed together in the time domain using time-division multiplexing (TDM). For example, the low-power synchronization signal can be in the first half of the frame, while the auxiliary synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel signal can be in the second half of the frame. Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal, auxiliary synchronization signal, and physical broadcast channel signal can all be in the first half of the frame.

[0147] Second, the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block can be multiplexed together in the time domain using TDM.

[0148] Thirdly, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as that of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, i.e., the center frequency is aligned.

[0149] For example, as shown in Figure 11, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is aligned with the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal.

[0150] Relationship 4: The center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block, that is, the center frequency is aligned.

[0151] The fifth correlation is that the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, i.e., bottom alignment; or, the ending frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the ending frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, i.e., top alignment.

[0152] Using this method, the terminal device can determine the auxiliary synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel signal, or the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block, based on the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal, or based on the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving the auxiliary synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel signal, or the SS / PBCH block.

[0153] For example, as shown in Figure 12, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal.

[0154] Relationship 6: The start frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the start frequency of the SS / PBCH block, or the end frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the end frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

[0155] Relationship 7: The subcarrier spacing of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as that of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal.

[0156] Relationship 8: The subcarrier spacing of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as that of the SS / PBCH block.

[0157] For example, in frequency range (FR) 1, the network side can configure the subcarrier spacing of the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal to be 15kHz or 30kHz; in FR2, the network side can configure the subcarrier spacing of the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal, and the physical broadcast channel signal to be 60kHz or 120kHz.

[0158] This simplifies signal design, avoids frequent switching of subcarrier intervals by terminal devices, and reduces the power consumption of terminal devices.

[0159] Relationship 9: The beam corresponding to the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the beam corresponding to the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. That is, the network device uses the same beam to send the low-power synchronization signal, the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal.

[0160] Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal corresponds to a wide beam, while the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal correspond to a narrow beam, and the coverage area of ​​the wide beam includes the coverage area of ​​the narrow beam.

[0161] This simplifies the complexity of beam management for terminal devices and reduces their energy consumption.

[0162] Relationship 10: The beam corresponding to the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the beam corresponding to the SS / PBCH block, meaning that network devices use the same beam to transmit the low-power synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block.

[0163] Alternatively, a low-power synchronization signal corresponds to a wide beam, and an SS / PBCH block corresponds to a narrow beam, with the coverage area of ​​the wide beam including the coverage area of ​​the narrow beam.

[0164] Optionally, in this application, the low-power synchronization signal can also be used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0165] Whether to allow terminal devices to access cell groups or carrier groups;

[0166] Whether to allow terminal devices in the same frequency cell group to reselect to the cell group or carrier group;

[0167] Part or all of the information in the auxiliary synchronization signal;

[0168] Part or all of the MIB information, such as system frame number, subcarrier offset (ssb-SubcarrierOffset), etc.

[0169] If the low-power synchronization signal indicates whether the terminal device is allowed to access the cell group or carrier group, the terminal device can quickly determine whether it can camp on the cell group or carrier group based on the low-power synchronization signal, avoiding invalid detection of SS / PBCH blocks and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0170] If the low-power synchronization signal indicates whether terminal devices in the same frequency cell group are allowed to reselect to the cell group or carrier group, the terminal device can quickly determine whether it is allowed to reselect to the same cell group or carrier group based on the low-power synchronization signal, thus avoiding invalid detection of SS / PBCH blocks and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0171] The above are just examples. Low-power synchronization signals can also be used to indicate other information, which is not limited in this application and will not be elaborated here.

[0172] Step 602: The network device sends a low-power synchronization signal.

[0173] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a low-power synchronization signal.

[0174] This application does not limit the network device to sending low-power synchronization signals. This application also does not limit the terminal device to receiving low-power synchronization signals.

[0175] In one implementation, the terminal device can determine cell group information based on the low-power synchronization signal.

[0176] In one implementation, the terminal device can determine whether to receive a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal based on the low-power synchronization signal. For example, if the low-power synchronization signal indicates the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal, the terminal device can receive the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; if the low-power synchronization signal indicates the absence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal, the terminal device may not receive the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal.

[0177] In one implementation, the terminal device can determine whether to receive an SS / PBCH block based on a low-power synchronization signal. For example, if the low-power synchronization signal indicates the presence of an SS / PBCH block associated with it, the terminal device can receive the SS / PBCH block; if the low-power synchronization signal indicates the absence of an SS / PBCH block associated with it, the terminal device may not receive the SS / PBCH block.

[0178] In one implementation, the terminal device determines the activation of the first configuration information based on the low-power synchronization signal, and can then receive the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or receive the SS / PBCH block, based on the first configuration information.

[0179] The above is just an example. If the low-power synchronization signal also indicates other information, the terminal device can execute the corresponding process based on the low-power synchronization signal. The details will not be elaborated further.

[0180] This application also provides a method to reduce power consumption on the network side, and the specific implementation is given below.

[0181] Figure 13 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes:

[0182] Step 1301: The network device generates at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal.

[0183] The first low-power signal is used to carry part or all of the information of the SSS; the second low-power signal is used to carry part or all of the information of the PSS; and the third low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the MIB and / or part of the time-related information in the PBCH.

[0184] In one implementation, the first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than or equal to the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS. For example, the first low-power signal occupies one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain and at least one resource block (RB) in the frequency domain, such as 4 to 11 RBs in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the first low-power signal may occupy one OFDM symbol in the time domain and a positive integer number of subcarriers such as 127, 126, 125, 124, 123, or 122 in the frequency domain.

[0185] Optionally, the first low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

[0186] Optionally, the energy consumption for transmitting or receiving the first low-power signal is less than the energy consumption for transmitting or receiving the SSS. The first low-power signal can be understood as a low-power SSS.

[0187] In one implementation, the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than or equal to the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS. For example, the second low-power signal occupies 1 OFDM symbol in the time domain and at least 1 RB in the frequency domain, such as 4 to 11 RBs in the frequency domain. For example, the second low-power signal occupies 1 OFDM symbol in the time domain and occupies 127, 126, 125, 124, 123, 122, or other positive integer subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0188] Optionally, the second low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal.

[0189] Optionally, the energy consumption for transmitting or receiving the second low-power signal is less than the energy consumption for transmitting or receiving the PSS. The second low-power signal can be understood as a low-power PSS.

[0190] In one implementation, the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than or equal to the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH. For example, the third low-power signal occupies 1 or 2 OFDM symbols in the time domain. For example, the third low-power signal occupies 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, or other positive integer RBs in the frequency domain.

[0191] In one implementation, the time-frequency resources occupied by the DMRS associated with the third low-power signal are less than or equal to the time-frequency resources occupied by the DMRS associated with the PBCH.

[0192] Optionally, the third low-power signal is an OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power OFDM signal. Optionally, the transmission or reception power consumption of the third low-power signal is less than the transmission or reception power consumption of the MIB. The third low-power signal can be understood as a low-power physical broadcast channel signal.

[0193] In one implementation, the third low-power signal includes at least one of the following pieces of information:

[0194] System frame number (SFN); common subcarrier spacing; SSB subcarrier offset; demodulation reference signal (DMRS) type A position; PDCCH configuration associated with SIB1 (pdcch-configSIB1); intrafreqreselection; spare bit; whether it is currently an extended MIB (choice); SSB subcarrier offset and spare bit, or SSB index; half-radioframe indication (HRF).

[0195] Step 1302: The network device sends at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal.

[0196] Accordingly, the terminal device receives at least one of the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal.

[0197] The first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal can be time-division multiplexed.

[0198] Optionally, the terminal device can perform time and frequency synchronization based on the first low-power signal.

[0199] Optionally, the terminal device can perform time synchronization based on a second low-power signal.

[0200] Optionally, the terminal device may determine the cell identifier based on the first low-power signal and / or the second low-power signal.

[0201] Optionally, the terminal device may initially access the cell based on a third low-power signal.

[0202] Optionally, the network device may also periodically transmit at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal. For example, the period may be 20ms, 40ms, 60ms, 80ms, 100ms, etc.

[0203] Optionally, the network device can also send SS / PBCH blocks with a period greater than 160ms, such as 320ms, 640ms, 1280ms, or 2560ms, or 180ms, 200ms, 220ms, or 240ms. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SS / PBCH blocks.

[0204] Through the above methods, the network device consumes less power when sending the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal, and the period of the transmitted SS / PBCH block is longer, which can reduce the power consumption of the transmitted signal and save the energy consumption of the network device.

[0205] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device or network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0206] The following are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0207] As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a processing unit 1410 and a communication unit 1420. The communication device 1400 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the various method embodiments shown above.

[0208] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the functions of a network device:

[0209] A processing unit is configured to generate a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal is configured to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; whether a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal are associated with the low-power synchronization signal; whether a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) is associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and to activate or deactivate first configuration information, the first configuration information being configured to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information being configured to configure the SS / PBCH block.

[0210] A communication unit is used to transmit the low-power synchronization signal.

[0211] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device:

[0212] A communication unit is configured to receive a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal is configured to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; the existence of a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and to activate or deactivate first configuration information, the first configuration information being configured to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information being configured to configure the SS / PBCH block.

[0213] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the functions of a network device:

[0214] The processing unit is configured to generate at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; the first low-power signal is used to carry partial information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; the second low-power signal is used to carry partial information of the main synchronization signal PSS; and the third low-power signal is used to carry partial information of the main information block MIB and / or partial information of time-related information in the physical broadcast channel PBCH.

[0215] A communication unit is configured to transmit at least one of the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal.

[0216] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device:

[0217] A communication unit is configured to receive at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; the first low-power signal is configured to carry partial information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; the second low-power signal is configured to carry partial information of the primary synchronization signal PSS; and the third low-power signal is configured to carry partial information of the primary information block MIB and / or partial information of time-related information in the physical broadcast channel PBCH.

[0218] More detailed descriptions of the processing unit 1410 and the communication unit 1420 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0219] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, called and executed by a processing element of the device. Moreover, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the operations or units described above can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0220] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0221] The receiving unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The transmitting unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to transmit signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

[0222] As another possible product form, the terminal device or network device of this application embodiment can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to FIG15, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1500 includes a processor 1501 and a transceiver 1502. The communication device 1500 can be a terminal device, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1500 can be a network device, or a chip or module therein. FIG15 only shows the main components of the communication device 1500. In addition to the processor 1501 and the transceiver 1502, the communication device 1500 may further include a memory 1503 and an input / output device (not shown in the figure).

[0223] Optionally, the processor 1501 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory 1503 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1502 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0224] Optionally, the processor 1501, transceiver 1502, and memory 1503 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0225] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1501 can read the software program in the memory 1503, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1501 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1501. The processor 1501 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0226] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor that performs baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0227] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 1400 can be implemented in the form of the communication device 1500 shown in FIG15.

[0228] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing unit 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 1501 in the communication device 1500 shown in FIG15 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1503. The function / implementation process of the communication unit 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the transceiver 1502 in the communication device 1500 shown in FIG15.

[0229] As another possible product form, the terminal device or network device in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG16, or include the components shown in FIG16. FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1600 provided in this application.

[0230] As shown in Figure 16, the communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1601. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface 1602.

[0231] When the relevant program instructions are executed in the at least one processor 1601, the device 1600 may implement the methods provided in any of the foregoing embodiments and any of the possible designs therein. Alternatively, the processor 1601 may implement the methods provided in any of the foregoing embodiments and any of the possible designs therein through logic circuits or executable code instructions.

[0232] The communication interface 1602 can be used to receive program instructions and transmit them to the processor, or it can be used for communication device 1600 to communicate and interact with other communication devices, such as exchanging control signaling and / or service data. For example, the communication interface 1602 can be used to receive signals from other devices besides the communication device 1600 and transmit them to the processor 1601, or to send signals from the processor 1601 to other communication devices besides the communication device 1600.

[0233] Optionally, the communication interface 1602 can be a code and / or data read / write interface circuit, or the communication interface 1602 can be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver, or a chip pin.

[0234] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include at least one memory 1603, which can be used to store the required program instructions and / or data. It should be noted that the memory 1603 may exist independently of the processor 1601 or may be integrated with the processor 1601. The memory 1603 may be located within or outside the communication device 1600, without limitation.

[0235] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a power supply circuit 1604, which can be used to power the processor 1601. The power supply circuit 1604 may be located in the same chip as the processor 1601, or in a separate chip outside the chip containing the processor 1601.

[0236] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may also include a bus, through which the various parts of the communication device 1600 can be interconnected.

[0237] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 1400 shown in FIG14 can take the form of the communication device 1600 shown in FIG16 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0238] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing unit 1410 in FIG14 can be implemented by the processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG16 calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1603. The function / implementation process of the communication unit 1420 in FIG14 can be implemented by the communication interface 1602 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG16.

[0239] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 16 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal device or network device. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the terminal device or network device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0240] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the terminal by the base station; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is information sent to the base station by the terminal.

[0241] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the base station to the terminal. Here, the base station module can be the baseband chip of the base station, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0242] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may 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, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0243] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or terminal.

[0244] 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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless 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 medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0245] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0246] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0247] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0248] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0249] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A low-power synchronization signal is generated, the low-power synchronization signal being used to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and the existence of a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) associated with the low-power synchronization signal. Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block; Send the low-power synchronization signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal may also be used to indicate the time-domain offset of the low-power synchronization signal from the SS / PBCH block.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information, including: The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the transmission timing, which is used to transmit the low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The low-power signal is either an uplink low-power signal or a downlink low-power signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. Alternatively, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to allow terminal devices to access cell groups or carrier groups; Whether to allow terminal devices in the same frequency cell group to reselect to the cell group or carrier group; Partial information about the auxiliary synchronization signal; Partial information from the Master Information Block (MIB).

7. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; whether there is a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; whether there is a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block) associated with the low-power synchronization signal; Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal may also be used to indicate the time-domain offset of the low-power synchronization signal from the SS / PBCH block.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information, including: The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the transmission timing, which is used to transmit the low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The low-power signal is either an uplink low-power signal or a downlink low-power signal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. Alternatively, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to allow terminal devices to access cell groups or carrier groups; Whether to allow terminal devices in the same frequency cell group to reselect to the cell group or carrier group; Partial information about the auxiliary synchronization signal; Partial information from the Master Information Block (MIB).

13. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Generate at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; The first low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; The second low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the master synchronization signal PSS; The third low-power signal is used to carry part of the information in the main information block (MIB) and / or part of the time-related information in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Send at least one of the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The first low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the second low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the third low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: The synchronization signal is transmitted via a physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH), the period of which is greater than 160ms.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; The first low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; The second low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the master synchronization signal PSS; The third low-power signal is used to carry part of the information in the Master Information Block (MIB) and / or part of the time-related information in the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH).

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The first low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the second low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the third low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: The physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH) receives the synchronization signal, and the period of the SS / PBCH block is greater than 160ms.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processing unit is configured to generate a low-power synchronization signal; the low-power synchronization signal is configured to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and the existence of a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH) associated with the low-power synchronization signal. Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block; A communication unit is used to transmit the low-power synchronization signal.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The communication unit is used to receive low-power synchronization signals; The low-power synchronization signal is used to indicate at least one of the following: cell group information; the existence of a secondary synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel signal associated with the low-power synchronization signal; and the existence of a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH) associated with the low-power synchronization signal. Activate or deactivate the first configuration information, which is used to configure the secondary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal, or the first configuration information is used to configure the SS / PBCH block.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the time-domain offset between the low-power synchronization signal and the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the low-power synchronization signal may also be used to indicate the time-domain offset of the low-power synchronization signal from the SS / PBCH block.

24. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information, including: The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate the transmission timing, which is used to transmit the low-power signal, and the low-power signal is used to activate or deactivate the first configuration information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that, The low-power signal is either an uplink low-power signal or a downlink low-power signal.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 25, characterized in that, The center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal. Alternatively, the center frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the center frequency of the SS / PBCH block; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the auxiliary synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel signal; Alternatively, the starting frequency of the low-power synchronization signal is the same as the starting frequency of the SS / PBCH block.

27. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 26, characterized in that, The low-power synchronization signal is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Whether to allow terminal devices to access cell groups or carrier groups; Whether to allow terminal devices in the same frequency cell group to reselect to the cell group or carrier group; Partial information about the auxiliary synchronization signal; Partial information from the Master Information Block (MIB).

28. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processing unit is configured to generate at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; The first low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; The second low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the master synchronization signal PSS; The third low-power signal is used to carry part of the information in the main information block (MIB) and / or part of the time-related information in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). A communication unit is configured to transmit at least one of the first low-power signal, the second low-power signal, and the third low-power signal.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that, The first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that, The first low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the second low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the third low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that, The communication unit is also used for: The synchronization signal is transmitted via a physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH), the period of which is greater than 160ms.

32. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A communication unit is configured to receive at least one of a first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, and a third low-power signal; The first low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the auxiliary synchronization signal SSS; The second low-power signal is used to carry part of the information of the master synchronization signal PSS; The third low-power signal is used to carry part of the information in the Master Information Block (MIB) and / or part of the time-related information in the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH).

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, characterized in that, The first time-frequency resource occupied by the first low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the SSS, and / or the second time-frequency resource occupied by the second low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource occupied by the PSS, and / or the third time-frequency resource occupied by the third low-power signal is less than the time-frequency resource corresponding to the PBCH.

34. The apparatus according to claim 32 or 33, characterized in that, The first low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the second low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal; And / or, the third low-power signal is an on / off switch OOK signal, a chirp signal, or a low-power orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

35. The apparatus according to any one of claims 32 to 34, characterized in that, The communication unit is also used for: The physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH) receives the synchronization signal, and the period of the SS / PBCH block is greater than 160ms.

36. A communication device, characterized in that, Including processor and memory; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the method described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

37. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer contains a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

38. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, such that the chip implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

39. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 20 is performed.

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